Year 1

Compulsory modules

• From Empires to States: the Origins of International Relations

In this module, you’ll dive into International Relations, and its key theories. You’ll explore how International Relations emerges from specific cultural and historic concerns. You’ll gain core analytical skills, as you interpret historical events and use them to explore pressing debates on International Relations.

You’ll learn how International Relations has been shaped as a Western discipline, and how to challenge this by learning about aspects of international relations that have been erased or forgotten. You’ll learn to see International Relations as a rich array of competing stories about our world and what’s possible within it.

• Global Challenges in International Relations

In this module, you’ll explore the leading issues of current world politics.

You’ll investigate the key figures, structures and processes in world politics - like states, political economies and multinational societies.

You’ll also analyse concepts such as:

 anarchy
 order
 sovereignty
 conflict and cooperation among states, and non-state figures.

You’ll also investigate the chronic issues of world politics, including:

 gender
 migration
 human rights
 humanitarian intervention
 energy resources and the environment
 development, inequality and poverty.

We’ll explore how different nations manage these issues and what this tells us about international governance.

• Critical Skills in Politics and International Relations

In this module, you’ll explore the art and science of Politics and International Relations. You’ll develop the critical research and study skills you need to succeed in your degree, as you explore how these two disciplines work. You’ll get to grips the scope of International Relations and Politics, and consider:

 the issues they explore
 the questions they seek to answer
 their academic, educational and social value.

Optional modules

Foundations of Social Theory

In this module, you’ll explore the key themes of social theory. You’ll investigate the works of influential sociological theorists, including Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. And you'll investigate how their work has shaped sociology and its different traditions.

You'll immerse yourself in current debates, developments and approaches to social theory. And you'll explore how these affect our social relations today.

Politics in Comparative Perspective

In this module, you’ll investigate politics, and the struggle for power, across the nations. You’ll gain a clear introduction to how and why political systems differ in our world today. You’ll examine case studies from a wide range of states, and gain a strong insight into how different regimes function – from the democratic to the totalitarian.


Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Great Debates in International Relations: Inclusion and Exclusion

Why should we study International Relations? In this module, you’ll get to grips with International Relations (IR). You’ll examine the ‘great debates’ in IR - like who is IR for? What is it meant to do? And how do we know when it is successful? Is IR theory a way of looking at diverse societies across the world? Or has it changed? And how have events like 9/11, decolonisation and the dawn of the Nuclear Age challenged our understanding of IR?

You’ll examine why IR theory is a key to understanding international relations. You’ll ask whether International Relations is just about explaining facts. And you’ll explore whether our subjective moods and feelings influence IR. You’ll gain valuable critical skills, as you consider the relationship between theory and practice.

• Researching Politics and International Relations

In this module, you’ll develop the practical research skills you need to design and carry out your first piece of social sciences research. You’ll start with the ‘big questions’ of ‘What exists?’ and ‘How can we know about what exists?’ From here, you’ll move on to consider the different research methods and their implications. You’ll take part in hands-on workshops and practical sessions, preparing you to conduct your research for your final-year dissertation.

Optional modules

Borders and Solidarities in World Politics

How do we govern the world, when it’s no longer dominated by states and national governments? How do different types of migration shape the movement of people across the world? In this module, you’ll get to grips with a key part of international relations - borders and solidarities (groups with a common identity or interest). You’ll explore the various forms of borders and solidarities, including:

 migrations across national boundaries
 regional organisations
 trade agreements.

And link them to key forces and events, such as:

 NGOs
 corporations
 colonisation
 refugee movements
 the migrant ‘crisis’.

You’ll gain valuable practical and professional knowledge, as you explore leading issues today, and how global governance or migration shapes our lives.

Contemporary Security Studies

What is security? How can we achieve it? And who should provide it? In this module, you’ll dive into key debates on security, and its definitions. You’ll join policy makers, academics and civil servants as you discuss fundamental issues of security. You’ll explore the different ways we look at security, and the things it protects, for example:

 The nation-state
 The environment
 The economy
 A ‘way of life’.

You’ll also look at the implications of security on peace and current global conflicts, as well as everyday violence and exclusion.

State and Society: Europe and the United States

In this module, you can investigate the politics of either Europe or the USA, subject to student numbers and staff availability.

In the European strand, you’ll explore themes of democracy and citizenship. You’ll look closely at what democracy and citizenship might mean to people living in the UK, France, Germany and in Europe’s post-communist countries. You’ll also look at the future of European states and societies, and how they can adapt to challenges such as migration.
In the American strand, you’ll focus on governmental and political institutions. You’ll also explore explosive issues in American politics, including religion, race and capital punishment.

The Global Political Economy

In this module, you’ll get to know the global economy. You’ll investigate how economics and politics shape world affairs in both trivial and profound ways.

In part 1, you’ll gain a strong knowledge of the history of the world economy. You’ll develop key analytical skills, as you explore competing explanations of how it functions. You’ll gain the tools you need to understand the economy’s recent changes.

In part 2, you’ll dig into key debates on how the global economy functions today, including:

 Finance
 global production
 trade and international development
 the relationship between the global economy and the environment.

Work-based Learning

In this module, you’ll have the chance to carry out a work placement closely linked to your International Relations course. You’ll be supported by your module leader to find a placement that meets your needs, and which will support your learning. With a carefully chosen placement, you’ll build on the skills and knowledge you’ve already gained in Year 1, and you’ll also strengthen vital skills for the workplace, like time management, communication and team-working.

Students have found placements in organisations like:

 Asylum Welcome, working with asylum seekers in Oxford
 Viva, an international children’s charity
 Depaul, working with homeless people and immigrants in Paris.

During and after your placement, you’ll:

 create a placement portfolio, recording what you’ve done and achieved
 craft a CV showing your experience
 give a presentation on your placement.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

• Double or Interdisciplinary Dissertation in International Relations

This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of expert tutors in our International Relations team, who will help you choose your dissertation topic. Whether you’re exploring the international effects of climate change denial, or Trump’s effect on Brexit, you’ll use the skills and expertise you’ve developed during your International Relations degree, and gain fantastic research skills for your future career.

Optional modules

Ethics, Power and World Politics

What should world leaders do? How much power should countries give each other? And how should states and individuals behave towards each other? In this module, you’ll get to grips with the key questions in world politics. You’ll explore:

 how we determine rights and duties
 how we both enable and restrict dominance
 how issues of race, gender and class interact.
in relation to world politics. You’ll choose one of three topics that focus on international ethics and power - human rights, migration and immigration, or racism and colonialism.

Global Development, Justice and Sustainability

How can we respond to and solve global injustice and the ecological crisis without a world government? How can we resolve issues in international politics which are beyond the limit of individual countries? A global unified approach is critical for success.

In this module, you’ll gain knowledge of the theory and practice of global development, justice and sustainability. And build your analytical skills. You'll take a combined approach of looking at global development and the ecological crisis. You'll examine competing and contrasting perspectives that feature across these global issues. Helping you gain understanding in their global justice implications. Also you'll look at international policy responses and global governance initiatives.

Violence and the Politics of Peace and Identity

From terrorism to mass protests, how do we make sense of violence and resistence? In this module, you’ll explore the tensions between local and global communities in building peace. You’ll investigate how identity markers such as gender, race, nationality and ethnicity relate to violence and resistance. You can choose to focus on violence, resistance and identity politics, or violent conflict and peacebuilding.

Violence, Militarism and Terrorism

How does violence occur in different societies? How do people’s ideas of violence affect their cultures? In this module, you’ll look at how states manage violence such as terrorism. You’ll also consider how social norms and military values of violence shape our lives. You can choose to specialise in terrorism or counter-terrorism, or critical militarism studies.

Independent Study

This module gives you the chance to research a topic that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research, gaining in-depth knowledge of your subject. Student projects have included subjects like:

 Is Europe’s relationship with Turkey failing?
 How does globalisation impact the environment - in the US and China?
 Is democracy failing in Eastern Europe?

You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.