Introduction to International Security Studies

Is war likely between global powers the United States and China? Could we see a nuclear conflict in the next decade? What is the role of race in international security? Should we see climate change as a security challenge? To answer these questions this course introduces its students to a wide variety of theoretical perspectives on international security and applies these to historical and contemporary cases to illustrate their relevance. By focusing on both traditional and non-traditional security issues, the course seeks to provide students with analytical frameworks and the empirical basis to understand the complexity of contemporary security issues. STST1001 is designed to provide the foundation for the later-year courses in the Bachelor of International Security Studies program which will look in greater depth at the international, internal and transnational security challenges facing Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and the globe.