Prospectus

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Researching Crisis and Security Management

Course
2020-2021

Admission requirements

This course is part of the minor Security, Safety and Justice, taught at The Hague by a lecturer from Leiden University. The course can only be taken within the framework of participation in the minor SSJ.

Description

Security issues are on the political agenda around the world. The academic world also has several (sub)disciplines that study crises, conflicts, disasters and threats (amongst others political sciences, integrated security studies, conflict studies, public administration, and police & threat studies). The subject concerns phenomena which are not easy to research: attacks or big security incidents do not happen every day, and when they do there are often political sensitivities, and documents interesting for research are often classified.

This course offers an overview of different kinds of research that are possible in the field of Crisis and Security Management (CSM), and analyses issues, dilemmas and challenges that can be encountered when researching these phenomena. Furthermore, the necessity of this kind of policy-oriented research is highlighted. The course begins with an overview of disciplines and types of research and looks at how to design a research proposal. After that, guest lectures by expert researchers are scheduled where they will discuss the dilemmas they regularly encounter.

The course will focus specifically on four main subjects: a) researching crisis; b) researching security; and c) researching terrorism; and d) researching people.

Course objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define, examine and compare different research methodology in the field of crisis and security;

  • Execute small researches in the field of crisis and security management;

  • Discuss problems and opportunities regarding the research on crisis and security management; and

  • Design a research proposal regarding crisis and security management.

Timetable

Schedule 2020 to be announced.

The timetable will be displayed with a link on the website and on the front page of this minor programme.

Mode of instruction

The course will consist of 7 sessions dedicated to lectures, including guest lectures, workgroups and general debates.
The total study load for this course is 140 hours, consisting of: a) contact: 14 hrs b) self-study: 126 hrs.

Assessment method

Essay

  • 25% of total grade

  • Resit not possible

  • Grade can be compensated

Final Exam

  • 75% of total grade

  • Grade must be 5.50 or higher to pass the course

  • Resit possible

  • Resit will take the same form
    Students will be permitted to resit the 75% final exam if they have a calculated overall course grade lower than 5.50 or with permission of the Board of Examiners. The essay needs to be compensated.
    Late hand in penalty: 0,5 minus per day, and after seven days we do not accept papers any longer.

The Course and Examination Regulation Security Studies and the Rules and Regulation of the Board of Examiners of the Institute of Security and Global Affairs apply.

Reading list

Will be made available via Brightspace

Registration

Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course, after registration for the entire minor.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. Important information about the course is posted here.
After enrolment for the course in uSis you are also enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.

Contact

Dedicated email address: ssj@fgga.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks

All sessions will be in English.
Group assignments and individual paper need to be written in English.