Security and Insecurity in Global Politics (L2061N)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Security is key to international relations. The United Nations’ main purpose is to maintain ‘international peace and security’, with the UN Security Council as its most powerful organ. But what does security mean in global politics? Who or what needs to be secured, against which insecurities and how is this done?

On this module, you’ll explore different analytical approaches to these questions. You’ll focus on key global insecurities such as:

  • war
  • terrorism
  • technology
  • pandemics
  • climate change.

You’ll also evaluate different policy approaches to address these challenges – including international organisations, states and non-state actors.

Teaching

50%: Lecture
50%: Seminar

Assessment

20%: Coursework (Test)
80%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 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鈥檙e planning to run these modules in the academic year 2025/26. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

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

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: