Terrorism and Security

Provides you with an understanding of the issue of terrorism and a comprehension of some of the problems for democratic states and international organisations (EU, UN, NATO) in responding to this threat. This module will provide you with the analytical tools to systematically assess the phenomenon of terrorism, its increasingly international character, and varying national and international responses to the problem.

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You will develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of international bilateral and regional arrangements in the criminal justice process (for example relating to international surveillance, extradition and extraordinary rendition, deportation, confinement and prisoner exchange agreements) and key components of the global criminal justice process such as International Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court.

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You will explore theories, empirical analyses, and concepts to do with financial, cultural, institutional, and technological globalisation. You will investigate the theoretical dimensions and interventions of International Political Economy as a discipline, looking at the emergence of the global financial infrastructure as it has emerged and the implications this has for societies beginning even before the World Wars.

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This module introduces you to the theory, practice and history of secret intelligence. The module considers the nature of intelligence studies as a relatively new field of serious intellectual inquiry and provides a suitable foundation for further study and research in the area.

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This module examines the evidence for a participatory crisis by focusing on five areas:

• The different theories of why people participate and why they don't
• The empirical evidence for decline
• You will examine those commonly held responsible for turning people off politics, notably politicians and the negative reporting of the media
• Different forms of collective participation
• Some of the solutions to citizen disengagement and the future direction of political participation
  

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You will discuss varying forms of terrorism in relation to the political and societal context from which they originate as well as the domestic, regional and international responses they provoke. You will cover British and French counterinsurgency operations in Palestine and Algeria, the international terrorism of Palestinian organizations, al Qaeda and the transnational challenge of Islamist terrorism, active and passive state support for terrorism. You will critically assess the impact of Western counterterrorism policies after 9/11, the link between state failure and terrorism in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia as well as the implications all these phenomena have for European and UK security.

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This module explores the claims and evidence about the relationship between the media and terrorism. It tackles a set of key questions: Is it true that terrorism thrives on the "oxygen of publicity"? What shapes the reporting of terrorism? Do terrorists really exploit the media to further their destructive ends? Do media help building society’s resilience or do they rather encourage public alarmism?

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This module aims to analyse contemporary maritime strategies and naval doctrines. You will develop a sophisticated level of knowledge and understanding about the economic and legal aspects of maritime power, the relationship between naval power and other forms of maritime activity, and the potential and dynamics of sea power in the contemporary globalised world.

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This module gives you the chance to review and critically evaluate the research literature on cybercrime, with particular reference to recent scholarship, to critically assess the achievements and limitations of digital security and electronic surveillance, to critically consider the role of digital information in decision making in the criminal justice system, and to assess the current status and prospects for digital networking in criminal justice.

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This module explores a deeper understanding of human rights, the rule of law, and democracy, as the problematic foundation for interpretation and application of human rights law. In this module, you will acquire the analytic tools necessary to understand and replicate the methods and legal techniques used to argue a violation of international human rights law and a familiarity with the major debates and controversies surrounding the interpretation of international human rights law and its impact at the domestic and international level. You will also develop a critical understanding of the multi-dimensional characteristics of human rights interpretation, involving institutional politics, socio-economic claims and cometing visions of justice.

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This module provides an advanced introduction to international relations theory, tracing the development of the discipline and engaging with current theoretical debates. You will explore traditional and post-structuralist theorising, covering themes of security and war, power, the role of different actors in international relations, and phenomena such as globalisation, gender and identity.

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This module allows students to develop an advanced knowledge of British Foreign Policy and British strategic thinking about foreign policy in the years 1903-2003. It examines in particular Britain's relations with all of the major western European powers, China, the United States, Russia/the Soviet Union and the countries of the Middle East.

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This module focuses on contemporary intelligence and security matters, including the nature of threats to Western security seen in recent years and the responses to these threats.

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You will gain an advanced understanding of the role of British intelligence on domestic security in the Twentieth Century, the development of intelligence studies in Britain, the Security Services' response to right and left wing subversion. You will also develop a sophisticated grasp of the role of intelligence in Britain's wars of decolonisation and impact on the transatlantic special relationship and of British intelligence and counter-terrorism in Northern Ireland and the British mainland.

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