About conflict and security
Today, the word "security" appears in a bewildering array of contexts: human security, economic security, national security, social security, and homeland security, to name only a few in a burgeoning field. This terminological diversity reflects a changing institutional landscape. Humanitarian organizations find themselves engaged in military problems; military organizations find themselves engaged in reconstruction and development; departments of "homeland security" find themselves dealing with questions of public health, emergency response, and urban management. Debates rage over the domain in which certain security problems should be addressed. Is counter-terrorism a matter merely of military interdiction and homeland "preparedness"? Or does it also require policies that address economic security? How do human security and economic security relate to post-conflict resolution? What are the changing understandings of "just" intervention, and what entities are responsible for exercising force in the name of universally recognized norms? What are the relevant models for understanding conflict? What organizations are responsible for conflict prevention and post-conflict resolution?
The conflict and security concentration is designed on the premise that, in this context, it is necessary for both future scholars and future practitioners in this field to have a strong conceptual understanding of the evolving institutions and ideas that orient approaches to conflict and security today. Simultaneously, however, students must have an engaged, practical orientation to the organizations involved in different aspects of security and conflict, and to these organizations’ innovative ideas and practices. On both levels, students and young practitioners cannot begin by assuming that "conflict and security" is a clearly defined field. Rather, they must be aware of the ways security is changing, be capable of navigating current debates and discussions, and of developing the practical skills required for engaging this vital field.
The course offerings, the selection of speakers, the research of associated faculty, and the practical work by students conducted in the concentration reflect these core orientations. Drawing on current faculty expertise, the concentration reflects an emphasis on 1) The nature and causes of various forms of conflict, and practices in the field of conflict resolution and peacemaking; 2) The economics of conflict and security, particularly the relationships between conflict and economic development; 3) Changing paradigms and practices of “security” at the national and transnational levels.