Admission requirements
Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can take this course.
Description
In this seminar, we will study sanctions, focusing on various puzzles and case studies. Sanctions are the primary tool states use when confronted with real, perceived, or fabricated security threats. They are employed to coerce foreign agents, including states, corporations, groups, and individuals. Often, sanctions are the first, sometimes the only, tool states deploy to project power beyond their borders. They are frequently perceived as precise and “humane,” certainly more so than guns and bombs. However, these truisms 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. More puzzling is the fact that sanctions often weaken the sanctioning state and empower the sanctioned state. We should ask even more fundamental questions: who is the target? While politicians and pundits discuss threats, enemies, and security, there are compelling reasons to believe that sanctions do not target “enemies” at all but citizens of the sending states. Sanctions are crucial to contemporary (in)security, but to fully understand how and why, we must work diligently to disabuse ourselves of empty-nothings and easy presumptions and strive to comprehend the situation. We have much to learn. This is not an easy class. Students are expected to read extensively and write a lengthy 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. Students are only allowed to miss more than one lecture if there are special, demonstrable personal circumstances. The Board of Examiners, in consultation with the study advisors, will decide on such an exceptional exemption of mandatory attendance.
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