Recreating the IR431 unit learning guide

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I am having a short break from writing my unit learning guide for the unit IR431 International and Regional Security. This is because on Wednesday night (last week), I lost 6 years of work. In my attempt to clean my computer after a virus attack, I accidentally deleted  most of my work folders containing my many files.

I lost my assessment files for the faculty and my teaching files for the department. Among my teaching files was the completed version of the IR431 unit learning guide and the required readings (eBooks on security).

I will need to recreate this document. This will be a time consuming endeavour because I will need to plot a new learning map and come up with new instructions for the various assessment tasks. After this, I will need to update our unit web page.

Our experts at the ICT division were able to find a few files, and the HOD was kind enough to forward the 2018 copies of the unit learning guides for IR202 and IR302, sent to him a few weeks ago. I will use either one as a template to complete the IR431 unit learning guide.

In a nutshell, we will look at contemporary security issues like the rise of China, APEC, terrorism and Australia's offshore processing centers. We will try to determine which international relations theories provide a clear explanation of these contemporary security issues.

On the reading list, we have reputable scholars like Buzan, Dunne, Bellamy, Navari, Elman, Donnelly and others. The eBooks together with the audiovisual files will be used to help us develop our understanding of international and regional security. 

In the offshore case, you have two contemporary security issues; migration and transnational organized crime. These two issues are also affecting others regions like the European Union in a large way. For example, we have waves of migrants from the African continent traveling to Europe via the help of people smugglers. The people smugglers themselves are part of a transnational syndicate. 

Moreover, both can also be viewed through the human security lens. In particular, the personal security of the asylum seekers on their way to Australia and on Manus Island. The Tampa Affair is a case in point. A small group from the 450 asylum seekers rescued threatened to commit suicide if the captain of MV Tampa took them back to Indonesia. In addition, the case of the Sri Lankan Tamil man who took his own life on Manus Island is another personal security issue.

I hope to complete the unit learning guide by Friday. In the meantime, please meet as a group and talk about the video we watched on Tuesday about the rise of China.      

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