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;
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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. |
Related Sustainable Development Goals | |
| Core Courses | |
Major Area Courses | X | |
Supportive Courses | ||
Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
Transferable Skill Courses |
Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
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), Ch7 (p.77-85), Ch8 (p.91-98); Matteo Fagotto, “West Africa is being swallowed by the sea”, Foreign Policy, 21 October 2016; Joshua Busby, “Warming World”, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2018; “Who counts as a refugee?” The Economist, 27 July 2021; Lant Pritchett, “Only Migration Can Save the Welfare System,” Foreign Affairs, 24 February 2020. |
6 | Changing Face of Conflict (1): civil/ethnic conflicts, “New War”, failed states | Hough Ch8 (p.104-118); Browning Ch5 (p.47-54); Azam Ahmed, “Penetrating Every State of Afghan Opium Chain, Taliban Become a Cartel,” The New York Times, 16 February 2016; “Russian mercenaries in Central African Republic accused of rape, torture and executions,” UAWire, 6 May 2021. |
7 | Changing Face of Conflict (2): technological warfare, private militaries, arms trade | Browning Ch5 (p.58-61); Tanisha M. Fazal and Sarah Kreps, “The United States’ Perpetual War in Afghanistan,” Foreign Affairs, 20 August 2018; Amos Fox, “Precision Fires Hindered by Urban Jungle,” AUSA, 16 April 2018; Lawrence Marzouk et.al, “Making a killing”, balkaninsight.com, 21 July 2016. |
8 | Midterm Exam | |
9 | Military Security – I: Russian and Western security before, during, after Cold War | 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; Julia Ioffe, “The end of the end of the Cold War”, Foreign Policy, 21 December 2016; “If a NATO member comes under attack – Article of Faith”, The Economist, 1 July 2015 Nick Danforth, “Russia and Turkey Make Nice,” Foreign Affairs, 11 August 2016; Akın Ünver, “Russia Has Won the Information War in Turkey,” Foreign Policy, 21 April 2018. |
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; Kurt M. Campbell and Mira Rapp-Hooper, “China Is Done Biding Its Time, “ Foreign Affairs, 15 July 2020; Hal Brands and Michael Beckley, “China Is a Declining Power – and That’s the Problem,” Foreign Policy, 24 September 2021; Kevin Rudd, “Why the Quad Alarms China,” Foreign Affairs, 6 August 2021. |
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 [Submittal of written assignments] | “Something Wrong With Our Chips Today”, The Economist, 7 April 2011; Martin Belam, “We’re living through the first world cyberwar,” The Guardian, 30 December 2016; Alper Başaran, “Turkey under cyber fire”, Turkish Policy Quarterly, Spring 2017, pp.95-102; David E. Sanger, “U.S. Cyberattacks Target ISIS in a New Line of combat”, The New York Times, 24 April 2016; 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; Tarah Wheeler, “In Cyberwar, There Are No Rules,” Foreign Policy, 12 September 2018. |
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: 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. |
Suggested Readings/Materials | Reputable journals, magazines, newspapers and websites covering current issues of international security. |
Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
Participation | 1 | 20 |
Laboratory / Application | ||
Field Work | ||
Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
Portfolio | ||
Homework / Assignments | 1 | 10 |
Presentation / Jury | ||
Project | ||
Seminar / Workshop | ||
Oral Exam | ||
Midterm | 1 | 30 |
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 |
Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
---|---|---|---|
Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
Study Hours Out of Class | 16 | 3 | 48 |
Field Work | |||
Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
Portfolio | |||
Homework / Assignments | 1 | 20 | |
Presentation / Jury | |||
Project | |||
Seminar / Workshop | |||
Oral Exam | |||
Midterms | 1 | 24 | |
Final Exams | 1 | 30 | |
Total | 170 |
# | 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