Welcome to War and Human Security! Current Syllabus
At the core of our study of international affairs lies the individual. Each human being is a component of community relations, state politics and leadership, regional and global institutions, and international peace and conflict. In this class, we explore this dynamic more thoroughly, particularly concerning wartime effects on human security.
We begin with some conceptualization and measurement of human security. We then explore a series of relevant international and domestic conflict processes to provide a setting for how human security becomes threatened. We can divide human security into two broad categories: freedom from want and freedom from fear. So following some overview of conflict processes, we will discuss specific types of human security as it relates to each of these categories and how a war setting affects these freedoms, depriving individuals of agency and dignity. Finally, we explore paths to economic and political development that can help reform and preserve human security.
Key activities throughout this course include:
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Developing a collaborative, electronic class cookbook from submitted recipes meeting guidelines for restricted food security
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A regional-level simulation in "real time" conducted both in class and online over the course of three weeks
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A global-level human security summit requiring bargaining and diplomacy to resolve a set of interrelated human security crises
Artwork by Erin K. Little