Module POLM060 for 2017/8
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM060: Global Security
This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation of questions | Each week you will be expected to provide answers to the questions provided in the module handbook, and further elaborate your opinion on these answers | 1-8 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 30 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small group op-ed (2-4 students) opinion piece (similar to those found in quality newspapers) | 20 | Written document (1,500 words) and seminar presentation (ten minutes) | 1-9 | Verbal |
| Essay | 50 | 4,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Take-home assessment | 30 | Three questions of 1000 words max. each | 1-8 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small group op-ed (2-4 students) opinion piece (similar to those found in quality newspapers) | Individually authored 1,500 word op-ed | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Take-home assessment | Three questions of 1000 words max. each | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | 4,000 word essay | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
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.
Basic reading:
Burchill, Linklater, Devetak, et al.’s Theories of International Relations (Palgrave)
Peoples & Vaughan-Williams’ Critical Security Studies (Routledge)
WALT S. (1991): “The Renaissance of Security Studies”, International Studies Quarterly 35 (2): 211-239.
BALDWIN D. (1995): "Security Studies and the End of the Cold War", World Politics 48 (1): 117-141.
GRIECO J. (1993): “Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the Newest Liberal Institutionalism”, in BALDWIN D. (ed.): Neo-realism and Neo-liberalism: The Contemporary Debate. New York: Columbia University Press.
MEARSHEIMER J. (2014): “Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West's Fault. The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin”, Foreign Affairs 93: 79.
WOLFE P. (1997): “History and Imperialism: A Century of Theory, From Marx to Postcolonialism”, American Historical Review 102(2): 388-420.
NEOCLEOUS M. (2007) “Security, Commodity, Fetishism”, Critique 35(3): 339-355.
BAELE S., BALZACQ T. (2014): “The Third Debate and Postpositivism”, ISA Compendium, online.
GEORGE J., CAMPBELL D. (1990): “Patterns of Dissent and the Celebration of Difference: Critical Social Theory and International Relations”, International Studies Quarterly 34 (3): 269-293.
CAMPBELL D. (2010): “Poststructuralism”. In DUNNE T., KURKI M., SMITH S., eds., International Relations Theories – Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.213-237.
LAFFEY M., WELDES J. (2008): “Decolonizing the Cuban Missile Crisis”, International Studies Quarterly 52: 555-577.
KATZENSTEIN P. (ed.): The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Politics. New York: Columbia University Press.
BALZACQ T. (2011): “A Theory of Securitization: Origins, Core Assumptions, and Variants”, in BALZACQ (ed.): Securitization Theory. How security Problems Emerge and Dissolve, New York: Routledge – PRIO, pp.1-30.
BOSWELL C. (2007): “Migration Control in Europe after 9/11: Explaining the Absence of Securitization of Immigration”, Journal of Common Market Studies 45 (3): 589-610.
BAR-TAL D., HALPERIN E. (2013): “The Psychology of Intractable Conflicts: Eruption, Escalation, and Peacemaking”, in Huddy L., Sears D., Levy J. (eds.): Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
