Admission requirements
Course for students enrolled in master program Crisis and Security Management.
Description
What does security mean and when did it emerge as object of unified, centralized state policy? In this course, we will historicize the concept and practices of security in the sense that we will map security through time, embed various security thoughts and philosophies in their respective timeframes and analyze its scope, object and subject, as well as its impact on society. We will study security on three different levels. First of all, we will focus on the main threats, wars and conflicts in modern history. Second, we will analyze how these events shaped government policies and public attitudes towards security and its corresponding practices. Third, we will provide an overview of the main academic perspectives and theories on security throughout history. Our focus will be on the modern era, ranging from the 19th century until the present day.
The course will provide an overview of the 19th and 20th century perspectives until today and mark the most important events and corresponding developments in security theories and thinking. Security as a field of study cuts across disciplinary scientific boundaries and thus, can be viewed from different perspectives. We will concentrate on the West and more specifically: Europe and The Netherlands. Students are asked both to read primary materials, conduct research on security issues and adopt the concepts and theoretical perspectives provided in the course to their work.
Course objectives
- The students will obtain advanced knowledge and understanding of the historical dimension of security issues
- The students will be able to address questions (how are threat perceptions, security conceptions, and security regimes formed which factors influence their genesis and transformation?) and define, analyse, and apply the main theories (Realism, Social Constructivism, Securitization), concepts (speech acts, objects, subjects, security regimes), and insights in the field of international relations and security studies. They will be able to recognize the changing theoretical approaches and academic perspectives on these security issues and they will be able to recognize and understand the fundamental historical transformations that shaped threat perceptions and security conceptions on the level of the nation state, so the students develop an academic toolbox with which they can analyse historical and current developments and events in the field of security.
- The students will be able to define and analyse the complex and ever-changing phenomenon of security conceptions, threat perceptions, and security regimes by focusing on broader societal and political transformations and the changing relationship between citizens and the state from the French Revolution, through the ‘Dual Revolution’, the ‘Age of nationalism’, both World Wars, and the Cold War to the present.
- The students will develop a historically and theoretically embedded tool-kit with which they are able to critically reflect on current security related issues and recognize its historical and security dimensions. Students can use this tool-kit to analyse cases and developments in the domain of security.
- The students will be able to build, present, and defend well-grounded and concise arguments by posing a research question in a research paper in which they historicize a case, whilst applying the insights in the changing threat perceptions and security conceptions on the level of the nation state and society
- By studying broader historical developments and relevant theoretical perspectives and applying these to security related events, students will develop a critical mind-set and awareness to understand the historical dimensions and ever changing nature of threat perceptions and security regimes in the past and today.
Timetable
On the CSM front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
The sessions are dedicated to lectures and seminars. This course is compulsory.
Course Load
- total study load 5 EC x 28 hrs. = 140 hrs., of which: – contact hours: 3 hrs. per week x 7 weeks = 21 hrs. – self-study hours: 119 hrs
Assessment method
Written Exam (40%)
The midterm written exam in Week 4 will be based on the content of the lectures and the literature in the syllabus.
Final Paper (60%)
In week 8, students are required to hand in a referenced paper to complete this course. The paper should consist of 4000-4500 words (excluding front page, footnotes and literature list) and should be driven by a central idea or thesis that grounds the research. The paper should pose a question, answered through the analysis of secondary source evaluation and, if possible, primary sources as well. Central to the essay is the effort of historicizing a security related topic. Further information will be provided during the lectures.
Failed partial grades weighing less than 30% should be compensated by a passed partial grade weighing more than 30%. The calculated grade must be at least 5,50 in order to pass the course.
Re-sit takes the same form.
Blackboard
Blackboard page will be available one week in advance.
Reading list
To be announced on blackboard.
Registration
Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted there.
Contact
Dr. M.B.D. Benraad Institute of Security and Global Affairs (Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs): m.b.d.benraad@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Office hours: make an appointment by email