Module SGIA1221: Introduction to International Relations

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA1221: Introduction to International Relations

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module aims to offer students the opportunity to critically engage with the field of International Relations from a pluralist and global perspective.
• The module aims to develop students’ skills in using theory in a reflective and critical manner and the ability to engage in critical analysis of core concepts of relevance for the study of international relations.

Content

• The module offers an overview of major theoretical traditions and debates within International Relations in a manner that decentres western thought and provides a pluralist account of global relations.
• The module introduces students to core concepts in the field, including but not limited to power, sovereignty, the international system, the state, norms, inequality, violence.
• The module situates the development of International Relations within different historical and contemporary stories, which may include colonialism and empire, globalisation and transnationalism, capitalism and neoliberalism, patriarchy and gender, migration and borders, revolution and the everyday, climate and environment.

Learning Outcomes

• Core concepts, arguments and debates in both normative and analytical theorising of the international.
• Structures, power dynamics and interactions at different levels of the international system from a pluralist and global perspective that decentres western thought.
• Major actors in the international system.

• Identify, assess and select diverse sources to engage effectively with theoretical and empirical debates in International Relations.
• Describe, analyse and critically evaluate competing theoretical explanations of international relations in a reflective manner, producing defensible, evidence-based judgements.
• Apply appropriate methods of analysis to problems in the study of International Relations and advocate solutions.

• Develop and deploy skills in conceptual analysis, critical thinking, and argumentative reasoning.
• Effectively communicate complex information based on the analysis, comparison, and assessment of theories and concepts through a variety of formats (written, spoken, or visual).
• Work independently and/or as part of a team to successfully design and manage a project efficiently and to a deadline.

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 seminars, digital content and engagement, and on-going self- and peer-assessment.
• Lectures provide for the delivery of subject specific knowledge and enable staff to highlight key areas of dispute in the field, including the role of methodological disputes.
• Smaller-group seminars enable students to explore the subject in more depth and discuss competing evaluations and assessments of the theories and debates covered in the module. They also offer an opportunity for students to structure and communicate their knowledge in response to the dynamics of the class.
• The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be used for ongoing self-and peer assessment opportunities and digital content such as bite-size videos relating to core concepts.
• Finally, a core part of the module is independent reading and study where students should spend time critically engaging with course materials.
• Formative Assessment
• Throughout the module students are required to submit 3x300-word reflective blog pieces responding to prompts that will be published on VLE. The prompts will ask students to reflect on their developing understanding of International Relations, and how the module content transforms their understanding of the world and their own role as part of the global system. Students will be asked to bring their pieces into their seminars for peer assessment.
• Half-way through Epiphany term, students will then be asked to collate their blog pieces into one 1000-word piece for submission and marking.
• Summative Assessment
• Individual in-person written examination consisting of 2 x 500-word questions which ask students to engage with key conceptual debates in the field.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

3 x 300-word blog posts making up 1,000-word reflective essay.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.