This course is designed to introduce students to contemporary security studies through a critical exploration of theory and practice. Traditionally, studies in international security have assumed that states are the primary actors in world politics and that the focus of security should be concentrated on conventional military threats. Contemporary security studies challenges both assumptions. The course evaluates debates between conventional and critical security studies by exploring how security is an essentially contested concept and examining this proposition in terms of the importance of non-military issues and non-state actors. The main schools of thought are reviewed to develop conceptual tools that will be used to analyse a range of non-traditional security issues such as energy security, environmental security, ethnic conflict and health security. This is followed by a survey of non-state actors such as private security companies, non-governmental organisations, robotics and multinational corporations. Students completing this course will develop their analytical skills required for understanding complex security dynamics.