GI5005A - Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy (2020/21)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2020/21 | ||||||||||
| Module title | Approaches to International Relations and Foreign Policy | ||||||||||
| Module level | Intermediate (05) | ||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||
| School | School of Social Sciences | ||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||
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| Running in 2020/21(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
One of the central questions for the discipline of International Relations is to explain the behaviour of states in the international system. This module explores the various theoretical perspectives which can be used to understand the dynamics of the international system and how they condition state behaviour. It explores both explanatory and critical approaches to this issue, the former seeking to explain how the international system operates, with the latter seeking to transform the nature of world politics in one way or another.
Syllabus
The importance and development of IR Theory LO1
Realism and Neorealism LO1,LO3
Liberalism and the Democratic Peace Thesis LO3
The English School LO1,LO3
Marxism and Critical Theory LO2
Poststructuralism LO2, LO3
Feminism LO1,LO2
Environmentalism LO2
Constructivism LO1,LO3
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Most weeks teaching will consist of a two-hour combined lecture and workshop and a one-hour seminar. Each lecture/workshop will comprise an interactive lecture followed by an activity undertaken by small groups, with the result of these activities fed back in a plenary session towards the end of the two-hour session. The seminar will involve small group discussions, debates and group work.
The module makes extensive use of blended learning, with full use of the dedicated WebLearn site for the module.
Reflective and independent learning will be encouraged through the regular interactive lectures and seminar discussions. Students will be required to attend all classes, to engage in the set activities, to prepare in advance by attempting assigned readings, to complete coursework ahead of deadlines, to access markers’ comments on their work and act on the feedback they receive.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
1. Analyse the key debates in International Relations theory.
2. Distinguish between and evaluate competing theoretical perspectives on the international system.
3. Explore the links between theory and practice in international politics.
Assessment strategy
The module will be assessed by a 2000-word essay.
Bibliography
Core Readings
Daddow, O. (2017) International Relations Theory, 3rd edition. London: SAGE
Dunne, T., Kurki, M. and Smith, S. (eds) (2016) International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 4th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Additional Readings
Bull, H., The Anarchical Society. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Macmillan
Burchill, S. and Linklater, A. (eds) (2013) Theories of International Relations, 5th edition. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Geis, A. and Wagner, W. (2011) 'How Far is it from Konigsberg to Kandahar? Democratic Peace and Democratic Violence in International Relations', Review of International Studies 37: 4
Jackson, R. and Sorensen, G. (2016) Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches, 6th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Keohane, R. O. and Nye, J. S., Power and Interdependence, 4th edition. London: Longman
Mearsheimer, J. (2001) The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. New York: Norton
Reus-Smith C. and Snidal D. (eds.) (2009) The Oxford Handbook of International Relations, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Smith, K. (2017) 'The Realism that did not speak its name: E. H. Carr's diplomatic histories of the twenty years' crisis', Review of International Studies, 43: 3
Wendt, A. (1992) ‘Anarchy is What States Make of it: The Social Construction of Power Politics’, International Organization, 46: 2