Global Security (MSc)
Core courses
- International security and global politics
- Thematic issues in global security
- Comparative approaches to warfare and violent conflict
- Social Science Research Methods
- Dissertation
International security and global politics
This course will provide students with an introduction to Security Studies through an examination of key themes, concepts, theories, and issues in contemporary international politics. It explores both the orthodox approach to international security, and the recent turn towards a broader security agenda (heralded in academic Security Studies by the emergence of ‘critical security studies’).
Thematic issues in global security
This course aims to introduce students to a variety of contemporary security concerns or themes and how they relate to global affairs and governance. Students will utilise theoretical arguments including explorations of the concept of ‘securitization’ to identify how the development of and our understanding of existential threats at a global level. Thematic issues include: energy, terrorism, cyber security, the environment, crime, health, genocide and ethnic conflict and the economy. The course will also allow students to debate how different institutional actors (i.e. NATO, UN, African Union), countries (i.e. USA, Russia, China, India etc) and regions (i.e. Africa, Europe, South America) around the world approach and combat the varied threats associated with these issues
Comparative approaches to warfare and violent conflict
This course will provide an overview of approaches to the study of war with particular emphasis on strategic theory and operational art of western strategic thought in historical perspective. It will emphasise the linkages between technological change, the evolution of military thought, and the changing threat environment. Overall this course should provide students with a broad overview of the evolution of western strategic thought and a greater understanding of the changing nature of violent human conflict.
Social Science Research Methods
Students on this programme have the option to choose between two research methods training courses. These are:
Qualitative Methods for Social Science
Qualitative method are those research techniques concerned broadly with non-mathematical, naturally occurring and non-experimental research practices that look to uncover the meanings and significance of the wide variety of evidence that social researchers collect. Qualitative research includes a broad range of approaches and techniques. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to a number of the most commonly used of these approaches and techniques. These tools include in-depth interviews, focus groups and content analysis as well as the gathering of data based on observation and textual information. The course aims to develop a practical understanding of the philosophical underpinnings, application and analysis of qualitative methodology for those working in the social sciences. (Recommended option)
This course gives an introduction to Social Science Statistics and SPSS
Dissertation
The dissertation is a focused piece of independent work that, whilst building upon themes and issues covered across the programme permits students to develop their own ideas and demonstrate their capacity for original thought and independent research. The dissertation aims to enable students to identify and research particular issues or problems, linked to Global Security matters, at a deeper level than is possible within assessed essays and to develop a critical analysis of the existing body of academic work relating to their topic of choice. Finally the dissertation aims to prepare students for further research, study or professional careers through the development of their skills in data collection and analysis, use of original sources and the conducting and writing up of a detailed research project.