Contemporary Security Policy

Catalog description

This full-semester course will provide an introduction to the diverse and contested field of security studies, including both the Traditional and Critical approaches. It covers the foundational theoretical approaches in the field of security studies - Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Critical Theory, Feminism and Gender Security, and PostStructural and Postcolonial Perspectives. It also questions how security policy is developed and implemented and the historical, economic, political, and social power dynamics that influence how 'security policy' is constructed and implemented by nation-states. Alongside the study of theory, the course covers a wide range of contemporary security issues - from the return of inter-state conflict and nuclear deterrence to terrorism, environmental security, and health security - and applies the theories and concepts of security studies to real-world examples.