Overview

This unit builds on International Politics by exploring conceptual and theoretical debates in international relations and security studies. With a focus on traditional and nontraditional security problems in global politics, this unit develops students' critical analysis by applying a range of theories and conceptual frameworks to understand complex security issues such as terrorism, environmental security, human security, new wars, and traditional state/territorial security.

Requisites

Prerequisites
POL10002 International Politics

AND
37.5 credit points

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
10-March-2025
08-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-March-2025
Census date
04-April-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-May-2025
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Comprehend and classify the various conceptual and theoretical perspectives in international relations and security studies
  • Contrast traditional concepts of security with non-traditional security problems
  • Assess and critically apply those concepts and theories to case studies
  • Evaluate the implications of considering global security problems from a range of differing perspectives

Teaching methods

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		1.00 4 weeks 4
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.17 12 weeks 146
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Major EssayIndividual 60% 1,2,3,4 
Minor EssayIndividual 30% 1,2,3,4 
PresentationIndividual 10% 1,2,4 

Content

  • Traditional security threats: analysing the approaches to state security and security in a world of sovereign, territorial states, and the concepts and theoretical ideas that construct the notion of 'security'
  • Non‐traditional security threats, such as terrorism, migration and asylum, humanitarian intervention, environmental and resource insecurity
  • New approaches to understanding the widening of the security agenda and new forms of insecurity
  • Critically assessing the relevance and merits of specific approaches for understanding the concept of security, implications for policy and global politics

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.