Studying at York
Global Politics of Nuclear Weapons - POL00043H
Module summary
This module examines how and why nuclear weapons remain embedded in global politics as a source of both national security and potentially unlimited violence and asks what, if anything, we should do about them.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
Nuclear weapons pose great challenges to humanity but they are also seen by some states as an essential source of security. Seven decades into the nuclear age and significant questions and problems remain: What do nuclear weapons do and why are they a problem? Why do some states have nuclear weapons and not others? Does nuclear deterrence work? Would it ever be ethical to use nuclear weapons? Can the spread of nuclear weapons be stopped? How serious is the threat of nuclear terrorism? How can we manage nuclear threats? Is nuclear disarmament necessary or possible?
This module will introduce you to issues, concepts, and cases to help you examine these questions and think more broadly about how human society has adapted to 'the bomb' and its spread within a system of competitive states and complex societies. In doing we will examine the history of the nuclear age from the Manhattan Project to the current global nuclear order, concepts, and cases of nuclear deterrence, nuclear proliferation and counter-proliferation, and nuclear abstinence and disarmament. Over the course of the module, we will consider the long-term prognoses for managing the risk of catastrophic nuclear violence. I encourage you to arrive at your own conclusions about whether the ‘nuclear peace’ can permanently endure, about the possibility and effects of a general war between great powers involving nuclear weapons, and the idea that we are part of a long-term human experiment in which people have access to a weapon of potentially limitless destruction, now in its eighth decade.
Module learning outcomes
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Demonstrate empirical and conceptual knowledge of nuclear proliferation, non-proliferation, deterrence and disarmament processes, and cases (PLO1).
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Identify and critically appraise competing frameworks for explaining the relationships between nuclear issues and policy choices (PLO2).
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Organise and synthesise concepts and information to assess the complexities of contemporary nuclear challenges (PLO2).
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Critically engage with the debate on nuclear deterrence, disarmament, ethics, and security (PLO7).
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Communicate arguments clearly and concisely through structured and evidence-based analysis (PLO5).
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Carry out independent research and use and assess an appropriate range of primary sources and secondary scholarship to demonstrate depth and breadth of comprehension and analysis through essay writing (PLO3 and PLO6).
Module content
Likely structure to include:
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What are nuclear weapons and what can they do?
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Intro to nuclear deterrence
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Limits of nuclear deterrence
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Explaining nuclear proliferation
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Nuclear weapons and emerging technologies
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Non-proliferation and nuclear control
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Race, colonialism and nuclear weapons
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Gender and nuclear weapons
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Are nuclear weapons ethical?
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Can we eliminate nuclear weapons?
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutors feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days after submission; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutors regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Andrew Futter, The Politics of Nuclear Weapons (London: Sage, 2015).
Scott Sagan and Kenneth Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate, 3rd edn. (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2012).
Shampa Biswas, Nuclear Desire: Power and the Postcolonial Nuclear Order (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014),
Lawrence Freedman, The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy, 3rd edn. (London: Macmillan for International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2004).
William Walker, A Perpetual Menace: Nuclear Weapons and International Order (Abingdon: Routledge, 2011).