Admission requirements
Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can take this course.
Description
We will study sanctions in this seminar, focusing on various puzzles and case studies. Sanctions are the go-to weapon for states when faced with various real, perceived, or made-up security threats. Sanctions are used to coerce foreign agents, be they states, corporations, groups, or individuals. They are, often, the first, sometimes the only tool states deploy to project power beyond their borders. Sanctions are often considered precise and “humane,” certainly more so than guns and bombs. At least, that is what we are told. One problem with those truisms is that they are analytically thin and fall apart under even cursory investigation. For instance, it presumes that sanctions are usually somewhat successful. However, sanctions rarely “work”; indeed, they almost always fail. Yet more puzzling is the fact that sanctions often weaken the sanctioning state and empower the sanctioned state. Indeed, we should ask even more rudimentary questions: who is the target? Yes, politicians and pundits talk of threats, enemies, and security, but there are good reasons to think that sanctions do not target “enemies” at all but citizens of the sending states. Sanctions are crucial to contemporary (in)security, but if we are going to understand how and why, we need to work hard to disabuse ourselves of empty-nothings and easy presumptions and try to understand what is happening in front of us. We have much to learn. This is not an easy class. Students are expected to read a lot and write a long argumentative essay.
Course Objectives
After finalizing this course, students will be able to:
Understand the global, regional, domestic, and human importance of sanctions across a range of security issue.
Critique and criticize theories and arguments related to sanctions.
Use theoretical and empirical knowledge to evaluate sanctions.
Write an argumentative paper.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the studyguide you will find links to the website and timetables, MyStudymap, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of Instruction
This course consists of 7 seminars. Students are required to participate actively in class discussion. Attendance is mandatory.
Assessment method
Assessment for this course is based on two assignments:
Paper proposal
15% of final grade
Resit not possible
Grade can be compensated in case of a fail (< 5.50)
Term paper
85% of final grade
Resit is possible
Grade cannot be compensated, a 5.5 is required to pass the course
The overall grade of the assignments must be at least 5.50 to pass the course. The term paper grade must also be above 5.5 to pass the course. Students are also permitted to resit the 85% assignment if they have a calculated overall course lower than 5.50.
Reading list
The literature will consist of academic books, articles, and policy documents, links to which will be provided in the syllabus.
Registration
*Please note, registration for block 4 electives will be organised by the OSC in a different way from the regular course registration for semester 2. More information about this will follow in the beginning of semester 2.
Contact
dr. Matthew Hoye j.m.hoye@fgga.leidenuniv.nl