Sovereignty & National Security Challenges – NSEC 506

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course is offered as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Political Science or Masters of Science in International Relations programs. It provides a broad graduate-level introduction to the study of national sovereignty and national security from a Biblical perspective. This course embraces comprehensive approach the study of the structure, role, and function of sovereignty and security in the international system.

Why do borders matter? Are they simply arbitrary lines of demarcation identifying macro-level ownership? Or, are they much more than this? NSEC 506 examines these and other questions related to state sovereignty and national security. Topics examined throughout this course include: the relationship between historical and contemporary theories of international governance, state sovereignty, nationalism, global governance, international intervention (military and humanitarian), state security, economic globalization, technology, and trade. These critical components are evaluated through the lens of biblical truth. Case studies, from a biblical perspective, examine concrete manifestations of sovereign power, the exercise of state authority at international borders, and the actions states take to ensure national security.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings, articles, and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus, Course Schedule, and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. 

• Each original thread must be 500 words and incorporate ideas and citations from at least three of the required readings and presentations for the assigned module.
• In addition to the thread, the student must reply to at least 2 other classmates’ threads.
• Each reply must be 250 words and include citations from the required reading and presentations, and be on subject matter not discussed in the student’s original post. As such, the reply post must include the remaining weekly material not covered in the student’s original post.
• Each thread and reply must follow current APA format.

Analysis Paper: The International Community Assignment

Students will submit four 6–8-page papers in current APA format, being careful to include 3–5 scholarly sources, on the following topics related to state sovereignty and national security: What impact have the emergence of international organizations, international law, and international norms had on state sovereignty? Is the international system a suffieicent balance to the power of state sovereignty In what ways do the interests of states and the system balance each other, or do they?

Analysis Paper: Sovereign Identity Analysis Assignment

Students will submit four 6–8-page papers in current APA format, being careful to include 3–5 scholarly sources, on the following topics related to state sovereignty and national security: Why are sovereign borders meaningful to states? (Or are they?) From the perspective of the relationships between sovereign states, is there a “right” and a “wrong” way to conceptualize sovereignty? Does the relationship between national identity, popular sovereignty, and the state present the best model for political organization?

Analysis Paper: Sovereignty the Digital Age Assignment

Students will submit four 6–8-page papers in current APA format, being careful to include 3–5 scholarly sources, on the following topics related to state sovereignty and national security: The rise of technology has had a critical impact on state sovereignty. Sir David Popper, former Director of the United Kingdom’s Government Communications noted that. Technological advances present new challenges and opportunities to sovereign states. In your paper, develop and discuss the following questions:

Analysis Paper: Power and Impunity Assignment

Students will submit four 6–8-page papers in current APA format, being careful to include 3–5 scholarly sources, on the following topics related to state sovereignty and national security: Sovereignty in the International System, Security Dilemma, Sovereignty and Immunity, and The Future of State Sovereignty. All required readings and presentations from the Module must be cited. 

Research Paper: Research Question Assignment

This research paper will be submitted in 3 separate parts: Parts 1–3. Current APA format must be used.

Part 1: Students will provide the primary research question that he/she will be answering in the final paper or part 3. To justify this research question, the student will explain why this question is important to the study of sovereignty and national security in 3-4 pages.

Research Paper: Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Part 2: Students will submit a 4–6-page paper with a summary for each major section the paper and a reference list of 10–12 scholarly sources with a 100- word summary annotations of each source.

Research Paper: Final Assignment

Part 3: Students will submit one 10–12 page paper on a pre-approved topic answering the approved question they compiled related to state sovereignty and national security. The student will use 10–12 scholarly sources.