2010 Course Handbook
IRPG831: International Security
The study of international security, particularly the causes and conduct of major war between states, has been at the heart of the discipline of International Relations from its inception and remains a very important part of scholarship to this day. This unit will start by introducing students to the traditional approaches to security studies, including Realism and Liberalism, as well as non-traditional approaches which have sought to both deepen and broaden our understanding of what 'security' actually means. Contemporary security threats to the state of a military kind will be discussed in the first part of the unit, including issues such as the impact of nuclear weapons on international politics during the Cold War, the attempts made to control the spread of nuclear weapons through the development of common institutions, the adequacy of strategic concepts such as deterrence to the new security threats posed by international terrorism and rogue states, as well as the challenge of irregular warfare. From there we move to a discussion of broader conceptions of security, including the idea of societal security (ethno-national conflicts, UN peacekeeping and peace-building) and human security (resource scarcity, climate change, and pandemics such as HIV/AIDs).
| Credit Points: | 4 |
| Contact Hours: | -- |
| When Offered: |
D2 - Day; Offered in the second half-year
E2 - Evening; Offered in the second half-year X2 - External study; Offered in the second half-year (On Campus session: No session) |
| Staff Contact: | Dr Lavina Lee |
| Prerequisites: | |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | |
| Unit Designations: | -- |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations Faculty of Arts |