Admission requirements
Admission to the MA International Relations.
Description
This course analyses the historical and current security cooperation between the European Union and the Latin American and Caribbean countries (EU-LAC). The main focus period is the mid-1980s to date, a period in which the EU-LAC relation has articulated and become a key strategic cooperation in security matters, chiefly as a consequence of the expansion of the transnational organised crime threat.
The course takes a historical approach, where the United States is seen to have been the dominating actor in security matters in Latin America and Caribbean for more than a century. US involvement deepened as a consequence of the War on Drugs. However, the EU has step-by-step entered into this playing field, and in more recent years it has become a strategic security partner with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This security cooperation has deepened and accelerated, particularly from around 2010 onwards, as Latin American organised crime networks increasingly use European ports as trafficking hubs and target Europe as a prime market for cocaine and other illegal merchandize. The aim of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of said cooperation by analysing both regions’ wider security challenges and internal dynamics in order to provide a wholescale understanding of the cross-Atlantic anti-crime cooperation. It further seeks to analyse the security dynamics taking place on the operational level, looking at customs, police, and other actors involved in order to examine how the cooperation takes place ‘on the ground’.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will have gained:
An in-depth understanding of the historical relationship between the European Union and Latin American and Caribbean regions, and how security matters emerged to become a key aspect of the said cross-Atlantic cooperation;
A comprehensive understanding of the complex political, social, economic and cultural aspects affecting cross-border security cooperation and dynamics posing threats to society and state in Latin America, the Caribbean and in Europe;
Insight into the domestic security situations in Latin America and the Caribbean nations and how these are being managed nationally;
A thorough understanding of how complex security dynamics take place in cross-border security cooperations, and the wider context in which these unfold.
**Skills **
Research skills:
Develop an adequate research question based on initial information gathering of academic and non-academic sources;
Design a research proposal under supervision, including a well-defined research question and methodological approach;
Search for and select academic literature and empirical data using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
Carry out an empirical analysis within the research scope and reach an elaborated conclusion.
Oral presentation skills:
Participate with proper reflection and insightful arguments in a clear and coherent way in in-class discussions;
Present and explain in a structured and clear fashion findings of a research project in the form of a group presentation in class, using relevant illustration or multimedia techniques;
provide a good, captivati*ng structure for a presentation.
Collaboration skills:
phase, plan, and monitor one's own work and the work of others within a collaborative project, and deliver resulting products on time;
be socio-communicative in preparing for a group presentation;
provide and receive constructive criticism from lecturer on written work and fellow students in preparing for the group presentation;
adhere to agreed schedules and priorities in a group-work setting.
Project/time management skills and resilience:
- Develop a sound and well-planned schedule in order to phase, plan and monitor one’s own work to complete with the course requirements on time.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable ( https://rooster.universiteitleiden.nl/schedule).
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Assessment method
The course is graded as follows:
The final grade [100%] is composed of 4 parts:
**Active participation 10% **
Students are expected to participate in discussions and comments during the lectures. A part of the final grade concerns therefore active participation in class.
**Research proposal 20% **
The first written assignment in this course is a research proposal, a plan which will be used for the research and writing of the final paper, due at the end of the course.
**Group presentation 20% **
At the beginning of the course, the class will be organised in groups. Each group will be responsible for conducting an investigation and prepare a class presentation due later in the semester.
Research paper 50%
Every student will write a research paper and submit by the end of the course, after the research proposal has been approved. This is an essay of about 4,500-5,500 words about a theme related to the topic of the course.
To pass the course, the weighted average has to be at least 5.5.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
Resubmission of final essays: in the case of a failing course grade, students can resubmit a revised version of their final essay within 10 working days of the date on which the final grade is released.
Reading list
The reading material will be made available by the lecturer via BrightSpace together with the syllabus. There will be no need to purchase books.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website ( https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/en/administrative-matters/registration--de-registration/course-and-exam-enrolment/course-and-exam-enrolment/humanities/art-history-ba?cf=humanities&cd=art-history-ba#tab-2).
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga
Remarks
N/A