FACULTY OF BUSINESS

Department of Political Science and International Relations

PSIR 450 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name
International Security
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
PSIR 450
Fall/Spring
3
0
3
6

Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Elective
Course Level
First Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course -
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s)
Course Objectives International security’s theoretical approaches, as well as international security’s principle current issues and challenges will be analyzed using critical lenses.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • Identify international relations’ classical and contemporary theories with their respect to their differences and interactions with each other in the context of international security,
  • Analyze the impact and reflections on international security of recent historical developments and patterns,
  • Compare and contrast the agendas and objectives of the leading state and non-state actors within the context of international security,
  • Identify contemporary issues and challenges of international security and their root-causes using critical lenses,
  • Make projections concerning new security risks and threats likely to be faced by the international community in upcoming years,
  • Develop their own perspectives and interpretations on at least some of the international security issues and challenges.
Course Description In order to review and scrutinize the more important of international security’s current issues, this course will first be analyzing the theoretical foundations of international security, which shall then be followed by an analysis of today’s and tomorrow’s primary security challenges. The learning systematic of the course would be students reading their assigned readings prior to attending each week’s lectures, followed by lectures structured around the lecturer’s explanations and class discussion with students’ participation. Additionally, each student will prepare and submit a written homework on an international security issue, institution or arrangement. In order to succeed, students would be expected to perform satisfactorily in two (midterm and final) exams, prepare and present a written homework, read the course’s weekly assigned materials, and participate in all lectures and take part in class discussions, both of which will be graded.

 



Course Category

Core Courses
Major Area Courses
X
Supportive Courses
Media and Management Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Related Preparation
1 Introduction: Course objectives, content, methodology Presentation and overview of the course.
2 Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations-I: Understanding International Security, Importance of Paradigms, Realism Browning Ch1 (p.1-3), Browning Ch3 (p.18-25); Hough Ch2 (p.12-19); Stephen M. Walt, “The World Wants You to Think Like a Realist”, Foreign Policy, 30 May 2018; .
3 Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations-II: International Security as seen by Liberalism, Feminist Security Studies, Constructivism Hough Ch.2 (p.19-23); Stephen M. Walt, “How to get a B.A. in International Relations in 5 Minutes?”, Foreign Policy, 19 May 2014; G. John Ikenberry, “The Next Liberal Order,” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2020; Rachel Vogelstein et.al., “The Best Foreign Policy Puts Women at the Center,” Foreign Affairs, 9 March 2020.
4 Security Regimes, International Organizations, Collective Security, United Nations Browning Ch3 (p.26-32), Ch4 (p.33-46); Séverine Autesserre, “The Crisis of Peacekeeping, Foreign Affairs, 11 December 2018.
5 Human Security; Natural Resources and Environment in International Security, Population Movements Browning Ch6 (p.62-76; Michael Oppenheimer, “As the World Burns,” Foreign Affairs, November/December 2020; “Who counts as a refugee?” The Economist, 27 July 2021; Lant Pritchett, “Only Migration Can Save the Welfare System,” Foreign Affairs, 24 February 2020; Kelsey P. Norman, “Rich countries cannot outsource their migration dilemmas,” Foreign Affairs, 5 January 2022.
6 Changing Face of Conflict (1): Civil/Ethnic Conflicts, “New War”, Failed States, Private Militaries Browning Ch5 (p.47-54); Amy Mackinnon, “New Report Exposes Brutal Methods of Russia’s Wagner Group,” Foreign Policy, 11 June 2020; Jason K. Stearns, “Rebels Without a Cause,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2022; “The world’s deadliest war last year wasn’t in Ukraine,” The Economist, 17 April 2023.
7 Changing Face of Conflict (2): Technological Warfare, Arms Trade Browning Ch5 (p.54-61); Tanisha M. Fazal and Sarah Kreps, “The United States’ Perpetual War in Afghanistan,” Foreign Affairs, 20 August 2018;Nan Tian, et.al. “The Great Global Rearmament,” Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2022; Cullen Hendrix, “Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust,” Foreign Policy, 3 May 2023; The Economist, “The war in Ukraine shows how technology is changing the battlefield”; Phillips O’Brien, “The War That Defied Expectations,” Foreign Affairs, 27 July 2023 .
8 Midterm Exam
9 Military Security – I: Russian and Western Security Before, During, After Cold War Fiona Hill, “Putin: the one-man show the West doesn’t understand,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 13 April 2016; Dmitri Trenin, “The revival of the Russian military”, Foreign Affairs, 18 April 2016; Fiona Hill, “Putin: The one-man show the West doesn’t understand,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, April 2016; ; Natalia Antonova, “Putin’s War Was Never About NATO,” Foreign Policy, 7 May 2022; The Economist, “NATO is drafting new plans to defend Europe,” 2 July 2023.
10 Military Security –II: Security in Asia-Pacific and China Elizabeth C. Economy, “History With Chinese Characteristics”, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017; Kevin Rudd, “How Xi Kinping Views the World”, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2018;. Dhruva Jaishankar and Tanvi Madan, “How the Quad Can Match the Hype,” Foreign Affairs, 15 April 2021; Stephen M. Walt, “Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?” Foreign Policy, 23 January 2023. Andew D. Taffer and David Wallsh, “China’s Indo-Pacific Folly,” Foreign Affairs, 31 January 2023.
11 Military Security –III: Weapons of Mass Destruction Melissa Gillis, Disarmament – A Basic Guide, 3rd ed., p.17-27, 39-49; “The New Nuclear Age”, The Economist, 7 March 2015; “Nuclear Weapons – The Unkicked Addiction”, The Economist, 7 March 2015.
12 Terrorism Browning Ch9 (s.104-117); Michael P. Dempsey, “How ISIS’ strategy Is Evolving”, Foreign Affairs, 18 January 2018; Raphael Minder, “Crackdowns on free speech rise across a Europe wary of terror”, The New York Times, 24 February 2016; Barbara F. Walter, “The Jihadist Threat Won’t End With ISIS’ Defeat”, Foreign Affairs, 22 December 2017; Robert Malley and Jon Finner, “The Long Shadow of 9/11”, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018; H.A. Hellyer, “Where We Go Wrong in Comparing White Supremacy With ISIS,” Time, 21 March 2019.
13 Cyber Security David E. Sanger, “U.S. and China Seek Arms Deal for Cyberspace”, The New York Times, 19 September 2015; Amy Zegart, “The NSA Confronts a Problem of Its Own Making,” The Atlantic, 29 June 2017; Laura G. Brent, “Geopolitics keeps overruling cyber norms,” Breaking Defense, 12 January 2022; John Mueller, “The Cyber-Delusion,” Foreign Affairs, 22 March 2022; The Economist, “Why Russia’s cyber-attacks have fallen flat,” 1 December 2022.
14 Shape of Future: New Concerns, New Risks, New Conflicts Stephen M. Walt, “What Will 2050 Look Like?”, Foreign Policy, 12 May 2015; Loren Thompson, “Gene Wars”, The Forbes, 29 January 2016;; Frans von der Dunk, “So who really owns the Moon?” Military Times, 9 July 2019; Kevin Drum, “Tech World,” Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018.
15 Review of the Semester
16 Final Exam

 

Course Notes/Textbooks

This course does not have a specific book. Yet, certain parts from the following book would be used more frequently: 
Christopher S. Browning, International Security – A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-19-966853-3
In addition, there will be weekly reading assignments comprising articles, book chapters, op-eds, reports and news stories drawn from academic journals, magazines and newspapers (*). List of material under the Syllabus’ Weekly Subjects is preliminary and may be subject to revisions throughout the semester.

Therefore, all students enrolled in this course will be expected to visit the course’s Blackboard page before each week’s lecture, so as to check, download and read the assigned reading in preparation for the lectures.
* All assigned readings will be available to students on the course’s Blackboard page for downloading.

 

Suggested Readings/Materials

Reputable journals, magazines, newspapers and websites covering current issues of international security.

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
1
20
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
1
40
Final Exam
1
40
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
3
60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
1
40
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Theoretical Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)
16
0
Study Hours Out of Class
16
4
64
Field Work
0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
0
Portfolio
0
Homework / Assignments
0
Presentation / Jury
0
Project
0
Seminar / Workshop
0
Oral Exam
0
Midterms
1
28
28
Final Exam
1
28
28
    Total
168

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

X
2

To be able to have the basic knowledge of, and make use of other disciplines which contribute to the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

3

To be able to distinguish the differences between classical and contemporary theories and to assess their relationship.

X
4

To be able to recognize regional and global issues, and develop solutions based on research.

X
5

To be able to assess the acquired knowledge and skills in the areas of Political Science and International Relations critically.

6

To be able to transfer ideas and proposals on issues in the areas of Political Science and International Relations to other people and institutions verbally and in writing.

X
7

To be able to identify the historical continuity and changes observed in the relations between the actors and institutions of national and international politics.

X
8

To be able to examine concepts, theories, and developments with scientific methods in the areas of Political Science and International Relations.

X
9

To be able to take responsibility as an individual and as a team member.

10

To be able to act in accordance with the scientific and ethical values in studies related to Political Science and International Relations.

11

To be able to collect data in the areas of Political Science and International Relations and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).

12

To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.

13

To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of experience.

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest

 


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