Crisis and Security Management (Master 2019-2020) - Prospectus

Programme

You can find the link to the programme overview on the right-hand side of this page.

As you can see in the programme overview, the master CSM consists of mandatory core courses and specialised elective courses. The elective courses are taught in small groups, in order to grant you the optimal learning experience. Therefore, the number of students that can take part in an elective is limited. When you have completed your registration, you will receive an invitation by e-mail for the Introduction Day in the month prior to the start of your studies. In that e-mail, we will also provide a link to a dedicated online form on which you can express your preference for the elective courses. We will do our very best to place you in the elective you prefer most, but if too many students sign up for the same elective, we will decide who joins by means of a blind selection.

Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can participate in the courses of Crisis and Security Management.

Please note: in contrary to information provided on our website for prospective students, it is not possible to start with the master CSM in February 2020 due to a restructuring of this programme. In the academic year 2019/2020, the only starting moment will be September 2019.

Intro

Introduction Programme

Security ranks high on both the societal as well as political agenda. The threat of terrorism, transnational organized crime, civil war, urban riots or natural disasters is making headlines almost every day and is a guarantee for political turmoil. Although from a factual perspective the risk of high-end security incidents is in most Western countries low, the risk perception is far more higher. When it comes to security and crisis, risk perception seems to be as important as actual risk assessments.

During the one year multi-disciplinary master program students will become familiar with the political and social dimensions of the governance of (in)security and crises. By analyzing security discourses, security actors, security practices and security outcomes students will become acquainted with the ‘wicked problem’ of security and crises topics in a complex and globalizing world.

As security is no longer a public good solely provided by state actors or public actors but the combined outcome of public actors, private security actors, civil society and citizens as well, the master program will focus on the multiplicity of actors engaged in defining and practicing security.

Further, as a result of the globalized and interwoven world of today in which incidents, images and messages travel within seconds from one part of the world to another part of the world, students will study current security and crisis challenges from a ‘glocal’ perspective: both global and local levels and especially the nexus of those levels.

In the master’s program students will be confronted with the insights of various academic disciplines and a combination of theory and practice and skills relevant for a professional career in public or private security and crisis organizations. Students will become familiar with the causes of different forms of crises and threats to security, with patterns of responses and governance of these phenomena, and policies and strategies to prevent threats, incidents or crises. The Master thesis project provides students the opportunity to specifically focus on one particular type of crisis or security issue and how certain actors deal with it.

Courses

Course	EC	Semester 1	Semester 2
Introduction into Crisis and Security Management	5
Crisis Management	5
Europeanisation of CSM	5
Thesis Preparation	5
World of Intelligence	5
Physical Violence and Public Order	5
Behavioural Change Approaches to Cyber Security	5
Security Networks and Technology	5
Understanding Terrorism	5
Research Design	5
Privatization of CSM	5
Crisis Communication	5
Social Movements and Contentious Tactics	5
Before Crisis: vulnerability, risk management and preparedness	5
Security and the Rule of Law	5
Thesis CSM	15

Questions and contact

Dear Student,

Welcome to the Master’s programme Crisis and Security Management! We can imagine that you might have questions as you are about to start a new study, perhaps even in a new country. You are always welcome to visit us during our consultation hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Our contact details can be found on this web page Study Advisor.
We hope to see you there!

Kind regards,

Janneke Meertens & Sophie Delpeut
Study advisors Institute for Security and Global Affairs.

Transitional Arrangements

Security in Historical Perspective – Academic year 2018-2019 – Block 3

Following the restructuring of the Masters’s programme that will apply from the academic year 2019-2020, the course Security in Historical Perspective will not be offered in the academic year 2019-2020. Those students who need this course to complete their programme in the first semester of 2019-2020, are offered one final chance in the form of a paper. Only students who handed in their (final) assignments and took part in the exam but failed the course nonetheless, are eligible to apply for this extra opportunity. If so, please contact csm@fgga.leidenuniv.nl to receive further instructions. The deadline of the assignment is set on 27 October 2019.

Sociology of Terrorism – Academic year 2018-2019 – Block 1 and 3

Following the restructuring of the Masters’s programme that will apply from the academic year 2019-2020, the elective course Sociology of Terrorism will not be offered in the academic year 2019-2020. Those students who need this course to complete their programme in the first semester of 2019-2020, are offered one final chance in the form of a paper. Only students who handed in their (final) assignments and took part in the exam but failed the course nonetheless, are eligible to apply for this extra opportunity. If so, please contact csm@fgga.leidenuniv.nl to receive further instructions. The deadline of the assignment is set on 27 October 2019.

Interpersonal Violence – Academic year 2018-2019 – Block 2 and 3

Following the restructuring of the Masters’s programme that will apply from the academic year 2019-2020, the elective course “Interpersonal Violence” will be offered under a new name “Physical Violence and Public Order” as of September 2019. Students who participated in the “Interpersonal Violence” course in the academic year 2018-2019 but did not manage to pass the course can follow “Physical Violence and Public Order” as a substitute (in block 1 in September 2019 or block 3 in February 2020), or enroll in another elective.

Dealing with Terrorism & Foreign Fighters – Academic year 2018-2019 – Block 2 and 4

Following the restructuring of the Masters’s programme that will apply from the academic year 2019-2020, the mandatory course “Dealing with Terrorism and Foreign Fighters” will be offered under a new name “Understanding Terrorism” as of September 2019. Students who participated in the “Dealing with Terrorism and Foreign Fighters” course in the academic year 2018-2019 but did not manage to pass the course are offered one final chance in the form of a paper. Only students who handed in their (final) assignments and took part in the exam but failed the course nonetheless, are eligible to apply for this extra opportunity. If so, please contact csm@fgga.leidenuniv.nl to receive further instructions. The deadline of the assignment is set on 27 October 2019.