Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2087: Security Studies, Part One

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module will:

Introduce you to mainstream and critical perspectives on security practices in liberal democracies.
Encourage you to reflect on the meaning of ‘security’ and the normative implications of seeking security.
Train you in the skills to evaluate and constructively critique peers’ work.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Describe, contrast and analyse some competing theoretical perspectives on the meaning and practice of security in liberal democracies 2. Apply theoretical approaches to the analysis of empirical and normative issues related to security practices in liberal democracies, and display a competent awareness of the limitations and implications of each perspective 3. Use evidence to explain and defend the adoption of a particular theoretical and conceptual approach to the analysis of a security practice or issue
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Construct a logical academic argument supported by evidence 5. Apply on abstract theoretical approaches to new contexts in order to make sense of real world problems 6. Identify and apply a conceptual framework from some academic sources in order to answer an essay question, then explain the choice of this framework
Personal and Key Skills	7. Formulate and present information and critical analysis in both written and oral forms in a coherent manner 8. Understand assessment criteria, engage in constructive peer-evaluation, produce feedback and develop suggestions for improvement. 9. Work effectively with peers in order to present ideas and facilitate discussions

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

"Security! What do you mean?"
State Security and Trident
Liberal Security and Trident
Emancipation and Intervention
Feminism and Sex
Postcolonialism and Development
Poststructuralism and Fear
Securitization and the Everyday

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	11	11 x 1 hour seminars
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	11	11 x 1 hour lectures
Guided independent study	35	Research and preparation of student-led seminar
Guided independent study	3	Research and preparation of Respondent Presentation
Guided independent study	15	Research and composition of essay plan
Guided independent study	35	Research and composition of the essay
Guided Independent study	3	Composition of peer reviews
Guided independent study	37	Reading assignments and preparing responses for seminar questions

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

CHALLENGE: A Research Project Funded by the Sixth Framework Research Programme of DG Research (European Commission) (http://www.libertysecurity.org/)

Critical Approaches to Security in Europe (c.a.s.e. collective):http://www.casecollective.org

Histories of Violence. (http://historiesofviolence.com/)

Other Learning Resources

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Four Lions (2010)

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

Collins, A. (ed.) Contemporary Security Studies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007)

Peoples, C. and Vaughan-Williams, N., Critical Security Studies: An Introduction (London, Routledge, 2010)

Baldwin, D. ‘The Concept of Security’, Review of International Studies, 23(1), (1997), pp. 5-26.

Walt, S.'The Renaissance of Security Studies,' International Studies Quarterly, 35(2), (1991), pp. 211-239

Huysmans, J. ‘Security! What do you mean?’ European Journal of International Relations, (1998) 4: 226-255.

Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver and Jaap de Wilde, Security: A New Framework for Analysis (London: Lynne Rienner, 1998)