This course analyses key approaches, institutions, and contemporary issues in global security. The course outlines different conceptual approaches to the study of global security and introduces students to core terms and debates in security studies. A central focus is how these approaches are applied to issues such as great power competition, the prospects for cooperation under conditions of uncertainty about the future, and the balance between justice and order in addressing global security threats. The course also looks at the architecture of global security governance, including alliances, international organisations, international regimes and international law. The course also looks into contemporary global security challenges such as arms racing, environmental security, and the challenges presented by new technologies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate a knowledge of the key theoretical and conceptual tools used to explain contemporary global security issues
2. Understand the major empirical developments that shape the contemporary global security environment
3. Analyse and critically examine these conceptual and empirical developments and advance their own views on these issues
4. Employ effective writing and communication skills in the assessment of the theories and practices of global security
5. Apply lessons from relevant historical episodes to contemporary security challenges and articulate the policy implications of applying these lessons

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Global Security Studies
2	Studying Security
3	Power, Threats and Uncertainty
4	Peace, Cooperation and Order
5	Critical Security Studies
6	Alliances and Partnerships
7	Law, Institutions and Agreements
8	Flashpoints and Crisis Management
9	Cybersecurity
10	Climate Security
11	Great Power Competition
12	Concluding Panel Debate

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Personal Reflection Video	10 %	18/07/2025	1, 3, 5
Critical analysis	30 %	05/09/2025	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Verbal Exam	50 %	*	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Participation	10 %	*	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

see assessment task 3

Examination(s)

see assessment task 4

Assessment Task 1

Personal Reflection Video

1. Personal Reflection Video

Due date:  Friday 18 July 2025 11:55 PM

Value: 10%

Submitted via Teams

 

Students will be required to submit a 3-minute video on the question: What does security mean to you? Why? This is a non-academic piece of work and I really just want to hear what you think. There is no right or wrong, just critical thinking!  Record the video using Zoom, Teams or Powerpoint and please use slides. You will be marked on the coherence of your reflection and on your use of the concepts outlined in the first week’s seminar and in the first week’s recommended readings, especially Williams and McDonald (2018). All students are encouraged to post responses to other students’ videos on Teams and the responses you give to other students will contribute to your participation grade. 

Assessment Task 2

Critical analysis

Critical analysis

Due date: Friday 5 September 2025, 11:55pm. Event topics for the prompts must be approved by Friday 1 August 2025, 11:55 PM.

Value: 30%

Submitted via Turnitin

 

Students will be required to task ChatGPT with an essay question reflecting on an event of their choosing in the context of the security studies literature, particularly the literature covered in module 1. The event should be relatively minor (eg NOT WW2!), and all students will have to have their choice of event approved by the convenor. All students will use the same prompt to ChatGPT to generate a 4,000 word essay. They will choose their own event, and this choice must be approved by the convenor.

This prompt is: ‘How does [event X] engage questions of what security is and how it should be achieved?

Students will then produce and submit a 3,000 word assessment of the essay produced by chat GPT supplemented with their own analysis. This assessment will be produced by the student, not ChatGPT. Students are required to reflect on the adequacy with which the piece produced by ChatGPT as part of writing their own response to the question. The critique should assess the adequacy with which ChatGPT: a) reflects the details of the event they have chosen b) addresses the relevant theoretical concerns associated with the event and c) adopts relevant and correctly referenced sources.

Students are welcome to structure this assessment however they wish but they should note that they should contribute their own analysis of the question as well as a critique of chat GPT. This includes finding additional sources to supplement those supplied by ChatGPT or, if this is not possible, engaging in a discussion of the adequacy of the sourcing used by ChatGPT – eg why is it sufficient/insufficient? Which areas does it cover well and which is it missing, if any? Does it only reference male authors/Anglo authors? Why?

Please use Chicago referencing style.

Rubric

Critical reflection and assessment	Assessment of sourcing, provision of extra sources	Assessment of structure and detail	Presentation, proofing
50%	20%	20%	10%

Assessment Task 3

Verbal Exam

3. Verbal Exam

Due date: Monday 23 – Wednesday 25 September 2025.

Value: 50%

Length: 30 minutes

Students will be asked to participate via either Teams or Zoom.

 The verbal exam is designed to help students to demonstrate their knowledge of key concepts and literatures covered in the course. Students will be asked two questions for each of the three modules covered. The exam will go for a maximum of 30 minutes but can end earlier if the student feels they have satisfactorily answered the questions. Sign up sheets for exam times will be posted on Monday 15 September. Students may arrange an after hours exam time on either 23, 24 or 25 September if that is preferable.  All exam sessions will be recorded and available for students to review. This is a closed book exam.

Rubric

Knowledge of course materials	Presentation skills
80	20

Assessment Task 4

Participation

4. Participation 

Due date: ongoing! 

Value: 10 %,

As this course is online, participation in the class Teams chat is really important to enhancing your learning experience. The convener will be posting content regularly, and students are encouraged to do the same. Consider posting interesting and relevant news stories, for example, or commenting (constructively!) on others’ posts. Feel free to ask questions about the course content or make comments related to the lectures or interviews.  In addition, each lecture has an associated class activity (a padlet) which will be assessed as part of the participation grade. 

 

Grading is as follows: 

·      100%: demonstrate sophisticated engagement with class readings and application of theory to discussion of course content. Sophisticated means interrogating and questioning the theoretical assumptions and key concepts in the readings and course content.  

·      75%: demonstrate high-level engagement with class readings and application of theory to discussion of course content. High-level means clear understanding of key concepts in the readings and course content.  

·      50%: demonstrate adequate engagement with class readings and application of theory to discussion of class content. Adequate means demonstrating some familiarity with class readings and course content. 

·      0%: failure to enagage with course content.  

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students