STV2240 – International military operations
Course description
Course content
Teaching and examination in STV2240 was given for the last time autumn 2014. The course is replaced with a similar course on 1000-level, STV1240 – International military operations (discontinued). Teaching and examination in STV1240 will be given for the first time autumn 2015. Students who have passed STV2240 cannot include both courses in their degree, due to the similarities between them.
This course will introduce students to the challenges of contemporary security issues in peace and stabilization operations. Since the end of the Cold War, international terrorism and humanitarian concerns have changed the nature of military operations in ways that challenge the traditional theoretical thinking about security, including who the actors are, the purposes for using military force, and how best to deal with them. The course will give an introduction to the alternative theories explaining why actors engage in international peace and stabilisation operations. The course will discuss international terrorism and insurgencies, and the protection of civilians, as two important drivers of contemporary military operations. Additionally, the course looks into different types of military operations – UN operations, counter-regime operations, counter-insurgencies, military assistance operations, and cyber operations – in order to highlight their key characteristics.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Students will:
- Learn about theories relevant both for analysing the reasons for operations and for why nations take part.
- Learn about the key characteristics of different types of operations – UN operations, counter-regime operations, counter-insurgencies, military assistance operations, and cyber operations – in order to highlight their differences.
- Obtain an understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of military and non-military instruments of power.
- Be given an overview of how international military operations may change in the future.
Skills
Students will:
- Enhance their capabilities to evaluate the legitimacy and efficiency relating the use of force and civil-military relations.
- Be able to analyse and discuss dimensions and challenges related to different types of international military operations.
Competence
Students will:
- Enhance their capabilities to analyse the challenges relating to the use of force in an international politics.
- Acquire an understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of military and non-military instruments of power, and to spur their thinking about how these may be reconciled.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with STV1240 – International military operations (discontinued)
Teaching
The teaching will be in the form of ten lectures throughout the semester.
Examination
A four hour written exam.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
You must familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to exam support materials and the use of sources and citation. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating.
Language of examination
The four hour written exam will be given in English only. The students can choose whether they will answer the exam questions in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.