PIR-40128 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Barred Combinations

none

Description for 2023/24

The study of international relations and of global security has traditionally suffered from sea-blindness. That is, analysis has always focused upon territory, state and sovereignty in terms of the politics of land. Scholarship thus tends to marginalise the impact of events and developments at sea that have historically shaped global politics. The sea, if spoken about, was described as a vast empty space through which things moved. Recent technological developments, changes in international law, environmental concerns and the emergence of maritime economies has radically altered this understanding of sea space. The sea is no longer a planar surface upon which wealth and naval power moves between states, it is now a place of wealth, a space ripe for commercial and scientific exploitation, a home in need of conservation. We have witnessed over the past few years the publication of maritime security strategies, an unprecedented territorialisation of sea space and an exponential increase in the quantity of ocean boundaries. This module takes you through the legal, historical and economic aspects of these changes and explores the theory and practice of securing a vast, three-dimensional, fluid and dynamic environment. It foregrounds your study of maritime security through innovations in the fields of critical geopolitics, introducing you to novel analytical methods which demonstrate how the political can be revealed through the study of space.

To develop students knowledge of the history and current developments in the field of global maritime security.
To introduce students to the theory and praxis of maritime security.
To develop students appreciation and understanding of spatial analytical methods.
To investigate the rise of regionalist approaches to maritime security.

Intended Learning Outcomes

engage with and understand critical trends and key themes in maritime security;: 1,2
identify, historically situate, contexualise legally and communicate in writing and orally a specific problem in global maritime politics.: 1,2
develop an understanding and appreciation of traditional and critical approaches to maritime governance.: 1,2

Study hours

20 hours in class seminar. 40 hours class preparation (readings and independent research). 30 hours reading and researching case study for assignment one. 60 hours reading and research for assignment two - essay.

School Rules

Available to all students in all pathways studying for an MA International Relations and Politics

Description of Module Assessment