https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/DSPS6155?type=COREThe field of security studies has traditionally been a core area of International Relations. In the recent decades, it has also become one of the most dynamic and contested areas, conducive to the emergence of versatile and transdisciplinary research agendas. This has unfolded in the context of a revival of strategic studies, first in the post 9/11 era, then in the digital and post-pandemic world, and currently in the aftermath of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine. Considering such developments, the course surveys the field of contemporary international security theory and practice through two transversal streams: (1) the foundational concepts that have structured the discipline, including security dilemma, balance of power, deterrence, and security community; (2) the innovation through critical security studies, including (in)securitisation and ontological security approaches.