Welcome to your International Security course

As a distance learning programme this course is designed to fit around all the other commitments in your life. You will therefore be working independently for much of the time, demonstrating the ability to manage information, concepts and methods as well as the ability to organise time and your programme of study. The value of your MA will therefore be much greater than ‘just’ a qualification in International Security: it will demonstrate self-motivation, discipline, self-reliance, and other general competencies as well as academic ability.

Each week you will follow a carefully structured programme of work based around active learning – undertaking tasks which help you to really engage and work with the material you are studying, rather than just passively reading or listening to the words of others. You will use the interactive facilities of Blackboard to communicate with tutors and other students that will enable you to develop essential learning skills, compare notes and follow up on aspects of modules that you have found interesting or particularly challenging. New media technology will enable you to participate fully in the activities of the department and to feel part of a supportive and dynamic learning community.

All required tutor-led activities will be asynchronous, meaning you will never be asked to log into Blackboard at a particular time or on a particular day. This is to accommodate the various time zones of our diverse international cohort of students, who will be joining in from across the world; in recent years we’ve had students logging in from places including Hong Kong, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada, as well as the UK.

Module leaders on this MA are given a lot of independence to provide teaching in a way that suits them, their students and their subjects best. This means that module content can vary considerably, from recorded lectures and podcasts to carefully structured reading, optional seminars or one-on-one meetings provided online. Please don’t expect exactly the same learning experience on every week of every module, this would not benefit you and would in any case quickly become tedious. Get to know each module carefully as it starts, and if you’re ever unsure, contact the module leader, they will be eager to help you.

If you’re ever unsure of anything then don’t hesitate to contact the course leader, Dr Fiona Robertson-Snape, who will happily help you. Her email address is: f.robertson-snape@staffs.ac.uk.

Some students ask what preparatory reading they can do whilst they wait to start their course. We don’t require you to do any preparatory reading but if you choose to do so then here are some ideas.

We will be supplying you with three e-textbooks. If you’d prefer to use a hard copy and get ahead with your reading then the three are:

• D. Williams and M. McDonald, eds., 2023. Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th ed. [e-book] Routledge.
• Collins, A. ed., 2022. Contemporary security studies. Oxford University Press.
• Hough, B. Pilbeam, & W. Stokes (Eds.), 2020. International Security Studies: Theory and Practice, London and New York: Routledge.

There are other useful textbooks which you could buy to supplement the given texts:

• Alexandra Gheciu and William C. Wohlforth, The Oxford Handbook of International Security, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020
• Michael E. Smith, International Security: Politics, Policy, Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017
• Christopher S. Browning, Peter Ganim, et al., International Security: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013

International Relations textbooks:

Some knowledge of International Relations will be useful as International Security is a sub-field of International Relations and draws on the same theories and concepts.

There are a range of free and relevant e-books which you can browse and read should you prefer not to buy books.

For the books below whilst the latest edition is always best textbooks are expensive. However, you can pick up older editions very cheaply on ebay or Amazon and these are fine to ‘fill the gap’ before you get access to your e-textbooks and library.

• Andrew Heywood, Global Politics, Palgrave Macmillan
• John Baylis, Steve Smith & Patricia Owens (eds) The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, Oxford University Press
• Vioti and Kauppi, International Relations Theory
• Jackson and Sorenson, Introduction to International Relations, Oxford University Press
• Tim Dunn and Milja Kurki, International Relations Theories, Oxford U.P

Or any other of the many IR textbooks.

International History

History provides the context within which international security is understood. A good knowledge of recent history is therefore an advantage and the following texts are recommended for general preparatory reading:

• William Keylor , Twentieth Century World (6th ed) OUP, 2012.
• Antony Best, Jussi Hanhimaki, Joseph Maiolo, Kirsten Schulze, International History of the Twentieth Century, 2nd ed, Routledge, 2008.
• John W. Youngand John Kent, International Relations Since 1945: A Global History, Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Peter Calvocoressi, World Politics, 1945-2000, 9th Ed. Longman, 2008.
• A.S. Grenville, A History of the World: From the 20th to the 21st Century, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2005

Wider Reading for Interest –

This is a very small selection of possibilities, at this stage, read what interests you.

• Allison, Graham, Destined for War: can America and China escape Thucydides's Trap?: can America and China escape Thucydides’ Trap?, 2018
• Michael Cox, Agonies of Empire: American Power from Clinton to Biden, 2022
• Farrell, Theo Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, Vintage 2018
• Mearsheimer, John. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, W W Norton & Co, 2014
• Nye, Joseph. Is The American Century Over? Polity 2015
• Smith, Michael, The Real Special Relationship: The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work Together, 2022

Other sources

You can access articles by academics from sites such as

1. a) The Conversation. 'The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public.
2. b) E-IR. 'The world’s leading open access website for students and scholars of international politics'
3. c) War on the Rocks
4. d) Chatham House

International Security Podcasts

And finally…

Reading The Economist, Newsweek, and/or the international pages of quality broadsheets is also very useful. The more general knowledge of international relations that you start with the better.

Also, staff put up articles relating to our MA Programme on the International Studies Masters Programme Twitter account which you might want to follow: @StaffsISP

You might also be interested to follow us on our departmental Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HisPolStaffs/

Please note that none of this reading is required but if you choose to prepare beforehand that is great. I am happy to answer any questions.

Dr Fiona Robertson-Snape

Award Leader International Studies Programme.

f.robertson-snape@staffs.ac.uk

As a minimum, to study on the course, you must have:

A desktop or laptop computer (PC or Mac) - essential
A reliable Broadband internet connection – essential
A headset with a USB connection including integrated microphone and noise-cancellation capability – desirable
A webcam - desirable

As a minimum, to study on the course, you will need to:

Use the Staffordshire University’s Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment
Use your Staffordshire University e-mail
Access key Staffordshire University websites
Access to the Online Staffordshire University Library Portal for Library Catalogue and access to e-Resources (such as subscribed e-books and journals)

You might also choose to:

Access and use the Staffordshire University provided Microsoft ™ Office 365 products (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.) which are free to download for students.

Take part in remote tutorials and Webinars (using Blackboard Collaborate online videoconferencing, Microsoft ™ Teams ® or other web-based Audio/Visual capabilities)

Software you will need to have on your computer is as follows:

Web browser – you will need to be signed up with an internet service provider (ISP) in order to be able to access the internet and connect to the Staffordshire University web pages. either Explorer or Chrome or Firefox; up-to-date versions can be downloaded.

Word-processing facilities – We require all work to be submitted in Microsoft Word. As a student of Staffordshire University you can download Microsoft Office 365 for free. You can install it on up to 5 different computers, as well as your mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.). Just go to http://www.staffs.ac.uk/office365 on the device that you wish to install Office on and follow the instructions.

Adobe Acrobat – for reading on-line documents and electronic journals – this can be downloaded for free.

If you use a Mac, ensure it has:

an internet connection and the Chrome web browser.

Office software: see above about Office 365

Whilst some features of the courses may be accessible via other devices, we wouldn't recommend having a tablet, smart phone or chrome book as a primary mode of accessing the course.

You will need to be a proficient computer user, though technical help will be available if you have trouble with specific applications or tasks. The amount of time you will need to spend connected to the internet per week will be very variable. Most weeks it will be several hours. You can also download all the reading onto your own home computer and safely store it for future use.

There is a variety of software which can be downloaded from the University’s website and can also be accessed via the button below. This software is free for all of our students, as we understand to reach your full potential and succeed in your degree you need the tools to help you.

Download software

You have the opportunity to attach a pathway to your MA IS degree. There are currently three pathways to chose from: Intelligence, Russian Studies or Contemporary China. The pathway modules all run in the second year so it is not necessary to make a final decision at this point. You will have the opportunity to add, drop or change a pathway at the end of your first year. If you take a pathway then you are expected to also write your dissertation on a topic related to that pathway.