Foundations of International Relations (005RE)
Foundations of International Relations (pathway elective)
Module 005RE
Module details for 2024/25.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 4
Module Outline
This module introduces you to some of the main theories and conceptual frameworks for understanding International Relations (IR). We will consider how IR has been constituted as a distinct scholarly discipline and think about who and what is served by the different lenses through which scholars analyse international relations. What role have colonialism and race played in the making of the modern international order, as well as in shaping received ideas about world politics? How are global patterns of inequality and violence related to the dynamics of global capitalism? Why, when the first departments of International Relations were set up, did they not asks these questions, but instead focused on relations between states? What is the significance of international institutions like the UN? To what extent do they help make the world more peaceful and cooperative? What about the role of identities and how we see the relations between self and other? How do gender relations affect all of this? Finally, how and why do all these theories matter in the ‘real world’?
Module learning outcomes
Recognize problems and issues of current world politics
Understand the effects of globalization
Use various analytical standard tools of international politics
Present orally and in written confident analysis of current issues of world politics
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Essay (2000 words) | Semester 2 Assessment Week 2 Tue 16:00 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Workshop | 2 hours | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Melanie Richter-Montpetit
Assess convenor
/profiles/349663
Dr Kamran Matin
Convenor
/profiles/138207
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