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PL52173: Theoretical approaches of international politics and foreign policy

[Page last updated: 16 August 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Credits: 10 [equivalent to 20 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 200
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Semester 1
Assessment Summary: CWES 100%
Assessment Detail:
  • International analysis of a current world politics phenomenon (CWES 30% - Qualifying Mark: 50)
  • Essay on the theoretical and empirical challenges of IR/FPA. (CWES 70% - Qualifying Mark: 50)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the unit
  • You will garner in-depth knowledge of different systemic and agential forces in the field of International Relations.
  • You will learn different concepts and theoretical perspectives in the fields of IR/FPA.
  • You will be able to analyse world politics and process of foreign policy decision making from different angles and levels of analysis i.e. systemic, state and individual levels.
  • You will become aware of the most current debates in international relations and be able to bring these debates into the analysis of current problems in world politics



Synopsis: Familiarise yourself with different theoretical approaches to the study of international relations and foreign policy. While this unit is theoretically driven, you'll also learn about key current examples of conflict and cooperation, war and peace, and multilateralism to show the analytical values of approaches such as: - neorealism - liberal institutionalism - social constructivism - critical approaches - non-Western perspectives.

Content: The unit first introduces students to the different grand theories in International Relations and the core theoretical debates associated with notions of unipolarity, bipolarity, multipolarity, conflict and cooperation, war and peace, hegemony, anarchy and hierarchy, status and prestige, and unilateralism, regionalism and multilateralism. The unit will also explore the interaction between structure and agents in world politics as well as the interplay international and domestic to explain world phenomena. Then the unit will move into exploring critical and non-western perspectives in the study of IR. Further, the unit will look into different theoretical approaches to foreign policy analysis and foreign policy decision making. After this, the Unit will focus on the application of these theoretical tenets to contemporary cases of world politics to show the analytical value of the different approaches in IR and FPA.

Course availability:

PL52173 is a Must Pass Unit on the following courses:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies

PL52173 is Optional on the following courses:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • THPL-AFM16 : MA Contemporary European Studies: Politics, Policy and Society
  • THPL-AFM43 : MA Contemporary European Studies: Politics, Policy and Society
  • THPL-AFM17 : MA Contemporary European Studies with Transatlantic Track (Euromasters)
  • THPL-AFM44 : MA Contemporary European Studies with Transatlantic Track (Euromasters) 
  • THPL-AFM40 : MA Gender and Politics 
  • THPL-AFM42 : MA International Security 

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.