KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE PROPOSAL OR REVISION,
Cover Sheet (10/02/2002)
Course Number/Program Name INCM 9606 / International Conflict Management
Department College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Degree Title (if applicable) Ph.D. in International Conflict Management
Proposed Effective Date Spring 2012
Check one or more of the following and complete the appropriate sections:
Sections to be Completed
II, III, IV, V, VII
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
I, II, III
X New Course Proposal
Course Title Change
Course Number Change
Course Credit Change
Course Prerequisite Change
Course Description Change
Notes:
If proposed changes to an existing course are substantial (credit hours, title, and description), a new course with a
new number should be proposed.
A new Course Proposal (Sections II, III, IV, V, VII) is required for each new course proposed as part of a new
program. Current catalog information (Section I) is required for each existing course incorporated into the
program.
Minor changes to a course can use the simplified E-Z Course Change Form.
Submitted by:
Approved
Volker Franke
Faculty Member
9/20/11
Date
Not Approved
Department Curriculum Committee Date
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Not Approved
Department Chair
Date
College Curriculum Committee
Date
College Dean
Date
GPCC Chair
Date
Dean, Graduate College
Date
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Not Approved
Vice President for Academic Affairs Date
Approved
Not Approved
President
1
Date
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE COURSE/CONCENTRATION/PROGRAM CHANGE
I.
Current Information (Fill in for changes)
Page Number in Current Catalog
___
Course Prefix and Number
___
Course Title
___
Class Hours
____Laboratory Hours_______Credit Hours________
Prerequisites
___
Description (or Current Degree Requirements)
II.
Proposed Information (Fill in for changes and new courses)
Course Prefix and Number ___INCM 9606_______________________
Course Title Security System Reform (SSR)_________
Class Hours
1____Laboratory Hours___0___CreditHours___1____
Prerequisites INCM 9001 or INCM 9002
Description (or Proposed Degree Requirements)
The success of post-conflict peace-building depends heavily upon reform of the security system (SSR),
which includes security and civilian actors. This course addresses the fundamental issues in SSR, its
effects, and its problems and covers a variety of topics ranging from the security system, the securitydevelopment nexus and effects of deficiencies of the security sector on underdevelopment and violence,
principles and conceptual reference points in SSR, aspects of political implementation in SSR, and
international donors.
III.
Justification
Recent experience and evidence in numerous conflict management efforts - be it in Africa, Asia,
or Europe - have shown: The security system builds the central link between security and
governance and is responsible for multiple tasks which are crucial for sustainable conflict
management and peace-building. Ideally, it provides state capacities to assert the state monopoly
of force and to protect the state from external threats, while at the same time it guarantees the
domestic rule of law, the protection of human rights, and it ensures political accountability of the
security forces.
This has been acknowledged by international development agencies / bilateral donors. A lively
scholarly debate, extended programmatic work, and a rising number of internationally supported
SSR programs underline the relevance of SSR. Against this background, graduate students of
international conflict management should be familiar with the concept of SSR, its origins,
implications, and – very importantly – the manifold challenges of its practical implementation.
2
IV.
Additional Information (for New Courses only)
Instructor:
TBD
Text:
see syllabus
Prerequisites: INCM 9001 or INCM 9002
Objectives:
Students will:

understand the complex security-development nexus and SSR as a crucial instrument for
improving both,

understand that security is not the business of police and armed forces only, but a
comprehensive civil-military task,

deepen their knowledge about the role, functions and major actors/institutions of the
security system;

recognize the different mandates, levers, capabilities, approaches, assets, and institutional
cultures of the actors and institutions of the security system in their practical interaction;

critically assess and to apply the concept of SSR in the context of conflict management;

develop awareness of the interdependencies and specific reform challenges in selected
sectors;

conceptualize SSR needs assessments and what to consider with regard to implementing
SSR at the political level.
Instructional Method
Every session will be put under a guiding question to facilitate the learning process. At the end of
each session, the content will be put into the context of the overarching topic.
Methods will include:

Presentations supported by power point.

Interactive question and answer periods.

Group and / or panel discussions.

Exercises / group work.

A role play.
Each session will contain a mixture of two or more of these methods. Students will be
encouraged to actively participate at any time.
Method of Evaluation
At the end of each session, a brief feedback round will check the degree of student
satisfaction and the learning atmosphere. The wrap-up periods that complete each session
3
will rehearse the content and put in into a broader context, thereby checking the degree of
understanding and learning progress of the students. In the final session students will
have the chance to give direct feedback in the whole course. About a week after the end
of the seminar they will be asked to fill in an evaluation form via email in order to check
perceptions and student’s assessments with some distance in time.

Class Participation 10%

Presentations 15%

Interactive question and answer periods 10%

Group and / or panel discussions 20%

Exercises / group work 20%

Role Play 25%
V.
Resources and Funding Required (New Courses only)
Resource
Amount
Faculty
Other Personnel
Equipment
Supplies
Travel
New Books
New Journals
Other (Specify)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTAL
0
Funding Required Beyond
Normal Departmental Growth
0
4
VI. COURSE MASTER FORM
This form will be completed by the requesting department and will be sent to the Office of the
Registrar once the course has been approved by the Office of the President.
The form is required for all new courses.
DISCIPLINE
COURSE NUMBER
COURSE TITLE FOR LABEL
(Note: Limit 30 spaces)
CLASS-LAB-CREDIT HOURS
Approval, Effective Term
Grades Allowed (Regular or S/U)
If course used to satisfy CPC, what areas?
Learning Support Programs courses which are
required as prerequisites
INCM
9606
Security System Reform (SSR)
1-0-1
Spring 2012
Regular
APPROVED:
________________________________________________
Vice President for Academic Affairs or Designee __
5
VII Attach Syllabus
INCM 9606: Security System Reform – Linking Security and Development
Ph.D. Program in International Conflict Management
Kennesaw State University
I. Professor Contact Information
TBD
Office hours: by appointment
II. Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions
INCM 9001 or INCM 9002
III. Course Description
The success of post-conflict peace-building depends heavily upon reform of the security system
(SSR), which includes security and civilian actors. This course addresses the fundamental issues
in SSR, its effects, and its problems and covers a variety of topics ranging from the security
system, the security-development nexus and effects of deficiencies of the security sector on
underdevelopment and violence, principles and conceptual reference points in SSR, aspects of
political implementation in SSR, and international donors.
IV. Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
After having participated in the course, participants will

understand the complex security-development nexus and SSR as a crucial instrument for
improving both,

understand that security is not the business of police and armed forces only, but a
comprehensive civil-military task,

deepen their knowledge about the role, functions and major actors/institutions of the
security system;

recognize the different mandates, levers, capabilities, approaches, assets, and institutional
cultures of the actors and institutions of the security system in their practical interaction;

critically assess and to apply the concept of SSR in the context of conflict management;

develop awareness of the interdependencies and specific reform challenges in selected
sectors;

conceptualize SSR needs assessments and what to consider with regard to implementing
SSR at the political level.
V. Textbooks and Materials
6
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Handbook on Security
System Reform: Supporting Security and Justice, Paris, France, 2007.
Alamir, Melanie. “Security System Reform in Weak or Fragile States: A Threefold
Challenge to the Whole of Government Approach,” in Volker Franke and Robert H.
Dorff, Conflict Management: A Tool for U.S. National Security Strategy, Carlisle, PA;
Strategic Studies Institute, forthcoming.
Alamir, Melanie. “Security System Reform – A Major Challenge for Security and Peace
Policy,” in: DDP Newsletter 2008.
Alamir, Melanie. “Improving Crisis Management – What Role Can Private Actors Play,”
University St. Gallen, forthcoming.
VI. Course Outline
Recent experience and evidence in numerous conflict management efforts - be it in Africa, Asia,
or Europe - have shown: The security system builds the central link between security and
governance and is responsible for multiple tasks which are crucial for sustainable conflict
management and peace-building.
Most weak or fragile states display an imbalance between the defensive, respectively repressive
functions of the security system (defense against internal and external threats, preservation of the
political and economic system, law enforcement, safeguarding of national sovereignty, assertion
of the state monopoly of force) and its protective functions (provision of political oversight,
conflict prevention, protection of individuals and minorities) to the detriment of the latter. This
implies in most cases a predominance of the executive branch, a judiciary that is politically
dependent and/or dysfunctional, marginalized parliaments, a weak or disorganized civil society,
and a political culture characterized by fear, lack of pluralism, etc. The security system does not
only mirror the (weak or fragile) governance system as a whole, but it shapes and perpetuates the
governance system and its shortfalls to a large extent. This explains why security system reform
(SSR) is crucial for long-term conflict management, stabilization, and sustainable development
of conflict prone countries.
The instructor will provide first hand practical examples and references out of own practical
experience.
Every session will be put under a guiding question to facilitate the learning process. At the end of
each session, the content will be put into the context of the overarching topic.
Methods will include:

Presentations supported by power point.

Interactive question and answer periods.

Group and / or panel discussions.

Exercises / group work.

A role play.
7
Each session will contain a mixture of two or more of these methods. Students will be
encouraged to actively participate at any time.
VII. Grading Policy

Class Participation 10%

Presentations 15%

Interactive question and answer periods 10%

Group and / or panel discussions 20%

Exercises / group work 20%

Role Play 25%
Grading Scale:
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70% - 79%
D = 60% – 69%
F = < 60%
VIII. Academic Integrity
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct,
as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of
Conduct addresses the University's policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding
plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials,
misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal,
retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities
and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic
misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary
Program, which includes either an "informal" resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a
grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of
Conduct's minimum one semester suspension requirement.
IX. ADA Statement
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in
order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to arrange
the necessary accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from KSU
disAbled Student Support Services. No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to
completion of this approved University process. Accommodations are arranged on an
individualized, as-needed basis after the needs and circumstances have been evaluated. The
following individuals have been designated by the President of the University to provide
8
assistance and ensure compliance with the ADA. Should you require assistance or have further
questions about the ADA, please contact:
Carol Pope, Asst. Dir. for disAbled Student Support Services
770-423-6443, 770-423-6667F, 770-423-6480TTY
cpope@kennesaw.edu
disAbled Student Support Services Website
http://www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/dsss/dsss.html
9