Reflective Journal - 2000 words with a 25% weighting (Learning outcomes 1-4)

Participation on Discussion Board - 15% weighting (Learning outcomes 1-4)

Essay - 3000 words with a 60% weighting (Learning outcomes 1-4)

Key Information Set Data:
85% coursework
15% practical examination [on-line class discussions]

This module will identify and analyse the central theoretical and thematic trends in European defence and security. It focuses on the history and trajectory of defence and security issues in the context of Europe (understood geographically, politically and institutionally) from the end of the Second World War right up to and including contemporary challenges. It aims to pay particular attention to the role of states and the overlapping institutions (NATO, EU and the OSCE) that underwrite defence and security in Europe. The module will identify the evolution of the key threats and broader security challenges to Europe and assess the performance of those actors responsible for mitigating them. It will introduce you to the various theoretical and conceptual trends in Security Studies literature and ask you to critically evaluate their explanatory utility with regard to the key issues and themes in European defence and security. Finally, this module will identify and analyse the key drivers of transformation in the European security environment, including material, strategic, geopolitical and operational drivers of change.

University library ebooks, ejournals, Vital Source books, and Blackboard accessible material.

Biscop, S., Whitman, R. (Eds.), 2012. The Routledge Handbook of European Security. Routledge, London; New York.
Chappell, L., Mawdsley, J., Petrov, P. (Eds.), 2016. The EU, Strategy and Security Policy: Regional and Strategic Challenges. Routledge. (Forthcoming)
Collins, A., 2015. Contemporary Security Studies, 4 edition. ed. OUP Oxford, New York, NY.
Howorth, J., 2014. Security and Defence Policy in the European Union, 2nd Revised edition edition. ed. Palgrave Macmillan.
Webber, M., Hyde-Price, A. (Eds.), 2015. Theorising NATO: New perspectives on the Atlantic alliance. Routledge.

1. DEMONSTRATE DETAILED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRAJECTORY IN EUROPEAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY (POST WORLD WAR TWO) FROM A THEORETICAL, CONCEPTUAL AND THEMATIC STANDPOINT.
[Knowledge and Understanding]

2. IDENTIFY AND CRITICALLY ASSESS KEY MILESTONES IN EUROPEAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY, MOST NOTABLY THOSE RELATING TO STATES AND THE CENTRAL INSTITUTIONS UNDERPINNING SECURITY AND DEFENCE IN EUROPE.
[Enquiry]

3. DISCUSS AND CRITICALLY ANALYSE (IN WRITING) MAJOR TRENDS AND CHALLENGES TO EUROPEAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY TODAY BY APPLYING THE KEY THEORETICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE DISCIPLINE [Analysis; Learning; Problem Solving]

4. ASSEMBLE, ORGANISE AND DELIVER WELL RESEARCHED ANALYTICAL PIECES OF ACADEMIC WORK. [Application; Communication; Reflection

The main focus will be on self-instruction, within a tightly structured framework and relying largely (but not exclusively) on materials supplied. Week by week students will work through self-instructional course material (delivered via blackboard), which provides the framework and focus for reading key texts and papers and undertaking the specific tasks set. This work will be undertaken on an individual basis, but students will be expected to interact and share material and ideas with other students in their learning group and their tutor (24 hours).

Key Information Set Data:
16% scheduled learning and teaching activities
84% guided independent learning