Politics with International Relations

This module introduces significant themes, theoretical perspectives and concepts in Politics and Global Studies, and aims to develop an initial understanding of the methodologies and practices of the discipline of Politics where it comes into contact with related subject areas such as international relations, economics, the environment and religion. This module aims to develop an understanding of Global Politics. By covering the theory and practice of politics in terms of examining different political systems such as representative, parliamentary democracy and their institutions of government, the role of interest groups, electoral systems, voting behaviour, public policy, human rights, security studies, international economic relations, dictatorships and one party states will give a grounding in how political processes work. The course then goes on to examine the philosophical underpinnings of differing systems of government by looking at ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, communism and socialism that originated in the Western world and comparing and contrasting systems of government elsewhere in the world where such beliefs have been used, adapted or rejected.

This module outlines the key theoretical perspectives within International Relations. It will provide students with an overview of the development of the discipline of International Relations considering key historical eras. The module assists students in developing a theoretical vocabulary by introducing them to the major approaches and their critiques within the discipline. It will also draw upon empirical examples of historical and contemporary significance and equip students to describe, analysis and understand them. For example, war, peace, globalisation and terrorism. Students will be encouraged to critically engage with these issues in order to comprehend the way in which different theoretical approaches shape meaning and understanding of them.

This module examines the ideas and themes in American politics, with particular emphasis on the contemporary situation. It will incorporate key theories of political science and political philosophy, looking at such themes as separation of powers and ideas including American liberalism and American conservatism. It will also look at the contemporary policy debates in America at present, such as healthcare and the size of the government. The module should provide sufficient foundational knowledge of the American political system, not least in the context of the controversies raised during and after the 2016 Presidential election, which will aid future study, especially in other modules like Modern American Presidency and US Foreign Policy.

Human rights have been called the ‘idea of our time.’ In the post-World War Two period this ‘idea’ has achieved a totemic status, associated with civility and modernity. Against this, however, are the widespread reports of torture, genocide, disappearances, ethnic cleansing, political prisoners, the suppression of trade unions and democracy movements, and willful deprivation of access to the basic necessities of life.

One of the causes for the apparent disjuncture between the optimism represented by the idea of human rights, and the pessimism engendered by media reports of widespread violation of human rights, can be found in what John Vincent has called ‘human rights talk’. Human rights is not a singular discourse, but three overlapping discourses: philosophy, law and politics. We will critically explore these three discourses historically, culturally and in their contemporary form, and seek to gain an insight into the role of human rights under conditions of present-day globalization.

This module aims to introduce students to contemporary debates within British politics. Whilst focusing on contemporary issues, this module will also help students to understand the context and history of British political development.  By focusing on British politics, students will be able to understand how British parliamentary democracy works. This will involve looking at political parties, the Great Offices of state, the role of the media and Britain's foreign relations and how the post-Brexit environment will impact on British politics.

This module introduces students to the field of economics. The first semester focuses on Microeconomics, studying the behaviour of individual agents and their interaction in markets. The second semester focuses on Macroeconomics, the study of the economy at the aggregate level, and the fundamental policy choices that are associated with it.

Students will learn a range of vocabulary and concepts that allow them to model and understand economic situations, to predict the consequences of changing a particular variable, and to determine the best economic course of action for agents. During the semester, students will undertake a range of exercises to be held during seminars. These will contribute to develop those skills that will be tested in two assignments, due at the end of each semester, and the final exam, taking place during assessment week.

This module focuses on the workings of international institutions and the on-going debates that seek to reform them. Starting with the United Nations and other post-WWII institutions, the module moves on to cover a range of international institutions and non-government organisations that have a role in politics and global studies.

The module will assess the relations between international institutions and the state (and other actors) and the degree of cooperation, collaboration and harmonisation (or otherwise) that exists between various bodies in a global setting.

This module provides students with an overview of research methods employed in the Social Sciences and they will learn to use a variety of the basic quantitative and qualitative methods. Students will work with tutors to sharpen their skills in researching, collating, organising, assessing and presenting materials drawn from different primary and secondary sources such as monographs, articles, newspapers, speeches and national statistics. The module will critically explore the appropriate use of different techniques. The underlying debates about research methodology and directly provide students with concrete tools to conduct independent research. The module ultimately guides students towards an independent research proposal and prepares them for the dissertation in the final year.

This module focuses on the workings of international institutions and the on-going debates that seek to reform them. Starting with the United Nations and other post-WWII institutions, the module moves on to cover a range of international institutions and non-government organisations that have a role in politics and global studies.

The module will assess the relations between international institutions and the state (and other actors) and the degree of cooperation, collaboration and harmonisation (or otherwise) that exists between various bodies in a global setting.

This module provides students with an overview of research methods employed in the Social Sciences and they will learn to use a variety of the basic quantitative and qualitative methods. Students will work with tutors to sharpen their skills in researching, collating, organising, assessing and presenting materials drawn from different primary and secondary sources such as monographs, articles, newspapers, speeches and national statistics. The module will critically explore the appropriate use of different techniques. The underlying debates about research methodology and directly provide students with concrete tools to conduct independent research. The module ultimately guides students towards an independent research proposal and prepares them for the dissertation in the final year.

This is a dissertation of between 8,000 and 10,000 words on a subject of the students’ choice (subject to approval). Study is primarily student-directed, with regular supervision supplied by tutors teaching in the subject. It is mandatory for Single Honours students; Joint students can choose which field to take their dissertation within.

This module examines the nature of foreign policy decisions, including the process of decision-making and the actual foreign policies pursued by state actors. This module begins by considering the nature of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) before introducing levels of analysis and their relationship to international relations theory as key tools for understanding and explaining how and why foreign policy decisions are made. This module explores a range contemporary and classic case-study examples to illustrate the role of individual leaders in foreign policy decision-making, the interplay of domestic and international politics in FPA, regional and international or systemic influences on foreign policy and key debates in the field, such as the rise of ‘civilian powers’, including supra-national foreign policy actors, such as the EU, and the problem of explaining continuity and change in FPA.

This is a dissertation of between 8,000 and 10,000 words on a subject of the students’ choice (subject to approval). Study is primarily student-directed, with regular supervision supplied by tutors teaching in the subject. It is mandatory for Single Honours students; Joint students can choose which field to take their dissertation within.

This module examines the nature of foreign policy decisions, including the process of decision-making and the actual foreign policies pursued by state actors. This module begins by considering the nature of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) before introducing levels of analysis and their relationship to international relations theory as key tools for understanding and explaining how and why foreign policy decisions are made. This module explores a range contemporary and classic case-study examples to illustrate the role of individual leaders in foreign policy decision-making, the interplay of domestic and international politics in FPA, regional and international or systemic influences on foreign policy and key debates in the field, such as the rise of ‘civilian powers’, including supra-national foreign policy actors, such as the EU, and the problem of explaining continuity and change in FPA.