Admission requirements
Mandatory course for students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme Security Studies.
Description
The overall course objective is to deepen knowledge of strategies, actors, levels and dilemmas in governing contemporary security challenges. As a result of broad societal changes, influential technological developments and a growing complexity of security issues, amongst others, authorities throughout the world increasingly govern security in partnerships and networks with other public and private actors at local, regional, national and global levels. On the one hand, this shift offers opportunities–and some argue it is necessary–in dealing with complex security problems such as terrorism, cyber threats or itinerant criminal gangs that cannot be easily tackled independently by traditional state actors such as the national police. On the other hand, this multi-actor, multi-level mode of governance comes with its own set of challenges.
The course critically reviews classic and contemporary strategies and modes of governing security, explains their origins, rise and factors affecting their functioning and discusses key questions, themes and dilemmas for designing, implementing and evaluating the governance of security. The course elaborates these topics with reference to recent conceptual developments in public policy, security studies, international relations as well as the history, sociology and philosophy of technology, and their relevant insights for security governance. A guest lecture complements the knowledge developed in this course by bringing a practitioner’s view on security governance.
Course objectives
The student has acquired knowledge and understanding of strategies, actors, levels and
dilemmas in governing security challengesThe student has acquired knowledge and understanding of relevant concepts, theories and methods from the perspectives of public policy, security studies, international relations and philosophy of technology.
The student is able to apply acquired knowledge mentioned in the first two objectives to concrete cases of security governance.
The student is able to reflect on governance practices in terms of legitimacy, transparency, accountability and effectiveness.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
7 plenary lectures
4 course labs in smaller groups (attendance is mandatory)
Course Load
Total study load of 140 hours
Contact hours: 33
Self-study hours: 104
Examination: 3
Assessment method
Group paper: policy report based on serious game (20% in total / two components of 10%)
Individual paper (30%)
Written exam (final) (50%)
Resit
Students will be permitted to resit the individual paper (assignment 2) as well as the final exam (assignment 3) if they have a grade lower than 5,5.
Resits will take the same form.
The serious game cannot be meaningfully played beyond the duration of the course. Therefore, assignment 1 (group paper: policy report based on serious game) is not offered a resit. At the same time, it is not required to have a minimum grade of 5.5 for the components of this assignment. In case of a failed sub grade for assignment 1 it should be compensated by a successful grade for assignment 2 and 3 in order to pass the course (compensation the other way around is not possible).
The final, calculated grade needs to be at least 5,50 in order to pass the course.
Blackboard
Course page will be available one week in advance
Reading list
Information on readings will be announced on Blackboard
Registration
To be announced by OSC staff.
Contact
Dr. Vlad Niculescu-Dinca v.niculescu-dinca@fgga.leidenuniv.nl