Teorias de Segurança e Cooperação Internacional (not translated) - 1st semester
Code
722071104
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Estudos Políticos
Credits
10
Teacher in charge
Carlos Gaspar, Filipe Miguel Ramos de Abreu Nunes, Maria Francisca Saraiva
Weekly hours
3 letivas + 1 tutorial
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
1. Acquire a profound knowledge about the main schools of thought that have attempted to formulate a general theory of International Security: Liberalism, Realism, Critical Theories and «English/European School»
2. Encourage the ability for critical engagement with the main scholarly problems and debates in international security: Anarchy and International Order; Causes of Conflicts and Cooperation and search for Security; Democratic and Hegemonic Peace; Balance of Power and Collective Security; Deterrence and Coercion; Novelty and specific of not of certain types of conflicts and its resolution (Nuclear, Civil Wars, Insurgencies and Terrorism).
3. Encourage the ability for critical engagement with the main dynamics that led to creation and development of the main institutions of international security and cooperation: Collective Security and UN; Alliances, Cooperative Security, Regional Security Communities and NATO; Concert of Great Powers, Summits and Security Council of the UN.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
Part 1: Main Schools of Theoretical Thought
1. Introduction to Course and the Discipline: What is Security?
2. Realism: thinkers and key concepts
3. Different Schools of Realism
4. Liberalism and Peace Studies: thinkers and key conceits
5. Constructivism: thinkers and key concepts
6. Critical Theories and other European Schools: thinkers and key concepts
Part 2: Module: Causes of Conflicts
7. Causes of conventional Conflicts (WWI and WWII): Man, State or System
8. Causes of Non-Conventional Conflicts (former-Yugoslavia and Iraq I & II): Greed, Grievance or Identity
Part 3: The search for Security
9. Empire and Hegemony (Pax Sinica, Pax Britannica): definitions and transitions
10. Alliances and Security Communities (origins and dynamics): Balance v. Band-wagon and Off-Shore Balancer and the case of NATO
11. Deterrence and surviving nuclear weapons during the Cold War
12. Collective Security (League of Nations v. UN)
13. Crises (mis)Management and Conflict Resolution (Kosovo and Libya)
Part 4: New Threats for New Theories?
14. New Wars or Old Asymmetric Tactics? (Failed States, Proliferation and case of Iran)
15. Revising Theories or Revisionist States? (From Clash of Civilization to the Rise of China)
Bibliography
Collins, Allan (ed.), Contemporary Security Studies. (Oxford UP) última ed.
Hughes, Chris (ed.), Security Studies : a Reader. (Routledge), última ed.
Mahnken, Thomas and Maiolo, Joseph A. (eds.), Strategic Studies: A Reader (Routledge, 2008)
Nye, Joseph, Compreender os Conflitos Internacionais: Uma Introdução à Teoria e à
História. (Gradiva, 2002)
Williams, Paul D. (ed), Security Studies: An Introduction (Routledge) última ed.
Teaching method
The course is taught via seminars by the professors responsible for the course and guest speakers; and guided discussions.
Evaluation method
Active engagement with debates during classes showing good reasoning and ability to debate a point pertinently will count for 25% of the final course mark. The essay (of no less than 3500 words and no more than 5500 words) will be the decisive evaluation of the ability to pertinently apply the knowledge of relevant authors and concepts, of research and critical analysis, in a coherent well-argued and clear text, and will therefore count for 75% of the final course mark.