Admission requirements
- Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can take this course.
Description
Democracies today continue to wrestle with shifting and rapidly evolving threats stemming from conflicts, state coercion, and a variety of domestic and transnational security concerns. Unlike other political systems, societies governed by the rule of law must craft policy and legal responses that uphold democratic values and protect civil, social and human rights. This raises complex governance challenges: how can states ensure security while respecting democratic legal frameworks? What kind of powers and responsibilities shape democratic security governance?
This course explores these questions through an interdisciplinary lens and draws on the diverse expertise embedded in the specialisation tracks of the Master’s in Crisis and Security Management. The course introduces students to the key approaches used to analyse security and rule of law dilemmas in both national and international contexts.
Students will be introduced to the concept of the rule of law and explore how political and legal institutions govern security, manage crises, and uphold democratic accountability. Drawing on socio-legal, political theory, and security governance literature, the course examines how security is produced, regulated, and contested across the policy cycle by both state and non-state actors. Special attention is given to how politics shape the definition of threats, the distribution of coercive powers, and the legitimacy of security practices. Students will analyse tensions between liberty and security, domestic and international law and politics. Weekly discussions, grounded in real-world cases will connect these themes to the different specialisation tracks within the Crisis and Security Management programme.
Course Objectives
After finalising this course, students will be able to:
- Reflect critically, based on advanced knowledge, on the concept of the rule of law, its core dilemmas and application in societies, particularly in relation to social control, the legitimate use of force and the principles of democratic rules and accountability.
- Explain and discuss the dynamics of security governance, identifying key actors, institutions, and power relations involved in the management of security across local, national, and international levels.
- Analyse the political nature of security policymaking, including how threats are constructed, powers are distributed, and legal norms are interpreted or bypassed in times of crisis
- Examine the relationship between internal and external security, drawing on examples that link domestic political and legal frameworks with foreign policy and international norms and practices.
- Evaluate the normative implications, and consequences of security measures and legal responses, especially when viewed through the lens of democratic legitimacy and human rights.
- Communicate and apply theoretical insights through structured debate, written assignments, and group discussion, enhancing both critical thinking and communication skills.
- Self-evaluate and reflect on learning processes, after interactive in-class work and individual assignments.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the study guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of Instruction
This course consists of seven lectures (potentially including guest lectures/roundtables), and three workgroups sessions.
Total study load: 140 hours:
contact hours: 20.
self-study hours: reading, preparing (guest)lectures and workgroup sessions, assignments: 120.
Assessment method
Assessment for this course is based on two assignments:
Mid-Term assignment
20% of total grade
Resit not possible
Grade must be compensated
Final assignment
80% of total grade
Grade must be 5.50 or higher to pass the course
Resit possible
Resit will take the same form
The calculated overall course grade must be at least 5.50 in order to pass the course. If the calculated overall course grade is lower than 5.50, students are also permitted to resit the 80% final assignment.
In the case of written assessment methods, the examiner can always initiate a follow-up conversation with the student to establish whether the learning objectives have been met.
Transitional arrangement
Please be aware that passed partial grades obtained in academic year 2024-2025 are no longer valid during academic year 2025-2026.
Reading list
A selection of books and articles, to be announced on Brightspace.
Registration
Register yourself via MyStudymap for the lecture. Enrolment in one of the workgroups will be arranged by the programme. You will not be able to register yourself for one of the workgroups. Enrolment for these workgroups will be done in later, so please note that it will take a while before the workgroup is finalized in your timetable.
Do so on time, before the start of the course; some courses and workgroups have limited spaces. You can view your personal schedule in MyTimetable after logging in.
Registration for this course is possible from Wednesday 10 December 2025, 13.00h
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. After enrolment for the course in MyStudymap you will be automatically enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.
More information on registration via MyStudymap can be found on this page.
Contact
dr. Damien van Puyvelde d.t.n.van.puyvelde@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
dr. Joery Matthys j.matthys@fgga.leidenuniv.nl