Introduction to Politics & International Relations Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course critically studies: (1) key concepts and (2) research methods in contemporary politics and international relations. The exploration of conceptual analysis treats subjects such as sovereignty, power, war, and peace, in relation to the phenomena that they seek to explain and interpret. Conceptually, then, the course cultivates a foundational understanding of the function of theories in Politics and International Relations and how they shape debates in the discipline, together with a sense of their historiographical and contextual development. This conceptual foregrounding provides an opportunity for students to think critically about seminal questions and debates in Politics and International Relations and to begin to consider their application to real-world problems. This might include evaluating the inner workings of nation states and international organisations, the principles that shape international society and order, and the dynamics that regulate (international) political systems, more broadly.

In addition to encouraging students to distinguish between core Politics and International Relations theories, this course has a further direction of study. The course focuses on key qualitative and quantitative research methods in the field. The aim is to develop specific methodological skills, which introduce students to key research method frameworks within sub-areas of the interdisciplinarity of Politics and International Relations, such as digital politics, sustainable development, security studies, and others. This will allow students to gain the necessary foundational skills to take full advantage of problem-solving tasks in related courses across the programme.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures and/or seminars

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150 hours

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessments are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The assessments will require students to understand, appraise, and critically assess the main concepts and research methods of International Relations and to apply prominent disciplinary debates to real-world problems while practising both conceptual analytical and research methods skills.

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Baylis, J., S. Smith and R. Owens ‘The Globalisation of World Politics’, OUP, 2019, 8th Edition (or subsequent editions)
• Dunne, T., Kurki, M. and Smith, S. ‘International Relations Theory’, OUP, 2020
• Halperin, S and Heath, O. ‘Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills’,  OUP, Third Edition, 2020.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students. The indicative topics provided below are used as general guidance and part of the approval/modification process

• Mainstream Theories: Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism
• Critical Theories: Post-Constructivist and Post-Colonial Perspectives
• Methodological Debates in Politics and International Relations
• Designing Research Questions, Concepts and Hypotheses
• Comparative and Mixed-Methods Research, and Data Ethics