The politics of (in)security: national, regional and global debates

The overall theme of the course is the unfolding of the politics of (in)security, particularly in the European and European Union context. Over the last 20 years, security issues have become increasingly central to the debates on European integration. The European security strategy adopted in 2003, the Internal security strategy endorsed in 2010, or the European Agenda on Security tabled in 2015, all reflect and shape the expectation that the EU should intervene in a changing and unpredictable international security environment to protect its citizens.

Security politics have also triggered numerous controversies regarding the compatibility of measures adopted in the most contentious areas of security policies with the fundamental values, freedoms and rights upheld by liberal regimes. These controversies suggest that we need to pay attention to the way in which security concerns are constructed, including in the EU context.

To do so the course is organised as follows. We will first work to historicise security and to understand its transformations – in particular, how security can be understood as (in)security, how it has been “nationalised”, particularly since the end of the Second World War, and how it has been “globalised” following the end of the Cold War and the aftermath of the attacks of 11 September 2001. On this basis, the course will then focus on the Europeanising of (in)security, through the examination of a range of themes ranging from police cooperation to surveillance and security and the control of the global mobility of persons.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will have:

• Developed their knowledge of the history, scope and shape of contemporary EU security policies and politics, their main controversies, key actors and issue areas;
• Advanced their mastery of the theoretical and methodological tools for a reflexive and interdisciplinary analysis of security issues;
• Enhanced their practical skills, including academic reading and writing, logical reasoning and structured argumentation, research and analysis of primary sources.

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

This course is primarily meant for students enrolled in the Specialised Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies. While open to students from other programmes, the expectation is that participants have the prior knowledge and background corresponding to a post-MA level in relevant interdisciplinary fields.

The course is reading-intensive and interactive. Meetings are mostly organised as seminars, where we will analyse and discuss mandatory readings and primary sources when applicable. The instructor will occasionally deliver short wrap-up lectures for difficult and/or technical topics.

Students should expect the typical weekly workload to consist of approximately 100-120 pages of mandatory readings, which are thoroughly debated in class and assessed as part of the course's participation mark (see below).

The class meets in person only, barring unforeseen circumstances. There is no online learning option.

Contribution to the teaching profile

This course is primarily destined to students enrolled in the specialized master in interdisciplinary EU studies (master de spécialisation en analyse interdisciplinaire de la construction européenne) and as such who already hold a master's degree in the relevant disciplines.

The course examines the national, regional and global dimensions of the politics of (in)security, with particular but not exclusive attention to European dynamics

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Security studies (introductions and overviews)

Buzan, B., Hansen, L. (2009) The evolution of international security studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Peoples, C., Vaughan-Williams, N. (2010) Critical Security Studies: An Introduction. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell

Zedner, Lucia (2009) Security. London: Routledge.

EU security politics

Balzacq, T., Carrera, C., eds (2006) Security Versus Freedom? A Challenge for Europe's Future. London: Ashgate.

Huysmans, J. (2006) The politics of insecurity: fear, migration and asylum in the EU. London: Routledge.

Mitsilegas, V., Monar, J., Rees, W. (2003) The European Union and Internal Security: Guardian of the People?. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
 

Security studies - methodology

Aradau, C., Huysmans, J., Neal, A., Voelkner, N., eds (2015) Critical Security Methods: New Frameworks for Analysis. London: Routledge.

Salter, M.B., Mutlu C.E., ed. (2012) Research Methods in Critical Security Studies: An introduction. London: Routledge

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Lecturer: Julien Jeandesboz, julien.jeandesboz@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Personal work
• Oral presentation
• Group work

Personal work

Oral presentation

Group work

• Reading discussion leadership (25%) : For each session, starting with S3, one or more participants will be responsible for preparing a summary and critique of the mandatory readings, and preparing a set of questions to contribute to class discussion and debate. Participants will need to do this for at least one session. Students may sign-up on a rolling basis and a sign-up schedule will be made available on the UV for that purpose.

• Group case-study presentation (25%): Students will work in groups to prepare a presentation on a designated theme linked to one of the course’s session topics. The general theme of the case study is listed in the course programme The objective of the presentation is to engage with some of the main questions, ideas, and arguments developed in the mandatory/additional readings and to explore them through an empirical case study. In addition to the mandatory readings, students should mobilise a minimum of five additional academic references (scientific articles, books) in their presentation. All references should be listed in a bibliography at the end of the presentation. Presentations should be approximately 12-15 minutes and should be supported with a slide deck. A good presentation will go beyond the mandatory readings, integrating additional scientific works on the designated theme. Presentations should not simply take the form of a summary but should be problematized, that is structured around a central question.

• Final portfolio: the final portfolio is a 3,000 words (excluding footnotes and references) individual written assignment that includes two 750-word reading notes and a 1,500 case study note. Each reading note should provide an analysis of one of the course’s mandatory readings, and at least one reading note should focus on the reading for which the participant was a discussion leader. The case-study note is an individual discussion of the group case-study presentation to which the student participated, and should include an expanded discussion of how this case study illustrates and enhances our understanding of contemporary (in)security politics.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Reading discussion leadership: 25%

Group case-study presentation: 25%

Final portfolio: 50%

Attendance: attendance is mandatory and important to sustain lively and constructive classroom learning. A penalty of -1 point per missed class will apply to participants' final grade for any unjustified absence.

Retake session: both the reading discussion leadership and group case-study presentation assignments are considered as continuous assessment (évaluation/contrôle continu) and cannot be retaken. Students who do not achieve at least a pass mark (10/20) for the course after the first exam session will have the possibility to resubmit the final portfolio for the retake session (second session) in order to improve their mark. The attendance penalty for unjustified absences cannot be compensated with the retake session

Language(s) of evaluation

• english