Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Global Security

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

In 2023 this course is titled 'Global Security Challenges'.
From 2024 this course will be titled 'Global Security'


Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

HUSO2434

City Campus

Postgraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face or Internet

 Sem 2 2022,
Sem 2 2024

Course Coordinator: Professor Charlie Hunt

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 99253074

Course Coordinator Email: charles.hunt@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 37. Level 5. Room 23

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment 


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

This course provides you with an introduction to the concepts, practices and issues surrounding contemporary global security.  
It draws on a range of theoretical perspectives and discourses to enable students to sharpen their analysis of global security and better understand which issues are securitised and why and how security issues intersect. Traditional state-centric conceptions of security will be contrasted with critical and emerging conceptions including human and ecological security as the course explores the contested and changing nature of the concept of security. It pushes beyond a focus on national security to take in a truly global perspective on security threats facing the world today while also examining how they manifest at the local level.  
The course will cover a range of traditional and non-traditional security issues including the evolution of war and how it is fought, the impact of new technologies, the rise in transnational organised crime and terrorism, the implications of environmental degradation and climate change as well as the effects of global health pandemics 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes   

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:      

  1. Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on the immediate effects and broader consequences of global sustainability challenges, including the interplay of ecological, economic, political, social and cultural factors   
  2. Develop and use appropriate research strategies, methods and tools to generate knowledge to inform decision-making in diverse social, cultural and geographic contexts   
  3. Provide professional leadership by determining and applying the specialist knowledge and technical skills required to creatively solve problems, demonstrating expert judgment and ethical responsibility   
  4. Critically analyse, synthesize and reflect on diverse knowledges, practices and lived experiences to extend and challenge the discipline and the field   


Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:  

  1. Evaluate the ways in which competing security discourses shape the policies and practices of particular actors  
  2. Explain the key political, historical and cultural characteristics of contemporary global security   
  3. Analyse emergent security threats and develop advice to inform policy and practice  
  4. Collaborate and share knowledge and insights into Global Security issues and concepts with peers  


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, seminars, project work, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both.


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.   

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

Assessment Tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Op-Ed article – 800 words (20%) CLO1 

Assessment Task 2: Scenario-based exercise – 5-10min oral presentation and feedback session – (20%) CLO1, CLO2, CLO4  

Assessment Task 3: Briefing Paper/Policy Brief – 2,000 words (40%) CLO1, CLO2, CLO3 

Assessment Task 4: Participation and collaboration – 600-word reflective report + participation across semester (20%) CLO4 

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.