Module SGIA3661: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY IN INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE: HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND IDEAS

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3661: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY IN INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE: HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND IDEAS

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The aim of the course is for students to systematically analyze and critically interrogate the material and ideational forces that shape international politics. In doing so, students will trace how these forces interact through narratives about history and geography to create local and transnational identities. The module will further examine how ideas and identities go on to constitute international order by examining empirical cases that demonstrate theoretical concepts in practice.
• By the end of the course, students will: demonstrate a nuanced and critically-informed understanding of the relationship between history, geography, and ideas as it relates to international politics – in theory and in practice; develop a multidisciplinary approach to the study and the interpretation of phenomena in the international order; respond in critical and innovative ways to current themes and debates in International Relations theory.

Content

• The module will be organized in two parts:
• The first part is historically based and explores one case study: the Falklands/Malvinas War. By reflecting on the Argentine and British experiences of the 1982 conflict – distinct although interconnected – this section will show how different international and domestic backgrounds, political discourses and military traditions confronted each other in a brief but crucial war of the 20th century. Students will engage with different narratives and interpretations of the conflict; they will enter into broader discussions on theories and practices in international relations, as well as debates on central issues in global politics such as military force, international law, territorial claims and sovereignty. Students will draw on different sources: academic studies produced in Argentina and in Britain, veterans’ memoirs, audiovisual material; this will offer space for reflection on international relations in time and space beyond the Falkland/Malvinas case: colonial-postcolonial relations, past and present territorial disputes, memory constructions and representations, and so on.
• The second part is conceptually focused on military issues, identities and experiences. This section will allow students first to engage with traditional perspectives, and then to move towards more critical approaches to military studies, at the intersection between critical geopolitics and feminist international relations. Students will then be able to critically analyse and reconsider the role of the military in societies, and observe developments in civil-military relations worldwide, in the light of different theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of major contemporary debates in International Relations;
• An understanding of the contested nature of International Relations as a field of human activity and as an academic subject;
• An understanding of the relationship between history, geography, and ideas in theorizing the creation, maintenance, and evolution of international order;
• An awareness of the history of International Relations as a discipline and its links to race, empire, and hierarchy in the international realm;
• A broader understanding of which actors, identities and behaviours compose the multiform realm of International Relations
• An appreciation of the link between theory and practice in international politics.

• The ability to effectively describe and apply advanced academic literatures;
• The ability to identify and evaluate key disputes and debates in the context of International Relations theory and history;
• The ability to evaluate the long-term significance of change in the international order;
• The ability to adjudicate between and deploy a variety of primary and secondary evidence to support arguments;
• Showing awareness of and sophistication in the use of methodological ideas and approaches to theorising and interpreting international politics.

• Students should also enhance key skills, including:
• The ability to deploy appropriate scholarly material and resources in support of reasoned and logical arguments;
• The ability to effectively communicate their arguments through a variety written and oral formats;
• The ability to engage with and critically reflect on scholarly debates as well as alternative learning experiences such as simulations and field trips;
• The ability to apply theoretical debates to empirical examples and political practice.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning are via lectures, smaller-group tutorials and a fieldtrip.
• Four introductory lectures (2 in each term) will familiarize students with one case study, some key concepts, and the related theories and traditions in International Relations. They will set the stage for in-depth theoretical and empirical analysis of key texts and debates which will support students’ in their preparation for seminars and assessments. A series of 14 seminars will allow students to explore the subject in more depth, apply different analytical tools and discuss competing evaluations and assessments of the empirical examples, concepts and debates covered in the module. The seminars will also offer the opportunity for students to present their own understandings of the content of lectures and the texts, and lead the discussion in new directions.
• Formative assessment in the format of an essay (1,500 words) gives students practice in advanced of summative assessments in how to deploy field-specific knowledge and debates to develop and defend in a suitably structured and rigorous fashion a response to a set question. This is an opportunity for students to test new ideas and explore new theoretical direction. The formative essays will also provide students with written feedback on their work, enabling students to advance in their writing, reading, and research skills.
• Summative assessment in the form of a reflection essay (40%) in response to a group field trip. The assessment will allow students to reflect on how theoretical concepts might apply to an empirical example, interacting with the territory and producing narratives and material representations that can be interrogated. It will also provide students with the opportunity to connect theoretical concepts and scholarly debates with an embodied sense of place, identity and history.
• Summative assessment in the form of a research essay (60%) will allow students to engage in an in-depth exploration of one theme or puzzle from the module material. The essay will provide students the opportunity to demonstrate engagement with key texts and debates and to formulate a nuanced argument about contemporary trends in International Relations.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A formative essay (1,500 words) to be submitted at the end of Michaelmas Term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University