Politics 102-A: Special Topic in Politics - Introductory Level: Uses and Abuses of National Security

This course analyzes the use and abuse of notions of national security by posing the fundamental questions: what is security? And who or what is being secured and for and by whom? Through a capacious interpretation of security, the course lays bare the uses and abuses of notions of national security to justify horrific military violence sanctioned through international law and international organizations. We will engage with variants of realism and liberalism, constructivism, postcolonial, postructuralism, new materialism, race and racism, and environmentalism through a wide variety of course materials not limited to core IR texts, film, poetry, non-fiction, and fiction. May be applied toward the Global Politics requirement for the Politics-Environmental Studies major.