Course coordinator
Dr Jiye Kim
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
Examination of the emerging international security order, including patterns of conflict and the War on Terror, and detailed studies of a range of key issues affecting global and regional security.
This course considers the broad topic of international security, and introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives (realism, liberalism and critical security studies) - through which to analyse contemporary security challenges. We begin with a conceptual overview that introduces international security from a variety of theoretical perspectives.ﾠ We then examine a range of traditional and non-traditional security challenges beginning with an examination of some of the key issues that have traditionally dominated the security agenda:
- Emerging Powers
- Great Power Rivalry
- Alliance Politics
- Environment Security
- Women, Peace and Security
- Outer Space Security
Central to this portion of the course will be a critical consideration of the utility and limits of military power as a means of effectively addressing these security challenges. In the latter part of the course, we then shift our attention to a consideration of issues - ranging from environment, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and space security - that have gained prominence as non-traditional security challenges. In this part of the course we will also pay particular attention to the politics of 'securitization', analysing how and why particular policy issues come to be seen as 'security' issues and the ethical and practical implications that follow from characterising issues in these terms. The concluding seminar revisits the course's major themes, as well as analysing and critiquing existing attempts to forecast the future of international security in an increasingly complex and post-unipolar world.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
GT829, GO838
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Jiye Kim
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
- Acquire an understanding of key concepts and ideas related to the study of security in the contemporary international system.
- Be informed aboutﾠ centralﾠ security issues in contemporary international relations.
- Develop a capacity to undertake the critical assessment and analysis of security issues in contemporary international relations.
- Acquire an understanding of different theoretical approaches to security and develop the capacity to apply them to case studies.
- Encourage the development of writing and verbal skills through analysis of issues and problems relating to security in the international system.
- Develop critical assessment of suitable sources.ﾠﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
demonstrate knowledge related to international security issues
LO2.
evaluate the strength of particular theoretical approaches
LO3.
apply your knowledge of key issues for a better understanding of current affairs
LO4.
use primary sources to write analytical essays
LO5.
communicate in both verbal and written forms to academic and professional standards
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution | Seminar Participation and Preparation | 20% | |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Essay/ Critique | Literature Review (2000 words) | 40% |
17/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique | Research Essay (3000 words) | 40% |
30/05/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Seminar Participation and Preparation
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 20%
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
- Seminar Participation and Preparation is worth 20 marks of the total course grade. Marks are based on: (1) the quality of your participation (not just attendance) in the seminar discussions, building on the evaluation of required readings and (2) a short written response to a weekly question or topic, submitted before each class from Week 2 to Week 12. Instructions and rubrics will be posted on Blackboard.
- Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Literature Review (2000 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
17/04/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04, L05
Task description
- The Literature Review assignment would see a proportion of the task drafted and submitted during seminars. As part of the final submission, students will document how this work contributed to the final submitted version.
- Example and rubrics will be posted on Blackboard.
- Marks will be deducted for variation from word limit according to POLSIS essay rules.
- Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Research Essay (3000 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04, L05
Task description
- The Research Essay assignment would see a proportion of the task drafted and submitted during seminars. As part of the final submission, students will document how this work contributed to the final submitted version.
- Essays must be typed (double-spaced), fully referenced and include a reference list with at least 25 peer-reviewed academic sources (i.e. journal articles and books).
- Marks will be deducted for variation from word limit according to POLSIS essay rules.
- Rubrics will be posted on Blackboard.
- Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does notﾠaddress the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠaddresses the question poorly and showsﾠvery little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay andﾠemploys some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flowﾠappears throughout the assignment. The studentﾠaddresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However,ﾠfalls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument andﾠemploys an adequate research base to support the argument. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The studentﾠanswers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠprovides suitable evidence to support an argument andﾠemploys a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic andﾠprovides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic andﾠsucceeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument andﾠachieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be awarded on the following basis:
1.ﾠFailﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 - 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Students should note:
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Seminar |
Introduction Learning outcomes: L01, L05 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Seminar |
International Security Perspective: Theories and Concepts I Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Seminar |
International Security Perspective: Theories and Concepts II Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Seminar |
Emerging Powers I Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Seminar |
Emerging Powers II Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Seminar |
Emerging Powers III Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Seminar |
Emerging Powers IV Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Seminar |
Issues I: Health Learning outcomes: L01, L05 |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Seminar |
Issues II: Environment Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
No Seminar (Public Holiday) Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Seminar |
Issues III: Women, Peace and Security Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Seminar |
Issues IV: Outer Space Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Seminar |
Course Review Learning outcomes: L01, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.