International Security (916M1)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

This module gives you the theoretical and historical (mid/late 20th- and 21st-century) background needed in order to engage in contemporary debates in the field of international security.

You explore changes and continuities in international security across key moments such as the end of the Cold War and the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, as well as key ongoing global processes/projects such as decolonisation and globalisation.

In the first half of the module you cover topics that are often seen as the core of security studies, such as:

• the meaning of ‘security’
• the nature of war
• the relevance of sovereignty
• the role of culture/identity
• responses to crisis.

You study these topics from both traditional and critical perspectives.

In the second half of the module you focus on debates that are at the cutting edge of the contemporary field, such as gender, intervention and trust.

You will complete the module with a grounding in both core and cutting-edge debates about international security, and with an ideal basis from which to continue on to specialised options.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 267 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.