Overview

The MA in International Relations combines the advanced study of the core theoretical frameworks within the discipline of IR with in-depth exploration of a wide range of key themes and topics. The MA is targeted at students who want to combine a strong foundation in the theoretical debates of International Relations with an understanding of how those debates resonate in particular issue areas and contexts. Through both the broad range of option modules that are available and the opportunity to research and write a dissertation on a topic of their choice, students can develop expertise in their own area of interest in International Relations. The programme is for graduates who wish to become researchers or academics in International Relations and allied fields, or who wish to use the advanced training and education that it provides in their career in the private or public sector.

Structure

Students following the MA in International Relations programme are required to complete a single core module (20 credits) called Themes and Theories in International Relations. They also select and complete three option modules (20 credits each), and a 20,000 word Dissertation (100 credits).   

MA in International Relations students may choose from the full list of option modules as they wish across the Autumn and Spring terms. Some examples are provided below to give you a flavour of possible pathways that reflect a range of student interests.    

Core Module: Themes and Theories in International Relations (20 credits, Autumn term)

This module enables students to understand, explain, critique, and apply contemporary International Relations theory. The module begins by asking questions about how we come to know what International Relations is, and considers debates over the role of theory in explaining, understanding and constituting International Relations. It then introduces and explores traditional and critical theories of International Relations using the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 as a module-long case study over seven weeks. Students will examine and apply different theoretical frameworks to a range of questions relating to the Iraq War and in the process explore a host of salient themes and issues in contemporary international politics, such as war, power, terrorism, democratic peace, global governance, energy security, exploitation, resistance, and gender. Students will not only develop a detailed understanding of competing theoretical perspectives in International Relations, but also an important awareness of the relationship between theory, context and practice and the contingency of knowledge claims about international politics.

 Option Modules (20 credits each)

Students select three option modules: one in the Autumn term, two in the Spring term. A flexible programme of study means you can take any combination of options you wish subject to availability.

Nevertheless, many students enrol in the MA in International Relations to develop a particular area of interest. To guide your choice of option modules we recommend students that wish to focus their Masters studies on issues around international security consider Conflict and Recovery, New Security Challenges, Violence and International Interventions, Conflict and Human Rights, Asylum, Migration and Trafficking, and Women, Citizenship and Conflict.

Students that wish to focus their Masters studies on issues around governance and justice should consider State, Space and Globalisation, Reason and Power in European Political Thought, Understanding Governance, Ethics and World Politics, International Economic Governance: Trends and Dynamics, and Truth, Justice and Reparations after Violence.

Students that wish to focus their Masters studies on issues around international political economy and development should consider Critical Theories of International Political Economy, Theories and Policies of Development Governance, Critical Issues in International Political Economy, Social and Political Issues in Development, and Development and Human Rights.

Teaching

Students undertaking the MA in International Relations will experience a range of teaching methods and techniques across the modules that comprise the programme. In terms of the organisation and delivery of modules, teaching and learning is delivered in two-hour sessions in a mixture of lecture and participatory seminar formats. In terms of approach and content, the core module in particular will guide students as they make problem-centred, critical engagements with theory, practice and policy. All Masters-level modules in the Department of Politics are assessed by a single, 4,000 word essay.

On enrolment on the programme, students are assigned an academic supervisor who is responsible for overseeing their progress and who is available to offer advice and assistance. Students will receive feedback on their assessed essays from module convenors, both as they prepare and plan prior to submission and as they receive marks and comments after submission. Module convenors will also provide feedback in the form of tutorial reports that address a student’s participation and performance in a seminar setting. Students’ tutorial reports are read and discussed with their academic supervisor on an individual basis and at the end of each term.  Furthermore, students are allocated a dissertation supervisor from the spring term. It is the responsibility of the dissertation supervisor to provide students with guidance and support in the researching and writing of their dissertation. Finally, students are encouraged to contribute to the Department of Politics’ research activities and culture by attending regular staff and post-graduate student seminars.   

The specified learning outcomes for the MA in International Relations programme include:

·         Knowledge of contemporary theories and approaches in the study of international relations and of the social and political processes that shape them.

·         Advanced critical understanding of a number of crucial issues and problems in current international relations, including international development, conflict, global governance, the nature and role of regional and international organisations, and normative issues.

·         Critical awareness of the plurality of theories and approaches relevant to addressing intellectual and practical problems in international relations.

·         Deeper and more sustained critical understanding of  theories, problems and approaches to international relations developed  in the context of supervised independent research and the writing of a longer piece of work based on that research.

 The discipline-related and transferable skills for the MA in International Relations include:

 

·         Write concise academic papers in international relations; to use library resources on international relations, including complete referencing.

·         Relate disciplinary theories and approaches to the identification and solution of intellectual and practical problems in international relations, both through individual work and collective seminar participation.

·         Critically analyse and evaluate evidence in the assessment and independent scrutiny of competing approaches and issues in international relations in the context of developing own research project.

Students

The MA in International Relations is for graduates who wish to become researchers or academics in International Relations and allied fields, or who wish to use the advanced training and education that it provides to develop or further their career in the private or public sector. By giving students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of global politics and International Relations, the distinctive approach and thematic content of the programme lends itself to the accumulation of the specific expertise that is typically necessary for either further research or future career development. Indeed, the 13-15,000 word Dissertation that is a feature of all Masters programmes in the Department of Politics has been shown to provide both an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue doctoral study, and an outstanding avenue through which practitioners can add a substantive piece of research to their portfolio.       

Staff

The MA in International Relations programme draws on staff expertise in International Relations and allied fields that are present in the Department of Politics, the Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU), and the Centre for Applied Human Rights.

Most modules will be delivered by staff from the Department of Politics’ International and Comparative Politics Research Cluster, who include Dr Nick Ritchie (Convenor of the MA in International Relations), Prof. Werner Bonefeld, Dr Liam Clegg, Dr Louise Haagh, Dr Nicole Lindstrom, Dr Alex Hall, Dr Audra Mitchell, and Dr Simon Parker.