University of Silesia in Katowice

The curriculum of the National and International Security programme is an expression of an interdisciplinary approach to the issues of security. The programme has a general academic character. The main goal of the programme is to prepare students for employment in organisations, institutions, and services involved in issues of internal, national, and international security. At the same time, the programme provides graduates with knowledge and skills in political sciences and international relations, which is of crucial importance in the context of the dynamics of contemporary threats to national and international security. The skills obtained by graduates, through the combination of theoretical and practical elements, should provide a multi-faceted preparation for the future professional tasks. Theoretical preparation is mainly the responsibility of the employees of the Institute of Political Science, including in particular the researchers of international relations and national and international security. Practical preparation is carried out by specialists in criminal law, psychology, armed forces, special services, and other uniformed services. To implement the curriculum of the National and International Security programme, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Silesia cooperates, among others, with:

• Provincial Police Headquarters in Katowice,
• Provincial Military Staff in Katowice,
• Regional Inspectorate of Prison Service in Katowice,
• Internal Security Agency,
• Silesian Border Guard Unit.

The main goal of the 1st cycle studies in National and International Security is to train graduates to accurately recognise security threats and properly select measures to eliminate or mitigate them, both from the perspective of the internal conditions of individual countries and the development of a close or distant international environment. Internal security is not only concerned with illustrating the role of uniformed services in guaranteeing the constitutional order of the state, but also with acquiring the fundamental knowledge of all areas of national security: political, economic, social (including civic), and cultural security. The second aspect of national security emphasised in the programme is the external security understood in the context of processes and phenomena occurring in the international environment. The aim of external security is to identify and address threats to a country’s security by using both unilateral instruments and cooperation with other participants in international relations on all levels: political, military, economic and cultural. Subregional, regional, and global dimensions are analysed. The multifaceted approach to security within the framework of the programme is thus focused on developing skills, knowledge, and competencies useful in understanding its nature and combating contemporary threats to the security of humans and their communities in different areas, regions, and cultures.

Graduates of 1st cycle studies in National and International Security possess knowledge of internal and external political processes, including, among others, political system of the Republic of Poland, contemporary political systems of Western and Eastern Europe, political history of Europe and the world, and the recent history of Poland. They have the ability to recognise and analyse threats to national and international security using the acquired theoretical (security theory, national and international security strategies of world superpowers, introduction to strategic studies, law of war and armed conflict) and practical knowledge (armed conflicts and international disputes in the post-Cold War era, role of armed forces in state security systems, special services in the state security systems, transnational crime and the means of combating it). Graduates are familiar with characteristics of security policies of selected states (not only Poland, but also selected European and non-European countries). National and International Security graduates are also able to recognise and understand the essence of radical ideologies as challenges to members of the international community (radical political doctrines, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism as a threat to national and international security, civilisation and cultural aspects of security), know practical ways of combating them (operational methods and techniques of special forces in Poland and in the world, Border Guard as a component of a country’s security system, combating organised crime, the prison system). Graduates are prepared to undertake professional employment and to continue education during 2nd cycle studies. Graduates of 1st cycle studies in National and International Security can acquire additional education in security and international relations as part of 2nd cycle studies in Political Science: Contemporary International Relations conducted by the Institute of Political Science.

1st cycle studies in National and International Security aim to prepare graduates for employment in:

• public and non-governmental organisations involved in national and international security;
• uniformed services (such as the police, Internal Security Agency, Foreign Intelligence Agency, Border Guard, and Polish Armed Forces);
• public administration institutions of various levels (local, provincial, state), in units dealing with national security;
• local and regional governments;
• political parties;
• internationally operating companies;
• mass media, with regards to national and international security;
• research centres concerned with broadly defined security (political, military, economic, cultural, information, and information and communication technology);
• crisis management teams.