Course Code: POLS 2010
Academic Year: 2025-2026
A survey of the history of the last 100 years reveals two very different trends shaping the contemporary environments people live in. Tremendous efforts have been made to make human life more safe and secure, not just from the threat of war, but also from various other threats such as economic instability, political extremism, poverty, food insecurity, and disease. Yet despite these efforts, it seems that every day we are inundated with dire warnings about economic, public health, or environmental crises that cast a shadow over our futures, or threats of physical or cyber terrorism, or concerns about conflicts that might engulf states and regions. It seems that, even with all the resources we devote to security, the world is as dangerous and disordered as it ever was. How, then, can security be achieved and the world we live in be made safer, and at what cost? Are the measures we take to protect stability and order helping to make us more secure, or less? What impact is made on security by diverse factors such as political instability, economic and social inequality, rapid technological change, and changes to moral traditions and values? These are the questions this course will address.