BSSb1117 Threats and Risks of the Present World

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024

The course is not taught in Autumn 2024

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Vendula Divišová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Veronika Bundzíková (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Robin Burda (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Jan Kleiner, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Security and Strategic Studies – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! BSS112 Threats and Risks && !NOW( BSS112 Threats and Risks ) && !NOW( BSS107 Threats ) && ! BSS107 Threats
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 21 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce risks and threats of the modern era. The new approaches to security research will be taken into account, so the course will not be restricted to "hard security" only. The attention will be given to so-called new security threats (asymmetric threats) as well as to the research of contemporary armed conflicts which have a different character than classical "clausewitzian" war.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge of the most important phenomenon in current security issues, such as terrorism, religous extremism, organized crime, security privatization etc.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical delimitation of conflict (causes, actors) 3. Conflict dynamics and resolution 4. Terrorism 5. State weakening and failure 6. Extremism 7. Organised crime 8. Religious radicalism 9. Arms proliferation 10. Environmental threats 11. Information warfare 12. Migration, demographic pressures and collapse 13. Privatisation of conflict
Literature
    required literature
  • Bárta, M. (2011): Kolaps a regenerace: Cesty civilizací a kultur, Academia. s. 15 – 48.
  • Barnett, J. (2003). Security and climate change. Global Environmental Change, 13(1), 7-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-3780(02)00080-8
  • Kelly M. Greenhill (2010): Weapons of mass migration: forced displacement, coercion, and foreign policy, Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, s. 12 – 74.
  • Pomerantsev, P. (2015). The Kremlin’s Information War. Journal of Democracy, 26(4), 40-50. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2015.0074
  • Gleick, P. H. (2014). Water, Drought, Climate Change, and Conflict in Syria. Weather, Climate, and Society, 6(3), 331-340. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-13-00059.1
  • Gartzke, Erik and Kroenig, Matthew. Nuclear Posture, Nonproliferation Policy, and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, in Journal of Conflict Resolution 2014, 1-7.
  • Laurence R. Iannaccone and Eli Berman. Religious Extremism: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly. Public Choice, Vol. 128, No. 1/2, The Political Economy of Terrorism (Jul., 2006), pp. 109-129, Dostupný online http://www.nber.org/papers/w11663.pdf
  • Mudde, C. (2010). The Populist Radical Right: A Pathological Normalcy. West European Politics, 33(6), 1167-1186. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2010.508901
  • Mareš, Miroslav (2010): Terorismus. In: Smolík, Josef, Šmíd, Tomáš a kol. (2010): Vybrané bezpečnostní hrozby a rizika 21. století. Brno: MPÚ. S. 115 – 139.
  • Národ, nacionalismus a emancipační snahy. Rovná, Lenka. In: Mezinárodní vztahy Praha : Ústav mezinárodních vztahů 33, č. 4, (1998,) s. 47-54.
  • Snyder, T. (2019). Cesta k nesvobodě: Rusko, Evropa, Amerika. Paseka (Kapitola „Mezi pravdou a lží (2015)“, pp. 155-165, 173-177.
  • Šmíd, Tomáš a kol. (2010): Vybrané bezpečnostní hrozby a rizika 21. století. Brno: MPÚ. S. 69-90.
  • Šmíd, Tomáš (2010): Teoretické vymezení konfliktu – terminologie, příčiny a dynamika. In: Smolík, Josef, Šmíd, Tomáš a kol. (2010): Vybrané bezpečnostní hrozby a rizika 21. století. Brno: MPÚ. S. 21 – 41.
  • Brooks, R. (2005). Failed States, or the State as Failure?. University of Chicago Law Review, Vol. 72, No. 4, pp. 1159-1196.
  • Ramsbotham, O. – Woodhouse, T. – Miall, H. (2011): Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge: Polity, kapitola 1 ("Introduction to Conflict Resolution: Concepts and Definitions").
  • Paoli, L., & Fijnaut, C. (2006). Organised Crime and Its Control Policies. European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, 14(3), 307–327.
Teaching methods
Lectures
Assessment methods
Position paper, midterm test, final exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
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