BA (Hons)
International Relations
Degree Programme

YEAR 1

Courses

• HST 3205 The Global Cold War

  This course introduces students to the major events and themes of the Cold War, demonstrating how it shaped the modern world system. In addition to providing students with a foundational understanding of the major themes and events of the Cold War, this course explores the interpretive controversies surrounding them. Students are encouraged to engage the changing historiography of the multifaceted, multi-polar Cold War from a variety of challenging perspectives, with particular emphasis given to its global context. Students will examine the period in the light of changing historiographical interpretations and with reference to its economic, cultural, ideological, military, political and social dimensions.

• INR 3100 World Politics

  This course engages students with world politics with an emphasis on understanding the possibility of and mechanisms for international cooperation in the contemporary international system. We look at inter-state cooperation in the form of treaties, diplomacy, norms and institutions (such as the UN), as well as informal modes of cooperation. We then turn to non-state actors such as companies, charities, NGOs, social movements and individuals and address their impact on cooperation and conflict in world politics. Finally, the course looks at the rise of ‘Great Powers’, reflecting on the costs and benefits of strategies of conflict or cooperation in response to changes in the hierarchies of world politics.

• PLT 3101 Political Ideologies

  Introduces students to the study of politics by defining, exploring, and evaluating the basic concepts of politics through the analysis of modern and contemporary ideologies. It outlines some of the central issues in the study of politics such as the role of ideologies in politics, the nature of the political itself; power and authority in the state; political obligation; the rights and duties of the citizen; liberty and equality; economic systems and modes of production through the scope of central political ideologies such as liberalism, Marxism, socialism, anarchism, conservatism, feminism, populism, and environmentalism.

• PLT 3102 Government, State, Politics

  This course examines the political experience, institutions, behavior and processes within major political systems that operate in today’s world. Within the course we analyses major concepts including power, legitimacy, society, and sovereignty and take into account approaches and methods of political science. As a result, we are able to produce comparative analyses of different states and governments and provide a critical understanding of political decision-making processes and the continuing transformation of the modern state.

• GEP 3105 Tools for Change

  In this course, students will discuss and respond to social issues in the local area through group work, reflecting on how they can become both collaborative and independent learners. They will research the context of and plan for service learning in the local area. They will learn to use a range of digital platforms for individual and group project work, focussing strongly on effective communication, including oral presentation and written reports using a range of relevant primary and secondary sources.

• GEP 3180 Research and Writing I

  This core course concentrates on developing the students’ ability to read and think critically, and to read, understand and analyse texts from a range of genres. How do you successfully negotiate a path through a sea of information and then write it up? Using essential information literacy skills to help with guided research, this course develops the ability to produce effective and appropriate academic writing across the curriculum. This is the first course in the Richmond academic research and writing sequence.

Plus one of the following:

• GEP 3150 Visual Thinking

  This course provides an interdisciplinary grounding in the practice and theory of critical visual thinking. Through theoretical frameworks such as semiotics, it explores predominantly photographic images, from across a range of cultures and contexts: the arts, politics, science, sport and technology. Through visual analysis, it considers digital forms of observation and image making, as well as building understanding by visual practice. It examines questions concerning curating, circulating and making public the images we produce. It asks: What are the values and truths hidden in images? How can the practice of image production advance our thinking around images? How, in the context of a range of disciplines, can we learn to communicate ideas visually and verbally?

• GEP 3170 Narratives of Change

  This course considers a landscape of global ideas through the lens of contemporary literature. Students will be introduced to pivotal moments of recent thought surrounding gender, race, environment and technology, exploring how literature both shapes and responds to our changing world. Students will analyse literary, political, and theoretical texts from a variety of cultures, exploring the relationship between written form, content and context particularly the ways in which social change might play out in literature. There will be the opportunity to produce both critical analysis in essay form and creative writing that responds to the texts studied.

YEAR 2

Courses

• INR 4100 Introduction to International Relations

  This course is a broad introductory survey of international relations. It acquaints students with the fundamental concepts and theories used in the discipline that help us make sense of our political world, and are crucial for further analysis of the field. The course gives students a taste of the theoretical debates and practical dynamics of global politics. It further examines some of the major challenges that humanity faces in the 21st century. Students get a chance to learn about and take part in the major debates of the discipline, for example concerning actors in the international system, the sources of insecurity, the relevance of economics to international politics, the importance of fighting poverty and underdevelopment, questions about how best to address environmental challenges, whether the state is still important and if globalization is a phenomena of the 20th century.

• INR 4101 Global Politics in the C21st

  This course addresses some of the most pressing contemporary challenges in global politics. It begins by examining major changes and trends in the actors, dynamics, motivations and interests that dominate international politics in the 21st century, and the unique impact of globalization and other contemporary global dynamics on these changes. Questions are asked about what the key issues in the contemporary study of International Relations should be in light of approaches to IR. In response, we consider the proliferation and impact of non-state actors, from global civil society, to terrorist organizations, to for-profit corporations, to Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs). We explore a range of global challenges, from transnational terrorism to migration, climate change and pandemics, disinformation and cyber-attacks and Weapons of Mass Destruction, and learn about the various responses of states and institutions, and their shortcomings.

• PLT 4101 Modern Political Thought

  This course provides students with an introduction to modern political thought as it developed in the Western World. It examines concepts at the core of political life, including freedom, equality, power, difference, and the state. The origins of political ideologies are discovered and explored through the study of a range of modern political thinkers up to around 1900, such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche.

• PLT 4102 Rich World/Poor World

  Provides students with an introduction to development studies, seeking to explain both the existence of and persistence of a Poor World from a political, sociological, historical and economic perspective. The course addresses numerous issues as they affect the Poor World, and studies relations both within and between Poor World and Rich World. Topics include colonialism and post-colonialism, processes of industrialization, food security, inequality, ethnicity and nationalism, aid, democratization, and conflict, as well as an introduction to theories of development.

• GEP 4180 Research and Writing II

  How do you train your critical research and writing skills to be effective in the academic and professional arenas? How do you design and structure an argument that is convincing? This core course focuses on the principles of good scholarship and academic practice that will be required throughout the students’ studies and in the workplace. These skills are developed throughout the course so that students may, with increasing confidence, produce well-researched writing that demonstrates critical engagement with a self-selected academic topic. This is the second course in the Richmond academic research and writing sequence.

• GEP 4105 Social Change in Practice

  This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to analyse London-based social and environmental needs. Students will discuss key texts related to service learning and apply a range of planning and research techniques to deliver a community-based project related to a chosen social or environmental issue. Students will use local resources when available including registered not-for-profit and community-based organizations and reflect critically on their ability to create a positive contribution to society. Students will engage in community-based service learning, with guided academic tasks and reflection.

• MTH 4120 Probability & Statistics I

  An introductory course in probability primarily designed for business economics and psychology majors. The course coverage will include: descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory, random variables and expectations, discrete probability distributions (Binomial and Poisson distributions), continuous probability distribution (Normal distribution), linear regression analysis and correlations, elementary hypothesis testing and Chi-square tests, non-parametric methods and SPSS lab sessions targeting applications of statistical concepts to business, economics and psychology and interpretations of hardcopies. All practical work will be produced using SPSS statistical software.

YEAR 3

Courses

• HST 5110 Nationalism And Conflict

  This course addresses nationalism and related conflicts in the 20th Century. Key events are covered, particularly the World Wars and the Cold War, while engaging with the ideological currents that influenced nationalist movements. Different historical interpretations of this material are addressed, while the concepts ‘nation’ and ‘nationalism’ are explored in detail. A range of C20th historical contexts are used to develop related themes such as imperialism, independence, revolutions, fascism, communism, democracy and dissent.

• INR 5101 Conflict & Conflict Resolution

  This course provides overview of different theories and frameworks for understanding international and sub-national conflict, discussing the role of different forms of violence, identity, material factors, security concerns and basic human needs in the outbreak and reproduction of conflicts. The course then focuses on conflict resolution, including examination of different types of external interventions, military and non-military, and develops analytical criteria of success in peace building. Finally, the course considers the particular issues that arise in countries which have experienced and are experiencing civil wars. Case studies of civil and international conflicts, and of related conflict resolution strategies are used throughout.

• INR 5102 Global Development Politics

  Examines the global politics of development and of developing states. The course will consider development theory, strategies and methods, and provide an overview of global development politics in practice though a range of case studies. Contemporary development debates are addressed, particularly issues of gender and development, and the impact of the changing global division of labour on developing states.

• INR 5104 Globalization and Anti-Globalization

  This interdisciplinary course addresses the vitally important and complex phenomenon of contemporary globalization, and the ongoing backlash against it from both left (counter-globalization or alt-globalization) and right (anti-globalization). The concept of globalization and the history of this phenomenon are interrogated. Political, social, economic and cultural aspects of globalization are discussed, and core themes of globalization debates are addressed, such as convergence, nationalism, and inequality. A range of global actors, agents and institutions are critically engaged with.

• PLT 5201 Research Methods: Social Sciences

  Introduces students to research methodology, key research methods, and research practices used in the social sciences with an emphasis on qualitative methods. Students will learn skills that translate directly into the workplace, including in NGOs, charities, the corporate sector, and intergovernmental and development agency contexts. This course also trains students for practically undertaking academic research such as that required to complete a dissertation. Students are prepared to carry out a range of methods (including textual analysis, interviews, surveys, focus groups, and ethnography) and learn principles of data collection and analysis from the positivist and post-positivist perspectives. Writing research proposals and pitching research are both taught and assessed, and students are introduced to widely used and newer modes of and approaches to research, including creative methods and participatory/reflexive approaches.

Plus one of the following:

• AMS 5100 Politics and Elections in the USA

  Examines the nature of politics and elections in the United States of America. The course considers political processes and the implementation of policy. Constitutional mandates and constraints on the different branches of government are addressed, along with the impact of these on policy making processes. Elections and the processes that guide electoral politics in the USA are given special attention. The course then examines and explores post-war policy practices, considering both internal and external influences on political processes, including elections, in the USA.

• COM 5215 Political Communications

  The course focuses on the role of political communications in the political process. It examines the relationship between governments, the media and the public in Western democracies, with emphasis on the UK and the US political systems. Starting with an overview of the role of the media in political theory, it moves to the examination of the origins and development of political marketing and public relations, the use of political advertising by political parties, and the representation of non-governmental actors in the media coverage. Furthermore, the course considers issues of national security and secrecy as well as changes in political communications brought about by the introduction of new technologies. Particular attention is given to the use of techniques and strategies during election campaigns. Prerequisite: At least one 4000-level COM, PLT or INR course

• CRM 5400 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

  In the wake of 9-11 Islamist attack and the 22 July 2011 Norway ‘lone wolf’ radical right massacre, terrorism and counterterrorism have come to dominate political agendas and media discourse across the US and Europe. Through a comparative analysis of the history of US and EU responses to 21st century terrorism this class studies the nature of the threats to Western security by examining types of terrorism and the development, strategies and theories surrounding terrorism. Given special attention in this class are: victims and perpetrators; processes of violent radicalisation; typologies of terror (religious extremism, political violence, regional separatism, state-sponsored terror and animal rights/ecological activism); and what can be done to counter and/or limit terrorism (surveillance/policing/de-radicalisation/education/social media); as well as how effective such practices are.

• HST 5101 Russian History and Politics

  This course focuses on the political evolution of the world’s first Communist state - its birth, development, collapse and recent transformation. The course will introduce students to the major developments in Russian history and politics from the revolution of 1905 to the First and Second World Wars, to the Cold War, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and to its successor.

• HST 5105 Rise of the Right: A History of Fascisms

  This course is intended to be a comparative study of various forms of fascisms from the end of the nineteenth century through to the modern period. It explores the fundamental interpretative questions concerning the nature of fascism, namely: whether there is such a thing as ‘generic’ fascism; the characteristics of fascist regimes; and how useful the term fascism is for historical analysis. This is followed by a study of the historical origins of fascism as well as an examination of late nineteenth/early twentieth century proto-fascist movements. The focus then moves to the individual fascist movements themselves, including Italy (where the fascist prototype evolved), Germany (where it was taken to its extreme), and Spain (where a variant persisted until 1975). Where appropriate other fascist movements and regimes will also be discussed, both western and non western. The course concludes with a discussion about the ‘return’ of fascism, examining Neo-Nazi violence, immigration, ‘ethnic cleansing’ and the return of fascism under ‘other names’. The course is intended to be interactive with guest speakers, class visits, films, and regular seminar sessions.

• INR 5103 Global Energy Politics

  Examines some of the contemporary geo-political, economic, technical, governance and environmental issue surrounding global energy issues. We look at supply and demand tensions, transit and pipeline issues, infrastructure problems, private companies and state monopolies, deregulation and markets, innovation policy, energy and development, international cooperation, environmental stress, energy poverty, and energy futures, as well as the impact of energy on the livelihoods of the urban and rural poor.

• INR 5105 International Human Rights

  This course will cover the evolution of international human rights and of the various regional and international treaties and institutions designed for their protection. It will interrogate the fundamental tension between state sovereignty and individual rights and explore examples and case studies from around the world for the causes for human rights violations and the responses to them. It will further examine the meaning of human rights in various western and non-western political and cultural contexts and examine their impact on people living in these contexts. Students will have an opportunity to critically evaluate a number of specific human rights and explore the motivations and barriers for their protection, and the role of a range of actors who promote or push back against the idea of international human rights.

• PLT 5101 Capitalism and its Critics

  This course examines the historical development of thought about capitalism. Liberal, mercantilist and radical political economy in the 18th and 19th centuries is covered, along with a range of 20th Century scholars, such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, J.M. Keynes and Joseph Schumpeter. The object of study in the course is theories of capitalism, and addressed themes include the nature of market society, the relationship between state and market, economic growth and economic crises, market failure and government failure. These themes enable the course to engage with the relations between capitalism and other systems such as democracy, fascism, communism, racism, anti-Semitism, slavery and patriarchy.

• PLT 5102 Democracy and its Enemies

  This course analyses the rise of democracy as an idea and as a practice using both theoretical and historical approaches, and processes of democratization in both theoretical and empirical terms. The course aims to provide an introduction to the central models of democracy (namely classical democracy, republicanism, liberal democracy, deliberative democracy and cosmopolitan democracy). Students are then enabled to analyse problems associated with the practice of liberal democracy, namely political engagement, the advent of post-democracy and the rise of populism. Finally, the course examines the practices of democracy and experiences with democratization in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

• PLT 5103 Politics of Environmentalism

  Examines the political, economic, ideological, and social dilemmas associated with environmental issues. The first section of the course addresses the historical roots of environmentalism, its key concepts, and a range of key thinkers and paradigms for understanding environmentalism as an ideology. The second section of the course explores the role of key actors engaged in environmental policy making, and important issues in contemporary environmental politics. Topics addressed include environmental movements and parties, global environmental regimes, the impact of the media on environmental issues, and prospects for green technologies and employment.

• PLT 5105 British Politics: Inside Parliament

Plus one of the following:

• GEP 5101 Service Learning: Digital Collaboration

  This Digital Collaboration Service-Learning course is a student community engagement course that aims to provide students from all disciplines and majors with the intellectual, professional, and personal skills that will enable them to build professional links and function well in culturally diverse communities both locally and globally, in a digital capacity. In addition to the hours of field work (typically 30 hours*), the student will also produce a critical reflective progress report of their experience (a learning log), a ‘community action’ portfolio (analytical essay), and a final oral presentation, based on their own creative project. These assessments have been designed to help the student reflect on the application of their specialist knowledge, the skills they are learning, and the benefits gained from the service-learning experience. During this service-learning course, the faculty supervisor work closely with each student to ensure that the community engagement is a successful one.This course enables students engage with organizations and communities outside of the university. Over two semesters, students will devise, plan and construct their own digital project for Charities, NGO’s and non-profit organisations via digital engagement and media networks. This course expands theories from digital global service learning, across different employment sectors, and aspects of society. It equips students to identify the ranges of opportunities for innovation and employment that digital skills offer, using digital resource and community building for physical and mental health. The course examines decolonial theories of global digital community. It is highly recommended that students have access to the use of a laptop and a smartphone for the duration of the course.

• GEP 5102 Service Learning: Leadership in a Changing World

  This is a Service Learning course that focuses on emerging forms of leadership. It aims to introduce students from all majors to the professional, intellectual and personal skills to enable them to understand different approaches to leadership and function well in culturally diverse communities globally. In addition to the hours of field work (typically 30 hours* depending on the organisation), the student will also produce a critical reflective progress report of their experience (a project log), and a portfolio of their work (potentially as an analytical essay, or a video or a Report or an oral presentation). These assessments have been designed to help the student reflect on the application of their specialist knowledge, the leadership skills they are learning, and the benefits gained from the critical experiential service-learning. It will also help them determine if their current career goals are the correct fit for them.This course enables students to engage with organizations and communities outside of the university. During the semester, students will consider topics such as negotiation and behavioral influence. They will devise, plan and carry out their own engagement project for Charities, NGO’s and non-profit organisations. This course combines design thinking and behavioural design theories with global service learning theory, across different employment sectors and aspects of society. It equips students to identify opportunities for influence, leadership and employment both in and adjacent to their field. The course is underpinned by JEDI approaches to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

• GEP 5103 Service Learning: Environment and Society

  This Environmental Service Learning course is a student community engagement course that aims to provide students from all disciplines and majors with the intellectual, professional, and personal skills that will enable them to build professional links and function well in culturally diverse communities globally and within an Environmental perspective. In addition to the hours of field work (typically 30 hours* depending on the organisation), the student will also produce a critical reflective progress report of their experience (a learning log), a ‘community action’ portfolio (analytical essay), and a final oral presentation. These assessments have been designed to help the student reflect on the application of their specialist knowledge, the skills they are learning, and the benefits gained from the service-learning experience. It will also to help them determine if their current career goals are the correct fit for them. During this service-learning course, the faculty supervisor will work closely with each student to ensure that the community engagement is a successful one.

• GEP 5104 Service Learning: Global Citizenship and Migration

  This course examines the theoretical, political and sociological conceptions of citizenship and their limitations. It looks at both the theoretical constructs and the concrete policies that have shaped the experience of the citizen and of the migrant. The course therefore considers the development of the nation state and the establishment of legal and social citizenship. It also examines the border as a mechanism of control and security. The course further addresses the intersection of experiences of citizenship across economic, racial and gender differences in the context of international governance as well as the globalization of economies and environmental issues. This is a Service-Learning student community engagement course that aims to provide students with the analytical and inter-personal skills to support key non-governmental and policy-making actors around the broad theme of citizenship and migration as well as to build an understanding of the needs and challenges faced by key stakeholders and local communities globally. Through consultation with key stakeholders, students will produce analytical written assessments on key questions around the theme of global citizenship and migration, they will also produce a range of work introducing them to a range of key employability skills in a range of key sectors related to citizenship, these might include: the local and global charity sector, local and national policy-making, as well as regional or international organisations. Students will be required to maintain a progress report that tracks learning and can act as a reference point for problem solving in the future.

YEAR 4

Courses

• INR 6101 International Relations Theory

  The theories of international relations (IR) are best introduced through a study of the classic texts and debates in the discipline. This course examines most of the theories and approaches to international politics, as well as their historic foundations. It begins with some philosophical debates regarding the purpose of theorising, the importance of understanding ontological and epistemological assumptions and the difference between ‘understanding’ and ‘explaining’ in international relations theory. The course then critically evaluates the grand and middle range theories of IR, followed by a multitude of multidisciplinary approaches to conceptualising global politics and the post-positivist critiques. The course provides students with a set of conceptual and analytical tools in order to acquire a deeper and more nuanced understanding of international relations and global politics.

• INR 6103 Diplomatic Studies

  This course offers an overview of the history and practice of contemporary diplomacy. It begins with analysis of what a modern diplomat currently does, both at home and abroad, set within the context of diplomatic history and theory. The normal practice of diplomacy and the various techniques of international negotiation will be addressed by using both historical and contemporary examples. It will familiarize students with the activities of a modern diplomat within a wider historical and theoretical context.

• PLT 6104 Sustainable Development

  This course introduces students to the process of development project evaluation, in the context of the theory and practice of sustainable development. The course enables students to focus on the political, social and economic complexity of managing a specific sustainable development in the developing world. Methods of evaluation are explored, decided upon and utilised in the production of a Project Evaluation Document (PED) for a sustainable development project of choice. Issues such as livelihoods, gender, environmental impact, measurement, participation and consultation processes are raised, though the context varies across urban/rural and blue-green-brown issues depending on the specific project chosen for evaluation.

• INR 6105 Security Studies

  This course examines enduring and contemporary questions of security and insecurity in the international system. Security has traditionally been defined in terms of strategic state politics and the use of military force to counter external military threats. However, contemporary sources of insecurity raise questions about the continued relevance of traditional theories of security. New security threats (such as human security, environmental security, cyber security) have been defined both in the academic literature and by state security strategies. This course critically evaluates these developments using IR and security studies theories, supplemented by practical case-studies. Students investigate the definition of the term security and threats to security, questions about the referent object of security, the root causes of insecurity and the methods of eliminating or lessening such threats.

• INR 6296 Senior Seminar in International Relations 1

  This research intensive course for the major is the first part of a two semester sequence taken in the Senior year. Students produce a research proposal, a literature review and a substantial draft that feeds directly into Senior Seminar 2 which culminates in a 8,000 - 10,000 word dissertation. Students are guided through the various stages of proposal and dissertation writing, and draft work is supervised regularly in a process of continuous feedback.

• INR 6297 Senior Seminar in International Relations 2

  Senior Seminar 2 is second half of the research intensive course for the major. Building directly on the writing completed in Senior Seminar 1, students produce an 8,000-10,000 word thesis driven research paper. Students are guided through the various stages of drafting and revising their final dissertation, and orally present their research according to conference standards as part of the formative process.

Plus one of the following:

• AMS 6101 The American Presidency

  This course studies the American presidency in a deliberately multi-disciplinary fashion, taking into account the history of the office, its place within the American system of government as well as its cultural and international impact. The course considers the origins, history and evolution of the presidency; addresses the powers and limitations of the office; examines the individuals who have sought and held the title and explore the continuing cultural impact of the American Presidency.

• HST 6101 Culture, Power, and Empire

  This course examines the causes, consequences and significance of empires throughout history from a broad range of comparative and international perspectives, including the economic, political, social and (by way of postcolonial theory) the cultural. It investigates why empires are significant, who are the empire-makers, how and why empires rise and fall, whether they are good or bad, how they are defined and how they can be resisted. The subject matter ranges from the earliest land superpowers of the ancient world to the ‘New Rome’ - the United States. The sources studied range from the visual to the virtual, including primary and historiographical. The course finishes by suggesting other potential contenders for imperial hegemony, including Multinational Corporations, individuals and religious organisations. It examines the question as to whether or not all history is essentially a history of empire, with the legacies of this imperial past (if not some of the empires themselves) still alive and well despite decolonisation. Where possible the course will make use of museums and collections within London.

• HST 6104 Modern Warfare and Social Change

  This course explores the changing nature and history of warfare from the Modern period to the end of the twentieth century. The central premise is that war often reflects the societies and cultures that wage it. This notion is tested by examining several different examples of warfare and society across different cultures, historical periods, and geographic locations. This course will include substantive analysis of the ethos, causes, and socio-political impacts of wars, as well as examine the role of war in the development of nations and ‘national identities. We will debate questions arising from topics such as: the most influential military leaders; strategies, tactics, and weaponry; state structures and finance; debates over gender; and technological and ideological clashes between different cultures and social systems, examining the conflicts within and between states. The class will involve some visits to local museums and sites of relevance, and where possible/desirable, some overseas visits might be included.

• INR 6102 Politics of International Law

  This course examines the concept, scope and nature of Public International Law and its significance in the context of the international political system. It examines the sources of international law, theories of state participation and compliance, and legal-political mechanisms of enforcements. The course explores key issues in international law such as: the rights and duties of states, economic and environmental law, the legality of the use of force and of the conduct of warfare, human rights and international criminal law, the role of international tribunals and more. Students consider the politics of law-making, compliance and enforcement in different issue areas, and contend with the impact of fragmentation and self-regulation on the effectiveness of international law in a range of case studies.

• INR 6104 Peace and Justice

  The course explores various philosophical, political and cultural traditions on peace and non-violence, and focuses on the important and problematic relationship between peace and justice and the local and global levels, and the influence of different actors. The course combines a theoretical and comparative approach to learn from cases about the conditions that made peace successful or unsuccessful, and considers the legacy of the ‘peace versus justice’ debate. The course also explores the lessons learned from transitional justice policies and experiences, the role of the UN and its agencies and the impact of non-state actors and organizations, and considers the extent to which a single global standard (i.e. Western) of justice can be agreed and implemented, and what alternative approaches to the liberal view of peace and justice are explored in different cultural and political contexts.

• PLT 6102 Policy-Making in a Globalized World

  This course investigates the process of policy-making in modern states. It explores the role of ideas and institutions in policy-making, how in the new globalized world governments “import” and “borrow” policy ideas from each other, while analyzing how the different actors (i.e. states, bureaucrats, think-tanks, policy-networks, lobby groups, global civil society, and citizens) participate and influence the policy-making process. Through active learning activities (such as mapping the agenda-setting of ideas, identifying policy networks, advising a President) students will understand the complexities of policy-making and the challenges that the modern state faces in the era of globalization.

• PLT 6105 The European Union

  This course analyses the historical evolution of the European Union from its inception until the current times. The course also examines the nature of the EU, the role of its institutions, the impact of European common policies like the Single Market, the monetary union and Foreign and Security Policy. The course then addresses the governance challenges the EU faces, namely the rise of Euroscepticism, the management of the Eurozone and migratory pressures from outside the EU.

Integrated Internship

• INR 6901 World Internship International Relations

  The Internship in International Relations is a student work placement that aims to provide students with the experience of working internationally in related industries.Students will develop the intellectual, professional, and personal skills that will enable them to function well in a culturally diverse working environment. All internships are supervised by faculty, and all last a minimum of 6 weeks in length and are carried out full time Monday to Thursday/ Friday. Each student will also complete a series of assessments throughout the internship, such as keeping a written journal of their experience, preparing an internship portfolio, and delivering a final presentation. These assessments have been designed to help the student reflect on the skills they are learning and the benefits gained from the internship experience, and also to help them determine if their current career goals are the correct fit for them. During the internship, the staff of the Internship Office and a faculty supervisor work closely with each student to ensure that the placement is a successful one. Students’ final grades are based on several factors including, written assignments, presentation, and a report from their workplace supervisor which is taken into consideration.

• INR 6902 Internship In International Relations

  The Internship in International Relations is a student work placement that aims to provide students with the experience of working internationally in related industries.Students will develop the intellectual, professional, and personal skills that will enable them to function well in a culturally diverse working environment. All internships are supervised by faculty, and all last a minimum of 6 weeks in length and are carried out full time Monday to Thursday/ Friday. Each student will also complete a series of assessments throughout the internship, such as keeping a written journal of their experience, preparing an internship portfolio, and delivering a final presentation. These assessments have been designed to help the student reflect on the skills they are learning and the benefits gained from the internship experience, and also to help them determine if their current career goals are the correct fit for them. During the internship, the staff of the Internship Office and a faculty supervisor work closely with each student to ensure that the placement is a successful one. Students’ final grades are based on several factors including, written assignments, presentation, and a report from their workplace supervisor which is taken into consideration.