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Lecturer(s)
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Course content
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1. Changes in the Security Environment and Strategic Foresight 2. Complex, Concurrent and Cascading Crises 3. Societal Resilience, Social Cohesion and Institutional Resilience 4. National Defence and Defence Planning 5. Armed Forces and Civil-Military Cooperation 6. Internal Security, Public Order and Soft Target Protection 7. Hybrid Activities, Information Manipulation, Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence 8. Cyber Threats and Their Societal Impacts 9. Protection of Classified Information, Personnel Security and Security Eligibility 10. Integrated Analysis of Complex Security Situations and Societal Resilience Study materials, academic, legal, strategic and policy documents, and resources related to individual topics are made available to students through LMS Moodle. Publicly available information sources provided by security institutions, model scenarios and case studies are also used during the course.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Group work
- Homework for Teaching
- 15 hours per semester
- Attendace
- 26 hours per semester
- Semestral Work
- 20 hours per semester
- Preparation for the Exam
- 20 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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The course aims to enhance students' ability to analyse changes in the contemporary security environment, the interaction between military and non-military threats, and their implications for societal security and resilience. Particular attention is paid to complex and cascading security situations, societal and institutional resilience, national defence and civil-military cooperation, internal security, soft target protection, hybrid activities, information and cyber threats, the use of artificial intelligence, and the protection of classified information. The course develops students' ability to critically assess security problems in a broader context, identify relevant actors, vulnerabilities and interdependencies, evaluate possible future scenarios, and propose evidence-based measures to improve societal preparedness and resilience. Emphasis is placed on the critical use of academic and strategic information sources, distinguishing verified facts from expert assessments, addressing uncertainty, and applying basic principles of scenario analysis and strategic foresight. The course also develops students' ability to adapt selected contemporary security topics for educational purposes and communicate them appropriately to lower and upper secondary school pupils.
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Analyse the main factors shaping changes in the contemporary security environment and explain their potential impacts on populations, public institutions, and the functioning of society. 2. Analyse complex, concurrent, and cascading security situations, identify interdependencies between threats and systems, and assess potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts. 3. Explain the concept of societal resilience and assess the importance of institutional capacities, social cohesion, trust, preparedness, and adaptive capacity in addressing prolonged or combined security challenges. 4. Explain the basic principles of ensuring the defence of the Czech Republic, defence planning, and operational preparation of national territory, and interpret their significance in the contemporary security environment. 5. Distinguish the main components of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, explain the importance of military service obligations and reserve forces, and assess the opportunities and limitations of civil-military cooperation and the deployment of the Czech Armed Forces during non-military emergencies. 6. Explain the roles and principal responsibilities of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police of the Czech Republic in ensuring internal security and public order, and analyse their involvement in the Integrated Rescue System, crisis management, and cooperation with other security actors. 7. Assess the specific requirements of soft target protection and propose basic preventive, preparedness, and response measures appropriate to a particular facility, activity, or model scenario. 8. Distinguish the principal instruments of hybrid activities and analyse the potential combined effects of military and non-military means on the state, public institutions, and society. 9. Critically evaluate information related to security incidents, identify disinformation, manipulative or synthetic content, and explain the potential impacts of information operations and artificial intelligence tools on decision-making, trust, and societal resilience. 10. Explain the potential societal and systemic impacts of major cyber incidents on public administration, infrastructure, essential services, and populations, and assess the importance of basic principles of cyber resilience. 11. Distinguish levels of classification and explain the basic principles of classified information protection, personnel security, and security eligibility, including the differences between a notification for the Restricted classification level, a personnel security clearance certificate, and a document certifying security eligibility under Czech legislation. 12. Apply basic principles of scenario analysis and strategic foresight when assessing the potential development of a security problem, address uncertainty, and formulate professionally justified conclusions or recommendations. 13. Integrate knowledge of national defence, internal security, hybrid activities, cyber and information threats, and societal resilience when analysing a complex model security situation. 14. Adapt a selected contemporary security topic for educational purposes appropriate to the target group of pupils and communicate it in a manner that maintains factual accuracy, distinguishes verified facts from expert assessments and uncertainty, and promotes responsible handling of information.
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Prerequisites
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Successful completion of KAT/BEPS - State Security Policy (Bezpečnostní politika státu) is a formal prerequisite for enrolment in this course. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of the concepts, principles, and instruments of Czech security policy, the structure and functioning of the national security system, major security threats, and the roles and responsibilities of key security actors. Students should be able to work with academic, legal, and strategic information sources and apply basic analytical and argumentation skills. The course builds on this knowledge by applying it to the analysis of the contemporary security environment, complex security challenges, and measures aimed at strengthening societal resilience.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Oral exam, Seminar Work, Written exam
Requirements for successful completion of the course: 1. Attendance at a minimum of 80% of seminars. 2. Preparation, presentation, and successful completion of a group seminar assignment in the form of an analytical security briefing addressing a selected current or simulated security problem. 3. Successful completion of the examination. The seminar assignment involves analysing a selected security problem or model scenario within the broader context of the contemporary security environment. Students identify relevant actors, threats, vulnerabilities, institutional relationships, and potential direct, indirect, and cascading impacts on populations, public institutions, and the functioning of society. Depending on the nature of the problem, they assess the relevance of national defence, internal security, civil-military cooperation, population protection, and other security mechanisms. Students use academic, legal, strategic, and other relevant information sources. They distinguish verified facts from expert assessments and their own assumptions, critically evaluate the reliability of sources, and consider uncertainty and alternative developments of the security situation. The assignment also includes proposing and justifying measures aimed at prevention, preparedness, response, or strengthening resilience. The seminar assignment also includes a brief educational adaptation of a selected contemporary security topic for lower or upper secondary school pupils. Students formulate key educational messages and propose ways to communicate them accurately, clearly, and appropriately for the target age group, taking into account the sensitivity of security-related topics and the responsible use of information. Assessment focuses on subject knowledge and accuracy, the quality of information sources, analytical reasoning, identification of systemic and institutional interdependencies, consideration of uncertainty, and the quality and feasibility of proposed measures. Examination: The examination is conducted in person and consists of a written component and, where applicable, an oral component. The written test contains 30 multiple-choice questions, each with one correct answer. - 28-30 points: A - 26-27 points: B - 24-25 points: C - 0-23 points: progression to the oral component of the examination Students awarded a grade of B or C in the written test may request an oral examination. During the oral examination, students draw a question from a list of topics published in advance. The final grade is determined based on overall performance in both the written and oral components. The written examination is conducted under the supervision of the instructor. Assessment criteria for the seminar assignment and examination requirements are communicated to students in advance. Approved accommodations for students with specific needs are respected throughout the assessment process. Detailed assessment criteria for the seminar assignment, examination topics, and organisational instructions are available in LMS Moodle.
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Recommended literature
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Balabán, Miloš; Pernica, Bohuslav a kol. (2015). Bezpečnostní systém ČR: problémy a výzvy. Praha.
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Collins, Alan (ed.). (2022). Contemporary Security Studies. Oxford.
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Danics, Štefan; Smolík, Josef; Strnad, Štěpán. (2024). Aspekty bezpečnostní politiky. Praha.
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Karaffa, Vladimír; Hrinko, Martin; Zůna, Jaromír a kol. (2022). Vybrané kapitoly o bezpečnosti. Praha.
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Kurfürst, Jaroslav; Paďourek, Jan (eds.). (2022). Za zrcadlem: Hybridní válka jako staronový fenomén mezinárodních vztahů. Praha.
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Řehák, David; Martínek, Bohumír; Legierská, Petra. (2019). Ochrana obyvatelstva v kontextu aktuálních bezpečnostních hrozeb. Ostrava.
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Vláda České republiky. Nařízení vlády č. 440/2024 Sb., o katalogu oblastí utajovaných informací. 2024.
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