| Module | Credits | Compulsory/optional |
|---|
| Debates and Dilemmas in International Relations | 30 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module aims to provide you with advanced knowledge of scholarly debates in the discipline of International Relations as well as their significance for the analysis of practices in the international scenario. The module begins by contextualising the origins of the discipline, which lead to the emergence of the first great debates in International Relations. It then explores the evolution of paradigms, theories and debates throughout the 20th century until the fade of the Cold War. In the last part of the module, you are introduced with most recent, cutting-edge theoretical approaches to make sense of the current challenges in the international arena. |
| Energy and Environmental Politics | 15 Credits | Optional |
| This module seeks to enhance your capacity to develop an interdisciplinary, systematic and critical understanding of the interrelated nature of energy policy and environmental issues. Focusing primarily on the EU framework, but also other regions, the course enriches your understanding of energy sector strategic responses and governmental initiatives to key current environmental challenges. It introduces you to the key historical stages in the evolution of environmental politics, focusing particularly on the tipping point from which there is a growing awareness of the human impact on ecosystems. You will also examine the political processes and realities that shape energy and environmental policy, including: internal political debates, decision-making procedures, and policy design and implementation. Finally, the module also seeks to comprehensively unpack the key features of real cases and trends in contemporary energy and environmental policy. |
| International Political Economy: Contemporary Dynamics and Approaches | 15 Credits | Optional |
| Do we live in an age of recurrent economic crises? Should finance be regulated and, if so, how and by whom? What are gig economy and platform capitalism? This module provides you with a robust and critical knowledge of key concepts, issues and developments which characterise the global economy of the late 20th and 21st century and offers you both mainstream and critical theoretical approaches to understand these. It draws attention to the social and ethical implications of financial speculation, post-Fordist production and consumption, especially with regard to global inequality. Through the module, you will develop an ability to analyse, compare and critically evaluate fundamental assumptions and arguments in IPE and IPE-related literature. Against this background, you will be able to independently assess the challenges faced by any attempt to politically regulate the contemporary global economy and will have the opportunity to propose and sketch innovative ways to overcome these. |
| Justice in International Relations | 15 Credits | Optional |
| Whether focusing on climate change and conduct in war or human rights and world hunger, International Relations is an ethically charged subject. However, there is no agreement on how best to address these issues or even if ethical considerations should influence global political actions. This module focuses on whether or not questions of justice should and/or do shape the contours of global politics. Throughout this module you will critically analyse the theoretical debates on global justice and apply these positions to real-life policies and problems. You will also explore the scholarly debate between questions about order, how the world 'is' structured, and justice, how the world 'should' be structured. By the end of the module, you will have a comprehensive grasp of the theories of global justice and an in-depth understanding of how ethical considerations shape international relations. |
| Governing the International, the Global, and the Planetary | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| In recent years, governance at a supra-state level has been in crisis. The international, the global and the planetary are conceptual and normative tools put in place to challenge an increasingly convoluted world. What is the future for governance in contemporary international politics? Who will be its vanguard? Are there state-based approaches applicable for the emerging planetary crises, such as global pandemics and climate change? These are the thematic questions that underpin the module. To explore these, you will engage with a range of theoretical perspectives, and apply these to a variety of practical cases and contemporary topics, including peace and security, human rights, global health, and climate change, amongst others. By the end of the module, you will possess a detailed understanding of how the governance of the international, the global and the planetary attempt to overcome some of the most pressing contemporary political issues. |
| Designing Research in Global Politics | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| On this module, you will be introduced to the complex world of professional research and exposed to the range of skills and tools researchers use to produce, critique and disseminate knowledge. You will learn how to design research projects from scratch and the best practice for circumnavigating any ethical conundrums you might face in the field. Dynamic, research active staff, will introduce you to the different methods and methodologies used to conduct International Relations-based research as well as many of the approaches used to analyse data within the Social Sciences more broadly. You will be given the opportunity to explore and practise these approaches and methods in a practical context, so as to better understand their individual strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the module, you will possess a competent understanding of the research process and have a sophisticated knowledge of the different ways you can communicate your findings. |
| Geopolitics: Development and Diplomacy | 15 Credits | Optional |
| The emergence of new global powers, rapidly changing and developing spheres of influences, and conflicts defined by geography, make Geopolitics a field of study with contemporary relevance. Through a combination of both topical and historical issues, students will unpack the intricacies of debates within geopolitics, geostrategy, diplomacy, and development. Applying a historico-spatial narrative, the module will allow students to explore key events in Geopolitical history, including, but not limited to, the development of nation-states, border disputes, diplomatic relations, and broader theoretical concepts like imperialism, post-colonialism, and globalisation. Additionally, students will analyse contemporary world events within a spatial context, including: terrorism, irredentism, partition, shatterzones, food security, and climate change. The module is underpinned by the ontologies and epistemologies that have shaped theories of Geopolitical thought and how knowledge is simultaneously changing over time, shaping the world, and altering our perceptions of it. |
| Data Analysis in International Relations | 30 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module focuses on data analysis techniques and approaches within International Relations. Students will explore a variety of approaches and methods used to analyse empirical data, including discourse analysis, content analysis, and case study analysis. Students will also critically evaluate the effectiveness of different data analysis approaches and methods. |
| Puzzles and Paradigms in International Relations | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module focuses on the core theoretical and conceptual debates at the heart of the discipline of International Relations. Students will explore the broad theoretical paradigms within International Relations. Students will also use theory to help explain some of the most pressing puzzles in International Relations. |
| Globalising Economies: Emerging Markets and the Politics of Development | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module is a unique response to current seismic changes in global politics and economies, essential to an understanding of the modern world and future challenges. You will learn about the national development strategies of middle-income countries as well as how these fit into the wider changing global power system. |
| Extended International Relations Dissertation | 60 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module gives students the opportunity to produce and present an independent piece of research in the form of a 12,000-word written dissertation. Students will select a topic that interests them, will conduct independent study under the guidance of a supervisor, and present their research design to their peers. |
| International Relations in Practice | 30 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module focuses on aspects of International Relations with a practical element. Students will explore a range of topics, including Diplomacy, Foreign Policy Analysis, Activism, Intelligence, Popular Culture, and Journalism, focusing primarily on their practical dimension. Students will also engage in practical activities to help hone their interpersonal/employability skills. |
| Governing the International, the Global, and the Planetary | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module focuses on the debates surrounding multi-level governance within global politics. Students will explore three analytical and normative concepts, the international, global and planetary, and unpack their impact on contemporary world order. Students will also study and critically analyse contemporary topics, including human rights, global health, and climate change. |
| The Politics of Conflict and Peace | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| This module explores the causes of international and domestic conflict. Students will unpack a range of themes from security, conflict, and peace studies, including war, terrorism, humanitarian interventions, and peacebuilding. Students will also critically reflect on the suitability of contemporary theories and approaches to peacekeeping, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. |
| Conflict, Peace and Security | 15 Credits | Compulsory |
| The module explores the causes and contributing factors to international and domestic conflict. The module covers themes concerning national and international governance of conflict-related insecurities, including conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding approaches. The module explores advanced theoretical perspectives of a qualitative nature aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of violent conflict, and engages with advanced approaches to peacebuilding, including liberal and post-liberal frameworks. The module offers an in-depth discussion of the dynamics of conflict at the micro, meso and meta levels of analysis. |
| Conspiracy and Truth in International Politics | 15 Credits | Optional |
| From the idea that 9/11 was an 'inside job' orchestrated by the US government to the political 'hoax' of the COVID-19 pandemic and Donald Trump's stolen election win of 2020, 21st century politics is rife in conspiracy theories. But why are events of political significance surrounded by conspiracies offering alternative explanations? And is the prevalence of conspiracies in democratic politics actually new? This module introduces different theoretical perspectives from political philosophy, political psychology and sociology that provide understanding for the political quality of truth and conspiracy. Through a number of historical and contemporary case studies, the module unpacks how international politics is shaped and changed by truth claims, their contestation, and conspiracy theories. The module explores both what is distinct about contemporary 'post-truth politics' and how it mirrors the national and international political dynamics of 19th and 20th century conspiracies. |
