Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 10 x 2 hour seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 3,500 word essay | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 4,500 word essay | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x Seminar performance | 10% |
Learning Outcomes
1. Describe and analyse the role of intelligence services in current democratic societies and explain the emphasis on international intelligence gathering.
2. Discuss and reflect on key concepts such as intelligence, secrecy, democratic accountability and oversight in relation to the academic study of international relations.
3. Identify the reasons and challenges for establishing a system of democratic accountability for secret and intelligence services.
4. Outline and analyse the major current debates in the US and the UK concerning democratic accountability in the post-9/11 era.
5. Evaluate the ways in which intelligence communities are currently overseen.
6. Assess the advantages and shortcomings of existing systems of intelligence oversight in the countries covered in the module
Brief description
This module will explore and investigate the relationship between intelligence and democratic accountability with respect to contemporary intelligence issues. It will examine the tools, structures and mechanisms of democratic accountability that Western liberal democratic societies have been developing since the 1970s. In particular, consideration will be given to both parliamentary accountability and public accountability, the latter one being primarily channelled through the media. Students will engage in detail with the reasons why systems of democratic accountability have been introduced and the main political and academic debates regarding intelligence accountability and oversight. In addition, the module will critically explore historical and contemporary challenges and issues related to the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms.
Aims
This module will explore and investigate the relationship between intelligence and democratic accountability with respect to contemporary intelligence issues. It will examine the tools, structures and mechanisms of democratic accountability that Western liberal democratic societies have been developing since the 1970s. In particular, consideration will be given to both parliamentary accountability and public accountability, the latter one being primarily channelled through the media. Students will engage in detail with the reasons why systems of democratic accountability have been introduced and the main political and academic debates regarding intelligence accountability and oversight. In addition, the module will critically explore historical and contemporary challenges and issues related to the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms.
Content
This module will explore and investigate the relationship between intelligence and democratic accountability with respect to contemporary intelligence issues. It will examine the tools, structures and mechanisms of democratic accountability that Western liberal democratic societies have been developing since the 1970s. In particular, consideration will be given to both parliamentary accountability and public accountability, the latter one being primarily channelled through the media. Students will engage in detail with the reasons why systems of democratic accountability have been introduced and the main political and academic debates regarding intelligence accountability and oversight. In addition, the module will critically explore historical and contemporary challenges and issues related to the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7