MA in International Relations

Learning and assessment

You’ll examine how global states and societies cooperate. You’ll question the methods behind world politics and the global political economy. You’ll interrogate how these systems impact individuals - like refugees and protesters. And you’ll determine how they affect global problems - like the climate emergency.

In your first semester, you’ll take three compulsory modules that will help you develop core skills and knowledge in international relations. You’ll examine the key theories and their connection to living global issues. You’ll analyse various ways of understanding the global political economy, and you’ll develop research skills.

In your second semester, you’ll take three elective modules, focusing on the areas of international relations you care about most, like:

• Terrorism
• Migration
• Gender
• International development
• Conflict
• International ethics

You might debate approaches to debt in the Global South. You might examine peacebuilding in conflict zones like Syria. Or you might analyse the ecological limits to development. You’ll also travel to The Hague and Brussels.

Study modules

Semester 1

Compulsory modules

• International Relations in Theory and Practice (20 credits)
  You’ll investigate theoretical approaches in the discipline of International Relations at an advanced level. You’ll also examine how they connect with major issues in contemporary real-world international relations.
• Global Political Economy (20 credits)
  You’ll examine competing theoretical perspectives on the emerging global political economy. You’ll look at how these perspectives have evolved, both through theoretical debates and real-world developments.
• Advanced Research in International Relations (20 credits)
  You’ll examine the main approaches to the study of International Relations. You’ll consider a variety of relevant research methods so that you can understand how evidence is produced and critically appraise the research you use. You’ll discuss documentary research, interviews and focus groups, discourse analysis, surveys and questionnaires, and quantitative methods.

Semester 2

Optional modules

• International Development (20 credits)
  Since the end of the Cold War one of the key dynamics in world politics – the gap between rich and poor – has come into sharper focus. In this module, you’ll examine both the theory and practice of the international politics of development.
  You’ll start by looking at key theoretical debates and how these have related to practice. You’ll go on to explore contemporary issues in development that illustrate the theoretical debates, such as fair trade and sustainable development.
• Global Politics and the Environment (20 credits)
  You’ll take part in a critical, interdisciplinary investigation into how tensions caused by the ecological crisis have been addressed globally. You'll examine institutional, conceptual, ideological and socio-cultural factors, as well as political and economic facets.
• Capitalism: Crisis and World Order (20 credits)
  In this module, you’ll look at the emergence and changing nature of the global political economy. You’ll start by understanding the historical progression of capitalism to the development of the current global order. You’ll then explore the global order through factors such as the nature of state power, labour relations, production and trade, the role of finance and the impact of capitalism on the environment.
• Global Civil Society and Social Movements (20 credits)
  What kind of role can civil society play in global politics? This module investigates that question while concentrating on understanding ‘globalisation from below’. You’ll study key conceptual and theoretical debates about global civil society and global citizenship. You’ll explore the possibility of post-national forms of citizenship. Case studies will help you address the question of how global civil society can democratise global politics.
• Violence and Peacebuilding (20 credits)
  In transitions from the civil war to peace, why does violence often continue, even when ceasefires are in place? How does violence affect peace processes, and how can continuing insecurity be managed?
  In this module, you’ll explore concepts of violence, peace and peacebuilding, as well as study examples from peace processes and post-war societies, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Rwanda, South Africa and Northern Ireland. You’ll be assisted to critically analyse the causes of violence in the context of peacebuilding and to make recommendations for its management.
• Dilemmas of International Ethics (20 credits)
  You’ll survey the main traditions of international ethics and apply them to important ethical dilemmas in contemporary world politics – including humanitarian intervention, global economic inequality, environmental justice, nuclear proliferation and disarmament.
• Critical Approaches to Terrorism (20 credits)
  You’ll critically consider debates about how we define and understand terrorism, as well as thinking about the nature of the threat that terrorism poses. You’ll also explore the causes of terrorism and the gender politics of terrorism. We’ll encourage you to take a critical approach and try to think beyond the mainstream and conventional answers to some of these issues.
• Postcolonial Perspectives: Security, Violence and Resistance (20 credits)
  You’ll explore questions of security, violence and resistance from a postcolonial perspective. You’ll look at how phenomena such as terrorism, migration, violent conflict and racism can be understood differently when viewed in the context of past colonial actions. You’ll also investigate whether contemporary notions such as ‘Islamic extremism’ or the ‘oppressed Muslim woman’ are used to elevate Western societies to a status of cultural and political superiority – and what consequences this leads to.
• Refugees: Forced Migration, Protection and Humanitarianism (20 credits)
  This module considers how migration is both a central part of the human experience in the twenty-first century and a key challenge to humanitarian practitioners.
• Independent Study (20 credits)
  This is your chance to undertake a programme of study that you choose yourself, in consultation with a member of staff. Previous examples of independent study have focussed on:
  • International Energy Security
  • Oil and the Global Economy
  • Human Rights and Foreign Direct Investment.

Final project

• Dissertation (60 credits)
  The dissertation is an extended, supervised piece of work on a topic that you choose yourself, ideally related to your professional, voluntary, political or research interests. Examples of dissertation areas would include:
  • a case study of a particular policy initiative
  • an analysis of alternative approaches to a particular policy problem
  • a systematic review and analysis of published evidence on a particular topic
  • an empirical study using methods such as a survey, interviews or observation.

You’ll present your dissertation topic and proposal to your peers and staff members at a Postgraduate Day in June. This is a valuable chance to receive feedback from a wider audience.

You’ll graduate with sought-after transferable skills - like:

• Project management
• Critical analysis
• Complex problem-solving

You’ll have keen intercultural awareness and communication skills. And you’ll be equipped to start international careers - in politics, NGOs, international development, the civil service, corporate social responsibility and more. You’ll also have the skills and knowledge to progress in academia and research.

‘The range of topics is impressive and seems to cover the key problems that confront governments, politicians and international policy-makers.’ Tricia Feeney, Founder, Rights & Accountability in Development