400017 FK Political Science Approaches to (In)security (2019W)

This course discusses a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of (in)security in political science, international relations, and security studies. Students will be familiarized with a critical understanding of (in)security as not only related to inter-state relations, conflict, and warfare, but to a diverse range of societal issues and processes, such as borders, militarism, gender, urban development, global health, environment, technology, etc. We will tackle the complex relations between the theoretical perspectives put forward by different schools of critical security studies (Copenhagen, Paris, Aberystwyth) and address the methodological challenges that arise from different understandings of (in)security. Individual PhD projects, particularly in political science and international relations, are at the center of this course and will be developed further in the light of the discussed theories and methodologies with emphasis on feminist, postcolonial, political economy, and other critical approaches.