Module description
The pursuit of national and international security has long been shaped by advances in science and technology. From the chemical weapons of the First World War to the atomic bombs of the Second World War and the nuclear arsenals of the Cold War, scientific and technical innovation have transformed the conduct, political stakes and consequences of war in the twentieth century.
Today, the rise of the biosciences—particularly genetic editing, synthetic biology and AI-driven drug discovery—has introduced new strategic considerations. These tools and technologies are reshaping old questions and generating new ones about the intersection of science, society and global order.
This course examines the complex interplay of science and international security. It explores how weapons-related knowledge is produced, interpreted and contested, emphasising the social and political embeddedness of the scientific enterprise. Through historical and contemporary case studies, students will consider core questions:
- Do scientific and technological advances enhance or undermine peace and security?
- How are emerging biotechnologies shifting the balance of power? Who benefits—and who bears the risks?
- How are information societies reconfiguring the power of states to gather, manipulate or obscure information in the name of security?
- In an era of information warfare and algorithmic decision-making, what roles remain for arms control and verification?
By the end of the course, students will be equipped to critically assess the strategic, political and ethical implications of cutting-edge biotechnologies in global security.
Assessment details
| Recorded presentation |
4 minutes |
50% |
| Policy Brief |
1500 words |
50% |
Educational aims & objectives
The aims of the module are:
- Provide tools for systematic, critical and reflexive thinking on the relationship between science and international security, including its portrayal and implications in policy debates.
- Develop knowledge of military technologies—in particular unconventional (nuclear, chemical, biological) weaponry and new and emerging technologies—and their social, political and historical contexts in security and war in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
- Foster understanding of arms control and disarmament processes at national and international levels.
- Develop abilities to research, synthesise and critically analyse a topic of relevance to the course in concise written and verbal presentations.
- Promote initiative, originality, creativity and independence in identifying, researching, judging and solving problems at an advanced level.
- Develop practical and transferable skills, embedded in the learning and assessment schemes of the module.
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this module will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of key concepts and theories used in security studies and science & technology studies, and apply those concepts and theories to critical analyses of current security issues.
- Identify, evaluate and critically review complex and sometimes contradictory relevant literature.
- Exercise informed and independent critical judgement based on source material through structured and reasoned argumentation in both written and verbal form.
- Develop an argument that marshals theory and data in a coherent way, and produce critiques of advanced scholarship appropriate for academic and professional audiences
- Work independently and in collaboration with others.
- Respond to constructive feedback to achieve progression in knowledge, understanding, methods and judgement.
Teaching pattern
Science, Weapons & Arms Control consists of two hours of teaching per week over a ten-week semester, complemented by 130 hours of self-study. The typical teaching setup is a one-hour taught content and one-hour workshop/discussion. Supplemental assignments and small group discussions are used to augment the productivity of class sessions. The success of the course depends largely on student preparation and involvement in discussions and exercises.