Course syllabus NATO - Organization, Community, Actor

Officer’s degree or Bachelor’s degree in War Studies composed of 180 credits, of which 90 credits are in War Studies or equivalent.

English proficiency equivalent to English B or English 6 is also required.

The purpose of the course is to offer the student the possibility to study, understand, and problematize NATO as an i) international organization; ii) a community where different strategic agendas meet; and iii) an actor in international politics. The nature of NATO as an organization makes it a political-strategic and a military strategic phenomenon. This breadth is a central piece of NATO’s complexity and the course approaches this using four themes: 1) the ‘inner life’ of NATO’s organization; ii) its expansion and partnerships; iii) the period dominated my international crisis management and its legacy; and iv) the return of deterrence and reassurance – each taking its starting point in a specific theoretical approach. Through problematizing lectures and self-study the student builds knowledge of alliance theory, negotiations theory, risk theory, and deterrence theory in the context of NATO. Through seminars and the writing of papers the student deepens her skills in describing, analyzing, and problematizing NATO’s role in international politics.

Type of Instruction
Seminars

Lectures

Independent Literature Studies

Independent paper

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• account for the central arguments and concepts in alliance theory, negotiations theory in international organizations, risk theory, and deterrence theory in relation to NATO’s development,

Skills and abilities

• analyze – from different theoretical stand points - key processes in NATO’s activities and the importance of these for NATO’s role as an actor in international politics,

Judgment and approach

• problematize key arguments and concepts in alliance theory, negotiations theory in international organizations, risk theory, and deterrence theory in relation to NATO’s development.

Examination
Scope: 7.5

Grading Scale: Fail, Pass, Pass with Distinction

The course is examined through the submission of four (4) independently written papers and participation in four (4) compulsory seminars.

The examiner may decide to request supplementary assignmentsin order to achieve a passing grade on the course. Examination papers submitted after the closing date will not be graded unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner. Supplementary assignments shall be submitted no later than three working days after the result and supplementary assignment for the examination in question have been notified, unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.

Grading
Grading takes place through a three-point grading scale: Pass with distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U).

To earn the grade of Pass (G), the student must earn the grade of Pass for the four (4) papers and actively participate in the course’scompulsory seminars.

To earn the grade of Pass with distinction (VG) the student must, in addition to the demands for a Pass (G), earn the grade of Pass with distinction for three (3) out of four (4) papers.

Grading criteria are reported at the latest at the start of the course.

Restrictions in Number of Examinations
There is no limit on the total number of examination opportunities

When the course is no longer offered or when the course content has changed substantially, the student has the right to be examined once per semester during a three-term period in accordance with this syllabus.

The course cannot be included in a degree with another course whose content fully or partially corresponds to the content of this course.

If the Swedish Defence University has formally decided that the student is entitled to receive special educational support due to a disability, the examiner may decide on alternative forms of examination for the student. The course director will conduct an evaluation on the completion of the course, which will form the basis for any changes to the course.

This is an edited version of the syllabus, created to transfer the original to the education database Ladok education planning. For originals, refer to the archive.