UDDIPLAW - BA Diplomacy and Law

The Teaching and Learning strategy of the BA Diplomacy and Law degree is designed to: ensure that the subject content meets, and improves, on the benchmarks set out by the QAA; encourage the acquisition and understanding of knowledge by students, engendering an enthusiasm for the subject and life-skills learning, including the progression from surface learning to deep learning; facilitate students to develop independent skills and responsibilities for their own learning; incrementally strengthen the subject specific knowledge and skills gained by a students, in combination with the awareness and application of skills needed successfully thrive in the workplace.

This new degree builds on the Faculty of Law, Governance and International Relations’ reputation for pedagogical innovation, as well as utilising traditional teaching methods. The latter includes a mixture of lectures, seminars, and workshops. Within this a combination of whole group, small group, and student-led and tutor-led teaching occurs. This can included face-to-face teaching and discussion, but there is also an increasing emphasis on the use of blended learning opportunities. Many modules already are paper free, with considerable learning materials and resources being placed on relevant module BlackBoard sites, e.g. lecture notes, module handbooks, video links, recorded lectures, podcasts, first-hand documents, and blogs. Some teaching staff are already experimenting with electronic feedback, the electronic submission of formative assessments, and online office hours. A growing number of materials are also available online through the University library, including access to journals and ebooks. This is all designed to open up the learning space for students to enable them to have continuous access to degree materials, improving the student learning experience, whilst increasing cost-effectiveness and efficiency.

The BA Diplomacy and Law programme is practically oriented, with opportunities for students to learn from and engage with practitioners and to experience the nature of international negotiation through simulations and role-play exercises. Students may take up to 30 credits of language at levels 5 and 6 as extension-of-knowledge modules.

An additional, and important part of the teaching and learning strategy, is the academic research which is conducted by LGIR staff. This is used to support teaching through the transferring of staff research skills and knowledge to enhance the student learning experience, as the students gain the benefits of staff expertise and the staff gain a better appreciation of their research projects through discussing them with students.Staff research specialisms are an essential component of the Diplomacy and Law curriculum, with students benefitting from being taught by specialists.

The BA in Diplomacy and Law is an innovative new degree offered by the Faculty of Law, Governance and International Relations. The degree aims to provide students with a broad perspective on both the theoretical and practical aspects of diplomacy and law to enhance their ability to understand the complex forces shaping the contemporary world. In particular, the course aims to:

• place questions of diplomacy, international negotiation, decision-making and order at the centre of analysis;
• enable students to understand and use the concepts, approaches, key research methods and methodologies of the discipline and develop an understanding of its contested nature and the problematic character in these fields;
• develop in students the capacity to think critically about events, ideas and institutions;
• encourage students to relate the academic study of Diplomacy and Law to questions of public concern;
• assist students to develop a range of cognitive and social skills relevant to their intellectual, vocational and personal development, with a particular emphasis on employability, e..g students can apply the knowledge gained from the course in a work experience situation through the Honours level work placement project;
• provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that promotes breadth and depth of academic inquiry and debate

Accordingly, the syllabus seeks to assist students’ understanding of the key issues of diplomatic and legal practice, whether matters of international negotiation, the changing nature of international law, the strength and success of international organisations, the key concerns of the foreign policy of major powers, the legal basis of the EU, or the salience of ethical issues like environmentalism and human rights.

Course Learning outcomes include the following:

a. Subject Specific.

By the end of their course students are expected to be able to:

• explain the changing roles and functions of diplomatic institutions and processes;
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of legal rules and concepts and how they operate in their context;
• apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of diplomatic studies and law to the analysis of ideas, practices and contemporary issues in the global system;
• demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the origins, evolution and current nature of diplomatic and legal systems and processes;
• be aware of the contested nature of inquiry within the disciplines of Diplomatic Studies and Law and be able to evaluate different interpretations of key issues.

b. Cognitive skills.

By the end of their course, students should be able to:

• gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of primary, secondary and electronic sources;
• construct a reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information, exercise critical judgement and manifest ethical awareness, in both oral discussion and written work;
• identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to issues and problems in diplomatic studies and law;
• demonstrate a capacity for critical review of the literature and awareness of differing approaches to the study of diplomatic studies and law;
• manage their own learning in a reflective and self-critical fashion and make use of constructive feedback.

c. Transferable skills, including those of employability and professional practice.

By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:

• communicate effectively and fluently in both oral and written form;
• use communication and information technology, including the internet, for the retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical and/or numerical information;
• work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time management;
• engage in collaborative learning and demonstrate the ability to inter-relate with other students who may hold different views;
• think critically about data and evidence and show awareness of ethical considerations (including, where appropriate, ethical diversity);
• conduct analysis of diplomatic and legal issues using a variety of theoretical perspectives;
• design, plan, organise and deliver an individual research project or work placement dissertation and learning log;

assess diplomatic and legal issues in a reasoned manner and apply such knowledge to hypothetical and ‘real world’ situations.

- Explain the changing roles and functions of diplomatic institutions and processes:

Especially GI4007, GI5006 and GI6005.

- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of legal rules and concepts and how they operate in their context:

Especially LL4001, LL4002, LL5002 and
LL6005.

- Be aware of the contested nature of inquiry within the disciplines of Diplomatic Studies and Law and be able to evaluate different interpretations of key issues:

Especially GI5006 and LL4001.

- Apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of diplomatic studies and law to the analysis of ideas, practices and contemporary issues in the global system:

Especially GI5006, GI6005, LL6005.

- Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the origins, evolution and current nature of diplomatic and legal systems and processes:

Especially GI5006, LL5001, LL5002 and
LL6005.

- Gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of primary,
secondary and electronic sources:

All subject-related modules.

- Construct a reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information, exercise critical judgement and manifest ethical awareness, in both oral discussion and written work:

All subject-related modules.

- Identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to issues and problems in diplomatic studies and law:

All subject-related modules.

- Demonstrate a capacity for critical review of the literature and awareness of differing
approaches to the study of diplomatic studies and law:

All subject-related modules.

- Manage their own learning in a reflective and self-critical fashion and make use of
constructive feedback;

All subject-related modules.

- Communicate effectively and fluently in both
oral and written form:

All modules.

- Use communication and information technology, including the internet, for the
retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical and/or
numerical information:

All modules.

- Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time management:

All modules.

- Engage in collaborative learning and demonstrate the ability to inter-relate with other
students who may hold different views:

All modules.

- Think critically about data and evidence and show awareness of ethical considerations (including, where appropriate, ethical diversity):

All modules.

- Conduct analysis of diplomatic and legal issues using a variety of theoretical perspectives:

Especially GI5006 and LL6005.

- Design, plan, organise and deliver an individual research project or work placement dissertation:

Placement and Project Modules at Level 6

- Assess diplomatic and legal issues in a reasoned manner and apply such knowledge to hypothetical and ‘real world’ situations:

Especially GI6005 and LL6003.

The BA Diplomacy and Law degree embeds the key components of the QAA benchmarks for Politics and Law respectively within its degree structure.

The course combines both formative and summative assessment opportunities, embracing a variety of methods including: essays, blogs, learning logs, exams, seminar performance, seminar presentations (both individual and group), portfolios and dissertations. The majority will be tutor assessed, but a number will be peer-reviewed in seminars.

The strategy is designed to maximise the development of subject specific skills and employability skills appropriate to each level of the degree.

Employability and the development of practical skills are central to the course. All modules have employability embedded within them. (See each module specification for further details.)At Level 6 students have the option to take a work placement module designed to apply the knowledge they have developed on the course in practical situations and to develop employment-related skills.

A study-abroad semester (or, in exceptional circumstances two semesters) can be undertaken as part of the degree programme. The Course Leader (or a delegated representative) must approve the programme of study proposed at the overseas host institution. The Governance and International Relations section has Socrates exchange links with a number of European Universities – Bologna, Bordeaux, Istanbul, Madrid, Stockholm. It is also possible to study in the United States. The University has exchange links with a number of universities, such as the State University of New York, City University New York, East Carolina, Roosevelt University (Chicago) and a number of colleges in the University of California state system. These exchanges are arranged through the University’s International Office.

Our graduates have won positions within the UK Department for International Development and other government departments, the United Nations, their national diplomatic services, regional organisations, and leading nongovernmental organisations.

Members of the course teaching team have nationally-recognised expertise in developing students’ employability, and the practical dimension of the course will enable you to promote yourselves effectively in the competitive job market.

The programme is also excellent preparation for further study or research. High numbers of our graduates have embarked on postgraduate courses in diplomacy, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, international relations, international human rights law, and international public policy at prestigious institutions of higher education both in the UK and around the world.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• English Language GCSE at grade C or above (or equivalent)
• at least 280 points, including at least two A levels or a level 3 Advanced Diploma

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

Applications are welcome from mature students who have passed appropriate Access or other preparatory courses or have appropriate work experience.