74654 - European Security

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students should: (1) have an understanding of the evolution and most relevant issues of and key debates on European security;  (2) be able to explain and evaluate European civilian and military operations; (3) show a solid comprehension of the relationship between the US and EU as well as of the centrality of Russia's security; (4) complete a research project in a security policy area of specific interest to each student.    Some knowledge of and familiarity with (a) European institutions, (b) European history, (c) International Relations is required to fully appreciate this class.

Course contents

The class will focus on the theoretical approaches and analytical tools necessary to understand the major issues in relevant for Europe's security. Thus a special emphasis will be on the EU and NATO, but other crucial actors, like the OSCE, the United States and Russia will be discussed. Last but not least, we will also investigate the new, rising threats and risk scenarios that may soon impact on European security.

Readings/Bibliography

Articles: (1) Mearsheimer, John J. 1990. Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War.
International Security 15 (1):5-56.  (2) Andrew Moravcsik, “Europe: The Quiet Superpower,” French Politics, Vol. 7, No.
3/4 (Sept-Dec 2009), pp. 403-422. (3)  Russett, Bruce M., Thomas Risse-Kappen, and John J. Mearsheimer. 1990. Back to the Future, Part III: Realism and the Realities of European Security. International Security 15 (3):216-222.   (4) Wæver, Ole. 1996. "European Security Identities." Journal of Common Market Studies 34 (1):103- 32  (5) Browning, Christopher S. 2010. “Experimenting in the northern laboratory: the emergence of an EU approach to security governance in the north and its broader significance.” European Security 19(3): 395-411.   (6) Galbreath, David J., and Joanne McEvoy. 2012. ‘Minority Rights Conditionality in Europe? The Impact of Securitizing Minorities on Protection and Empowerment'. Security Dialogue, 43(3): 28-42.  (7) Christou, George. 2010. “European Union security logics to the east: the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership.” European Security 19(3): 413-430.  (8) Pace, Michelle. 2010. “The European Union, security and the southern dimension.” European Security 19(3): 431-444. (9) Simon Duke, “Consensus Building in ESDP: The Lessons of Operation Artemis,” International Politics, Vol. 46, No. 4 (July 2009), pp. 395-412. (10) Gregory Mounier, “Civilian Crisis Management and the External Dimension of JHA: Inceptive,Functional and Institutional Similarities,” Journal of European Integration, Vol. 31, No. 1 (January 2009), pp. 45–64. (11) Bjorn Müller-Wille, “The Effect of International Terrorism on EU Intelligence Cooperation,” Journal of Common Market Studies, 46(1): 49-73.
Book chapters: (a) Giacomello, G. and R. Craig Nation, “Introduction: The Contested Concept of Security”, in G. Giacomello and R. Craig Nation (eds) Security in the West: Evolution of a Concept, Milan: Vita & Pensiero, (2009) 11-27. (b) TBA
Non-attending students will be required to add (a) S. Biscop & J. Coelment, Europe, Strategy and Armed Forces, London: Routledge (2012) and (b) TBA.

Assessment methods

Attending students who wish to get the grade and full credits for the course should fulfil the following requirements: (1) active students' participation in class (discussion) (20% of their final grade);
(2) Mid-term take home exam (40%) (3) Research paper (20, double-spaced pages; 40% of the grade); students are required to discuss their topics for the final paper with the instructors in advance.   
Non-attending students: one-hour written examination on the whole program (15 questions).

Teaching tools

Given the number of attending students, the class will mostly be based on lectures, with active participation (discussion) by the students.

Office hours

See the website of Giampiero Giacomello