Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2057: Security Studies

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

This module will introduce you to the study of war and the use of force in world politics. It will explore three schools of thought (strategic studies, contemporary security studies and peace studies) and examine the theories and concepts they deploy to understand contemporary conflict. Moreover, it will examine cases of political violence and address current issues relating to strategy, security and peace. The module will focus first on strategic studies and the pursuit or order and national security, before going on to look at (international) security more broadly and the old and new concerns it raises, and then finally considering peace and international interventions to end conflict. The module provides a broad survey of strategy, security and peace which will provide a basis for more detailed studies at Level 3 and in undergraduate and postgraduate research.

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. demonstrate knowledge of a specific case of conflict with regard to the following schools of thought: strategic studies, contemporary security studies and peace studies; 2. situate this knowledge critically with respect to the other schools of thought; 3. understand how these concepts and cases inform our study of the general field of International Relations;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. critically analyse secondary source material including audio-visual material in the field of politics; 5. understand and use political theory; 6. construct well-structured and rigorous political arguments;
Personal and Key Skills	7. demonstrate the ability to digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment; 8. demonstrate competence to use the internet and other IT resources.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Introduction: War, conflict, security: contentious concepts

Part 1:Classical approaches to war, security and conflict: Strategy, geopolitics, and traditional IR theories

Part 2: Contemporary security studies: new theories and new objects in a changing world

Part 3: Crossing disciplinary boundaries: security through the lens of Economics and Psychology

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
26.5	123.5

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	16.5	11 x 1.5 hour lectures. Subject knowledge will be communicated in lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	10	10 x 1 hour tutorials - subject knowledge will be developed through tutorial discussion and group worksheets prepared in advance
Guided Independent study	14	Worksheet preparation
Guided Independent study	109.5	Weekly reading, essay reading and writing, exam revision

Online Resources

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

Other Learning Resources

Other materials will be identified by the module convener in lectures, tutorials and via ELE.

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.

The core textbook for this module is:

Contemporary security studies. Edited by Alan Collins. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Second edition.