PAIR1001 Introduction to International Relations

Module Aims

This module explores different ways of thinking about the complexities of global politics today. It examines essential concepts, ideas and theories within the academic literature on international relations (IR). It seeks to illuminate their relevance to understanding and explaining contemporary global developments. Overall, it provides an introduction to the study of international relations and global politics. The class first examines a number of different theoretical approaches drawn from different intellectual traditions in the discipline, including Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, and some critical approaches to IR as well as the latest revisions to these schools and contemporary debates on governance and globalisation. The module also looks in some detail at real-world problems related to terrorism and security, human rights, global political economy, development, environment, and international migration, among others. The main goals of this module are: To identify and explore the dominant features of the contemporary global system. To familiarise students with the major theoretical traditions in the study of IR. To analyse the nature of power relations in the global system and their relationship to patterns of global wealth and poverty, war and peace, demographics, etc. To examine how the contemporary world order is ‘governed,’ as well as the limits to global governance. To assess processes of change and their implications for the future of world order.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key theoretical debates and issues of current global politics
• Understand key principles of particular arguments in application to specific dimensions of international relations
• Identify actors and processes in international politics, providing examples and framing opinion based on theories of international relations
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of the literature and good use of bibliographic references.
• Apply critical thinking and policy orientated writing