International Relations: Power and Institutions
| Module title | International Relations: Power and Institutions |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM502 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Alex Prichard (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This module provides an advanced entry-level introduction to the key debates in the contemporary study of International Relations (IR). The module is designed to introduce students to the broad conceptual, historical, methodological and disciplinary themes that have shaped the study of IR from the end of the nineteenth-century. The module locates key texts, ideas and theories in distinct historical contexts (colonialism, two World Wars, the Cold War), illuminating how academic ideas and social practices are shaped by and shape world affairs.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The main aim of the module is to illuminate why the main concepts and theories in International Relations take the form that they do. This involves exploring the emergence of IR theory in its historical context. It ought subsequently to be possible for students to reflect critically on their own theoretical assumptions and how they shape claims about the future of world politics. For example, the rise of China, can be understood as a modern articulation about long standing views about revisionist powers in modern world politics.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of modern IR, the origins of the field, the context in which it developed and the major critical positions adopted towards its development;
- 2. Identify and discuss the key methodological, conceptual and theoretical debates in IR and demonstrate knowledge in relation to the development of IR as a field of knowledge-production;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate advanced critical, historical and analytical understanding of the development of IR as a field of academic knowledge-production;
- 4. Exercise informed judgement concerning the practical implications of abstract political principles and ability to locate arguments within an historical context and to understand the relationship between context and theory;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Conduct independent research, give well-designed presentations, exercise critical judgment, write cogently and persuasively; and
- 6. Identify spurious conclusions and distinguish rigorous from merely persuasive argument.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The philosophical origins of contemporary IR
- Imperialism and colonialism in an Age of Empires
- Intra-imperial rivalry and a world in crisis: from anarchy to the League
- The Second World War and the origins of ‘realism’
- The management of Cold War bipolarity
- The resilience of institutions and the revival of liberalism
- The renaissance of critique: Feminism and Critical Theory
- The end of the Cold War and the rise of constructivism
- Poststructuralism and the discursive construction of world politics
- Race and world politics revisited
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 276 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 24 hours | 12 x 2 hour per week Seminars: Small group work, presentations, discussion, reflection |
| Guided independent study | 200 hours | Reading for and writing essays |
| Guided independent study | 76 hours | Reading for seminars |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 x class presentation in pairs | 15 minutes | 1, 2, 5, 6 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 30 | 2,500 words | 1-6 | Written/oral |
| Essay 2 | 50 | 4,000 words | 1-6 | Written/oral |
| Book review essay | 20 | 1,000 words | 1-6 | Written/oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 2,000 word essay | 1, 2, 5 and 6. | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay 2 | 3,000 word essay | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Book review essay | 1000 word book review essay | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations: Philosophy of Science and its Implications for the Study of World Politics (London: Routledge, 2011).
William R. Keylor, The Twentieth Century World and Beyond: An International History since 1900. 5th ed. (Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress, 2010).
Barry Buzan, and Richard Little, International Systems in World History: Remaking the Study of International Relations
(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress, 2000).
Michael W. Doyle, Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism (New York; London: Norton, 1997).
Timothy Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity. 2nd ed
(New York:OxfordUniversityPress, 2010).
Naeem Inayatullah, and David L. Blaney, International Relations and the Problem of Difference (London: Routledge,
2004).
David Long, and Brian C. Schmidt (eds.), Imperialism and Internationalism in the Discipline of International Relations
(Albany,N.Y.:StateUniversityofNew YorkPress, 2005).
Ido Oren, Our Enemies and US: America's Rivalries and the Making of Political Science (Ithaca,N.Y.;CornellUniversity
Press, 2003).
Brian C. Schmidt, The Political Discourse of Anarchy: A Disciplinary History of International Relations (New York: State
UniversityofNew YorkPress, 1998).
Arlene B. Tickner, and Ole Wæver (eds.), International Relations Scholarship around the World: Worlding Beyond the
West (London: Routledge, 2009).
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/10/2011 |
| Last revision date | 01/03/17 |
