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Contemporary Issues in Transatlantic Security - JMMZ186

Title:	Contemporary Issues in Transatlantic Security
Guaranteed by:	Department of North American Studies (23-KAS)
Faculty:	Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual:	from 2013
Semester:	winter
E-Credits:	6
Examination process:	winter s.:combined
Hours per week, examination:	winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
Capacity:	unknown / unknown (20)
Min. number of students:	unlimited
4EU+:	no
Virtual mobility / capacity:	no
State of the course:	not taught
Language:	English
Teaching methods:	full-time
Teaching methods:	full-time
Note:	course can be enrolled in outside the study plan enabled for web enrollment priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan

Guarantor:	Mgr. Karel Ulík

Examination dates Schedule Noticeboard

Aim of the course

Last update: ULIK (03.10.2012)

The main objective is to discuss, analyze, critically assess and understand concepts behind the most pressing security issues that both sides of the Atlantic face. The course should in general cover the following topics:

NATO - Present problems and Future, Out of Area Operations
EU Role in Security
Regional conflicts
Arms Control, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Nucelar and Conventional
Nuclear Policy and Missile Defence (Nuclear Weapons in Europe)
Relations with Russia
Emerging Threats (energy security, cybersecurity, high north, piracy, terrorism)
Financial Crisis and Defence
US-decreasing involvement in Europe?
Regional Cooperation

However, the exact composition of the course will depend on subjects the students will choose from this list. This is because I wish students work on an issue they are really interested in. The students will give a presentation on a more specific issue falling within these cathegories and in subsequent discussion and interventions by the teacher more general conclusions should be identified.

Course completion requirements

Last update: ULIK (03.10.2012)

Assessment:

40% Activity in class

30% Paper (6 pages/2000 words on a selected topic - the same as presentation)

30% Presentation (on a selected topic). The presentation should include the following:

· Introduction (reasons for selection, relevance to EU/US/translatlantic security)

· Basic Data (important facts, history, description of the current state, context)

· Analysis (underlying causes, different perspectives, causalities, explanation of behaviour, theories)

· Assessment (student's view)

· Essential sources used

· Questions for discussion (2 - 4)

Literature

Last update: ULIK (03.10.2012)

There is no syllabus or list of literature set in advance. The course is in a form of seminar/colloquium, so the "reading list" will result from topics the students are going to choose. However, the students attending the course should be familiar at least with some of the following think tanks (and their output) and journals dealing at least partially with (transatlantic) security. The studnets will likely find suitable sources for their presentation on this list:

Think tanks

www.carnegieendowment.org

www.cnas.org

www.americanprogress.org

csis.org

www.egmontinstitute.be

www.wiltonpark.org.uk

http://www.miis.edu/academics/researchcenters

www.frstrategie.org

www.cer.org.uk

www.chathamhouse.org.uk

www.pism.pl

www.pssi.cz

www.iir.cz

Journals:

Survival

International Security

Presidential Studies Quarterly

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Policy

Washington Quarterly

Journal of Strategic Studies

Comparative Strategy

European Security

RUSI Journal

Orbis

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But I attempted to make it representative - it contains the most influential, most read, most praised and hopefully politically balanced institutions. I also included three Central European think tanks for our local perspective. Do not expect anything sophisticated from them, though.

Teaching methods

Last update: ULIK (03.10.2012)

For more information please contact me at karel.ulik@centrum.cz