Security: Theories, Practices & Dilemmas

Theories about Critical Security Studies (Aberystwyth), securitization (Copenhagen) and the security field (Paris) emerged mostly in Europe during the 1990s and the 2000s but have increasingly been adopted and adapted by scholars from all other regions of the world. Simultaneously, the concept of "human security" gained ground especially in UN and UNDP related circles and in policy oriented research. All theories have been exposed to extended critical examinations and several rounds of improvements, and especially the theory of securitization has been widely adopted as a framework for analysis in empirical studies across the globe and in more or less all thematic corners of the security problématique. With the theory of securitization at the centre of the course but covering the other "schools" as well, this GSP course will provide participants with the theoretical tools for examining the political stakes and dynamics involved when new issue areas (like climate change, religious radicalism, or failed states) are addressed as "security issues": who tries to move issues onto the security agenda with what purposes and what side effects, how are the management of these issues affected by being "securitized", how does this vary globally between regions and types of societies, and how do processes of securitization and de-securitization influence the capacity of societies to manage new global challenges? Particular attention will be paid to the role of different kinds of scientific work in handling these challenges, ranging from technical expertise in a given issue over policy research closer to decision-makers to meta-reflections and problematizations in other corners of academe including philosophy, law and political science.

On the basis of carefully selected readings – distributed well ahead of the course – and teaching by scholars who have been pivotal in developing the relevant theories, the course will be ambitiously aimed at engaging students at the research frontier, and with the help of issue specialists, they will be guided towards both application of the theories and further rethinking. It is for this reason, and the expectation of a considerable effort by participants, that the course is calculated as 10 ECTS.

Excursions will be made to the Danish Meteorological Institute, Danish Institute of International Studies, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, possibly the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims and the Danish Defense Intelligence Service.

3rd year undergraduate and 1st year graduate

Approximately half the sessions will be devoted to the literature critically examining and improving on the theories, while the other half will be oriented to specific kinds of "new threats" and involve both practitioners and academics specialized in these areas. The two kinds of days will be interlaced to ensure a dynamic experience for the participants. The theory oriented part will be mostly structured around presentations by the course leader (and other teachers) and group discussions by participants. The thematic parts will be based on lectures from specialists and short presentations by participants to the class. This course is worth 10 ETCS credits.

On the basis of carefully selected readings – distributed well ahead of the course – and teaching by scholars who have been pivotal in developing the relevant theories, the course will be ambitiously aimed at engaging students at the research frontier, and with the help of issue specialists, they will be guided towards both application of the theories and further re-thinking.

The participants will be expected to read major selections of 6 books:

• Barry Buzan & Lene Hansen, The Evolution of International Security Studies, Cambridge University Press 2009.
• Alan Collins (red.) Contemporary Security Studies, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press 2009
• Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver og Jaap de Wilde, Security: A New Framework for Analysis, Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner 1998. (Chinese participants can use the Chinese translation) From 2012, the 2nd edition will be used.
• Nick Vaughan-Williams and Columba Peoples, eds. Critical Security Studies: An Introduction, Routledge 2010.
• Thierry Balzacq (ed.), Securitization Theory: How Security Problems Emerge and Dissolve, Routledge 2010.
• Jef Huysmans, The Politics of Insecurity: Fear, Migration and Asylum in the EU, London: Routledge 2006.

In addition, a reader will be produced containing the main articles from theory debates as well as exemplary applications of the various theories.

This Summer Program will be co-taught by the course leader (Professor Ole Wæver) and faculty from the departments of political science, law, anthropology, geography, and religious studies as well as the Danish Meteorological Institute, Danish Institute of International Studies, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, possibly the Rehabilitation and Research Center for Torture Victims and the Danish Defense Intelligence Service.

One oral presentation (20%), participation in class activities/discussion (20%) and one 5,000 word essay completed within 4 weeks after the course (60%).

The International Office at the University of Copenhagen will find housing for all IARU students.

Tuition fee:

• Students from EU/EØS countries, IARU universities and other universities with exchange agreements – No tuition fee
• Students from non-EU/EØS countries with a permanent Danish residence permit – No tuition fee 

Accommodation: Approximately DKK3,000-4,500/month 

Text books: Approximately DKK750