Undergraduate Course: Security and Development in Africa (Summer School) (AFRI10002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course provides a broad conceptual framework for understanding and analyzing the main challenges to security in Africa, and for assessing policy responses. It offers a critical introduction to research on the various aspects of the current merging of security and development in Africa and puts this in the context of wider debates about governance, politics and the postcolonial state in Africa. |
| Course description |
During the 1990s human security emerged as one of the key topics in debates about Africa. In a time of declining government authority in the wake of neo-liberal reforms and the proliferation of armed conflicts after the end of the Cold War modes of governance became established in many parts of Africa that merged development and security agendas. This transformation was reflected in the international responses to the complex emergencies across Africa ranging from peacekeeping missions, the activities of Private Military Companies (PMCs) and humanitarian interventions to complex exercises in state-building in conjunction with development policies. New transnational crime control strategies and counter-terrorism operations have fused with development policies aimed at improving governance and humanitarian interventions. While the 21st century securitization and militarization of development policies for and in Africa has been in full swing, Africans across the continent have arguably continued to live with similarly high levels of insecurity and violence in their daily lives as in previous decades. Students in this course will critically examine the "development-security nexus" particularly in the ways it has shaped policy both within African states and towards African states.
The course will begin with broad topics, which are applicable to understanding international security worldwide, such as the changing nature of war (new wars) and the role of global and regional institutions in "security governance". The course will then apply these concepts to issues in Africa, with particular emphasis on the role (under)development plays in security on the continent. Specifically, the course will examine debates around peacekeeping missions, counter terrorism, humanitarian interventions, civil wars, and energy security to highlight the reconfiguration of the security agenda in Africa in a historical and socio-political context. These topics are approached through theoretical literature, policy documents, popular accounts and films. Each session's topic will be explored through a case study with corresponding student presentations during the related tutorial session. The course will mainly draw on literature from anthropology, political science and history, examining current trends in the multi-faceted transformation of security and development across and outside Africa.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive overview and critical understanding of theories used in the current debate on security and development in Africa.
- Understand the development of analytic tools for assessing policy responses to security challenges.
- Illustrate a critical awareness of current issues in this field through the use of a topically and geographically diverse range of detailed case studies.
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Reading List
The below are texts will be used to give students a broad understanding of the session¿s topic. Each topic¿s required readings will also include journal articles, book chapters, or (if applicable) policy-focused articles to provide concrete examples and case studies.
Collins, Alan, ed. 2013. Contemporary Security Studies, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Duffield, Mark. 2014 Global Governance and the New Wars: The Merging of Development and Security. London: Zed Books.
McNeish, John-Andrew and Jon Harald Sande Lie, eds. 2010. Security and Development. Oxford: Berghahn.
Reno, Williams. 2011. Warfare in Independent Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Williams, Paul. 2011. War and Conflict in Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
University of Edinburgh students will not receive credit for this course. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | |
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