Curricular Unit:			Code:
Governance, Security and Humanitarian Issues			1153GSQH
Year:	Level:	Course:	Credits:
1	Doctorate	Political and Humanitarian Studies	11 ects
Learning Period:		Language of Instruction:	Total Hours:
Spring Semester		Portuguese/English	143
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
The aim is to provide students with knowledge on the world system’s governance, with an emphasis on security and humanitarian issues. Students are expected to recognise the international organisations involved in ensuring security and peace, both at the worldwide and the regional level. They are also expected to recognise contemporary challenges as far as the preservation of a minimum set of human rights at the worldwide level is concerned. The course aims at promoting students’ analytical skills. They are expected to critically address selected literature (books’ chapters and articles from academic journals) that deals with the abovementioned topics. It is therefore expected that students develop their autonomous and critically based research skills.
Syllabus:
1. International organisations and security. 1.1. Multilateral arena. 1.1.1. United Nations and blue helmets. 1.1.2. The discrete role of diplomacy. 1.2. Regional arena. 1.2.1. Non-aggressive military alliances (the example of the European Union). 1.2.2. Military aggressive alliances (the example of NATO). 2. Contemporary challenges to regional and international security. 2.1. Terrorism. 2.2. Political uncertainty (the rise of populisms). 2.3. The redrawing of geopolitics. 2.4. The new pariahs. 2.5. Environmental disruption. 2.6. Refugees. 2.7. Inequalities. 3. An unstable trade-off: security and human rights. 3.1. Assumption: security as a precondition for basic human rights. 3.2. Diagnosis: the redrawing of geopolitics, the prominence of security and the attacks to human rights. 3.3. Consequence: the shortcomings of the international society and the issue of double standards.
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
The three chapters address the three topics that match with the curricular unit’s learning goals (international organisations with an input on the public dimension of international and regional governance mechanisms; peace and security-keeping as the main goals of these governance network; and the interaction between governance and security (on the one hand) and the preservation, and promotion, of human rights).
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
Teaching methodologies include: (i) lectures addressing the main concepts and problems; (ii) debate on the classroom; (iii) critical readings (books’ chapters and articles of academic journals) followed by informed discussion; (iv) assessment: term paper (following the requirements of an academic paper) with oral submission.
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
Considering the scope of the curricular unit (as included on a Doctoral Degree), students’ role is expected to highlight their analytical and critical skills. For this purpose, the focus of teaching methodologies is on selected readings consistent with the contents of the course. Students’ active participation in the classroom is expected as the distinctive feature of their role as Doctoral students, based on their previous preparation outside the classroom.
Reading:
1. Collins, A. (Ed.) (2019). Contemporary Security Studies. 5ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2. Hynek, N., Dytrich, O., & Stritecky, V. (Eds.) (2019). Regulating Global Security: Insights from Conventional and Unconventional Regimes. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 3. Kreß, C. & Lawless, R. (Eds.) (2020). Necessity and Proportionality in International Peace and Security Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 4. Moskalenko, S. & McCauley, C. (2020). Radicalization to Terrorism: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 5. Williams, P. D. & McDonald, M. (Eds.) (2018). Security Studies: An Introduction. London: Routledge.