Core module

Theories of International Relations

Patricia Owens

This module provides a critical survey of the main theories associated with the study of international relations. The module is primarily concerned with the varying theoretical explanations for why things happen in international relations. As well as addressing analytical questions the module will also address the normative and political dimensions of theory. It will do this through discussing the general properties of IR theory and its evolution since the foundation of the discipline of International Relations after World War One, along with a focus on the significance of, and relations between states and non-state actors, and the impact of the international structures that constrain and direct the actions of these actors.

 

Main options

Globalisation and International Relations

Richard Saull

This module addresses the core concepts (including sovereignty, imperialism, war, capitalism, and human rights) in the discipline of International Relations in an era of globalization. Although the primary focus will be on contemporary international relations the module will also emphasise the historical and comparative, as a way of highlighting the relationship between analytical categories and historical change.

Globalisation and the International Political Economy of Development

Ray Kiely

The course provides students with a detailed examination – and critique - of theories of globalisation and assessment of contemporary globalising processes, and how these particularly influence the developing world. It examines these influences through detailed analysis of contemporary manifestations of ‘globalisation', including neo-liberalism, US hegemony and contemporary imperialism, capital flows, global commodity chains, state-market relations, patterns of global inequality, international institutions, and questions of cultural homogenisation/imperialism. The course also examines the ways in which ‘globalisation' is resisted, focusing on the rise of transnational social movements and NGOs, and the politics of ‘anti-globalisation', and how this relates to an ostensibly ‘post-development' era. In addressing these issues, the course concludes by asking the most important question: how do we think of ‘development' in an era of ‘globalisation', US hegemony, neo-liberalism and imperialism?

International Security: War and Peace in a Global Context

Bryan Mabee

Violent conflict and the use of force remain salient issues in contemporary international relations. The course offers an examination of the ways in which violent conflict and the use of force impact on international relations, how force is used by states and other actors, and how force is managed in world politics. The course surveys a variety of perspectives on the causes of war and peace in order to better examine the roots of violent conflicts and security problems in the present day. A major theme is looking at war in a global context, not only in terms of integrating contemporary concerns with globalisation, but also by looking at interconnections between north and south, and war and society. Additionally, the responses of the international community to violent conflict will also be explored, looking broadly at the contested notion of the “Just War”, international law, and the role of the United Nations. Overall, the course gives a broad perspective on the place of armed force in contemporary international relations.