Syllabus
Administrative and conceptual introduction
Development of Security Studies
Security dilemma, balance of power, deterrence
Collective security, international regimes, soft power
Structural violence, positive & negative peace
Mid-term exam
Essay workshop
Hybridity, asymmetry
Securitisatiion
Risk, "risk society"
Governance, governmentality, bio-politics
Annotation
The course introduces some of the key concepts used in security studies. It does so by discussing first the evolution of the discipline and its connection to broader scientific reflection on politics and then focuses on more specific scholarly attempts to approach theoretically and conceptually some features and phenomena of security politics both from the “traditional” as well as “critical” perspective.
Moreover, in its final part some of the unorthodox agendas will be addressed to underline the growing multidisciplinarity of the field. The emphasis of the course is placed on developing independent and critical thinking on these concepts and preparing the students on using these concepts in their own research.
After completing the course, students shall be able to understand and use a variety of security concepts in practice. They shall be able not only to demonstrate their knowledge of these concepts and the scholarly traditions that they are embedded in, but also use these concepts in their own thinking on security politics and critically assess how these concepts help us understand the social world.