| Module |
Credits |
Compulsory/optional |
|
Advanced Political Research Methods
|
30 Credits |
Compulsory |
| This module will expand on the research skills developed in Social Science Research Methods and allow you to advance these in a systematic and practical way. The module will help to further develop your repertoire of Political research skills and explore, in more detail, the theoretical and methodological approaches used. You will receive guidance and instruction on how to develop an advanced International Relations research project, including suitable methods for data collection and analysis as well as ethical considerations for research. You will also be introduced to how you can apply the skills learnt on this programme to the professional environment. By the end of this module, you will be confident about designing, conducting and writing an advanced piece of postgraduate research within the field of International Relations. |
|
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. |
|
Extended International Relations Dissertation
|
60 Credits |
Compulsory |
| This module gives you the opportunity to produce an extended piece of research in the form of an 18,000 word written dissertation, You will have the opportunity to choose your own topic, informed by personal interests and consultation with primary and secondary sources. You will also be asked to write a 2,000 word critical reflective log to be submitted after the dissertation.
The module requires a large amount of independent study and research, but the project will be supervised by a research specialist member of staff. You will develop advanced research skills, suitable for progression to further research-based study, including: analysing complex forms of primary data, planning and conducting an extended research project with fieldwork, sharing research methodologies and findings in an academic setting, and critically reflecting on your own positionality and research findings. |
|
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. |
|
International Relations in Practice
|
30 Credits |
Compulsory |
| This module will focus on the aspects of International Relations that have a practical element to them. You will be introduced to five topical areas, Foreign Policy Analysis, Diplomacy, Intelligence Studies, Activism, and Journalism, and will explore both the conceptual and practical dimensions of them. You will be given the opportunity to experience how international relations are conducted within these vocations. Through a variety of practical activities, including roleplays and simulations, you will develop and hone your interpersonal skills within a practical setting. By the end of the module, you will have developed a detailed understanding of how international relations are conducted within a variety of settings and possess practical experience that can be transferred to the workplace. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
