Strategic Culture. Comparative Studies
Preliminary requirements:
Basic knowledge of the contemporary history, world cultures, geography, politics and changes in global political landscape.
Course Description:
- Introduction. Culture in IR.
- Defining strategic culture. Perception of the security. Strategic Culture in IR theory.
- Hard power and soft power. The utility of force.
- Strategic culture of chosen states: USA, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, Japan, Israel, Germany, India.
- The EU and strategic culture.
- Strategic culture of nonstate actors.
- The Future of strategic culture.
Aims of the course:
Student understands and is able to describe the evolution of world political system, interactions between actors, patterns and perception of security, on national and international level.
Student is able to analyse and evaluate theoretical background on the concept of strategic culture
Student posseses the ability to identify, clarify, and critically analyse the historical, cultural and political influences shaping the strategic culture of different states.
Student knows the influence of cultural factor on the national and international level of the security, in the context of the risks and challenges.
Student has the skills to evaluate, describe and to dissect the major foreign policy challenges, interest, and objectives of the states in the 21st century.
Student possess the ability to assess the role of ideas, norms, culture, conceptions and values in contemporary security studies.
Student has the skills to evaluate and describe critically about the interaction/tension between different conceptions of national security.
Student has the skills to better comprehend the evolving role of the regional state actors in the global affairs.
Student is qualified to formulate and verify his/her own opinion based on knowledge about the international processes occurring in the field of strategic culture of different states.
Student is able to discuss about the boundaries and evolution of strategic culture as an analytical concept.
Student understands the dependence of international relations and security studies.
Teaching methods:
Seminar, text analysis, discussion, work in groups, case studies, film presentation, active learning exercice, paper.Students are expected to attend and participate in seminar regularly, to come to class familiar with the assigned material, and to be fully engaged at all times
Evaluation & Completion:
Participation in the discussion.
Preparation of 20 minute presentation focused on issues of the topics, from the list given by teacher.
Final discussion.
Basic Literature:
Bozeman A., Politics and Culture in International History, Transaction Publisher, 2002.
Kartchner, K., Johnson, J., Strategic Culture and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Culturally Based Insights into Comparative National Security Policymaking, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Smith R., The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World, Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.
Strachan H., The Direction of War: Contemporary Strategy in Historical Perspective, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Strategy in the Contemporary World, ed. by Baylis, Wirtz and Gray, Oxford University Press, 2016.
Additional Literature:
Clausewitz von K., On war, Princetown Univeristy Press, 1989.
Gray C.S., Modern Strategy, Oxford University Press, 1994.
Katzenstein P.J., The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Politics, Columbia University Press, 1996.
Kissinger H., World Order, Penguin Press, 2014.
Nye Jr. J.S., Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power, New York 1990.
Snyder, J.,The Soviet Strategic Culture: Implications for Limited Nuclear Operations, RAND Co., 1977.
