MSc Politics and International Relations

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This compulsory core module for the MSc programme on Political Thought focuses on approaches to the study of political theory in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The module is relevant for students in regionally defined MSc programmes in the Politics department, and to those enrolled in area studies degrees based in other departments. It is distinct from other modules in the area studies degrees since our study is not confined to a single geographical region; rather, the focus is on the study of concepts and political thought. The module seeks to introduce the main approaches and themes in the emerging sub-field of comparative political theory and to elaborate conceptual approaches to the comparison of political thinking across regions and traditions that the module develops.

International Theory

This module offers an advanced, masters-level introduction to the cross-disciplinary, intellectual field of International Political Economy (IPE). The examination of the international political economy is important for how it sheds light on the complexity of capitalism, including its structures, processes, and outcomes. The module is organised around a set of prominent debates in three areas: (1) conceptual frameworks, derived from both international relations and the broader tradition of political economy; (2) the post-war history of governing the world economy, including attention to finance, trade, and development; and (3) contemporary crises afflicting the capitalist order, including an examination of the global financial crisis, socio-economic inequalities, the political economy of work, the political economy of the environment, and consideration of alternatives to our current predicament.

Students are asked to think critically about how the politics of the world economy is conceived and governed, in particular through evaluating issues of power and equity. There are two main questions addressed throughout the module: (1) why and how does the international political economy take its current form?; and (2) how does the international political economy impact on particular actors, including governments; firms and other producers; civil society groups and other people?

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

Module-specific skills
(1) Demonstrate detailed knowledge of debates within the study of International Political Economy, including relevant conceptual frameworks, the international institutional history of the world economy, and major contemporary problems in key issue areas;
(2) Demonstrate the ability to articulate one’s own ethical and political positions on questions of the international political economy;

Discipline-specific skills
(3) Demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge on the international political economy, and a critical awareness of current problems;
(4) Demonstrate a conceptual understanding that enables you to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline;
(5) Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses;

Personal and key skills
(6) Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
(7) Work independently and with peers to achieve common goals.

Scope and syllabus

1. Introduction: Why IPE?

Part I: Conceptual Frameworks
2. The Liberal Tradition
3. Critical Perspectives

Part II: Governing the Post-war International Political Economy
4. Finance: From Bretton Woods to the Big Bang
5. Trade: From the GATT to the WTO
6. Development and its Discontents

Part III: Capitalism in Crisis
7. The Financial Explosion: Causes and Consequences
8. The Social Crisis: Understanding Global Inequalities
9. Another Day, Another Dollar: The Political Economy of Work
10. A Planetary Emergency: The Political Economy of the Environment

Method of assessment

One two hour unseen written examination: 60% of total mark. Two 2000 word essays: each 20% of total mark.

Suggested reading

Initial readings

Blyth, M. (ed), Routledge Handbook of International Political Economy (IPE): IPE as a Global Conversation (Abingdon: Routledge, 2009).

Eagleton-Pierce, M., Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts (Abingdon: Routledge, 2015).

Gilpin, R., Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).

Frieden, J. and Lake, D., International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth (London: Routledge, 2000).

Ravenhill, J. (ed), Global Political Economy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011 or 2014). **

Strange, S., States and Markets (London: Frances Pinter Publishers Ltd, 1994).

Walter and Sen, G., Analyzing the Global Political Economy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

This course introduces International Relations students to a wide range of issues in the contemporary world centred on conflict and the liberal world order. We look historically at the decline of inter-state war and the rise (and now decline) of civil wars, and at the rise of global terrorism and its implications, focusing on efforts to combat both the occurrence and conduct of conflict through international law and norms with a particular focus on the politics of human rights, international justice and humanitarianism. We look more specifically at the protection of civilians, torture, civil liberties, cyber warfare and drones, and the Responsibility to Protect. We also ask whether the rise of populism might erode the willingness of Western democracies to support, in principle at least, international norms and at the implications of this both for the liberal world order as a whole and the globalisation of democracy in particular.

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

This module is for students with no prior knowledge of quantitative methods used in social research. Students will learn basic quantitative techniques used in social research and conduct the corresponding analyses using the R statistical package, as well as recognise applications of basic quantitative methods in social science journal articles. The topics covered will be: descriptive statistics; graphs; hypothesis testing for sample means and proportions; two-way and three-way tables; simple linear regression; multiple linear regression; and binary logistic regression.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

This compulsory core module for the MSc programme on Political Thought focuses on approaches to the study of political theory in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The module is relevant for students in regionally defined MSc programmes in the Politics department, and to those enrolled in area studies degrees based in other departments. It is distinct from other modules in the area studies degrees since our study is not confined to a single geographical region; rather, the focus is on the study of concepts and political thought. The module seeks to introduce the main approaches and themes in the emerging sub-field of comparative political theory and to elaborate conceptual approaches to the comparison of political thinking across regions and traditions that the module develops.

This module seeks to provide PG students in Comparative Political Thought and other interested students at the department a substantial background in political theory and approaches to the analysis of political thought. It works slowly and closely on some key texts in the history of political thought, and situates them in their global, racial, economic, and gendered contexts by considering questions of empire, class, slavery, location, and more. At the same time, and as part of an effort to re-think the curriculum, the module undoes distinctions between “primary” and “secondary” readings on several levels.

This module introduces Masters students in the Department of Politics to debates around key concepts in political theory. Through a focus on influential texts and thinkers in contemporary political theory, it aims to provide a grounding in a range of concepts that are commonly used in political analysis and critique across different regions and periods. Students will engage with debates over the different meanings of liberty, the requirements of rights and justice, the forms of democracy and civil society, the nature of power and sovereignty, the critiques of post-colonialism, gender and identity theorists.

This half-unit module seeks to critically engage with the politic and theory of state violence. It will begin with a close reading of some primary philosophies of violence to try and understand both the phenomena itself and its schemes of justification.

The last few years have seen people rise up in many parts of the world and, in so doing, they follow long traditions of revolt and resistance, and justify the impulse to rebel with both political reform programmes and deep ethical and philosophical, not to mention religious reasoning. This module considers those reasoning and looks at work on the just rebellion from different parts of the world, and not just from Western sources. The module has the general objective of providing a comparative and multicultural approach to the political philosophies, theories, norms and practices of rebellion, both in various historical national contexts and in a contemporary global context.

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

Is secularism Western? Is religious discourse the natural means of authentic, indigenous political mobilization and expression in the Middle East? This course explores how religious difference in the Middle East became a salient social and political marker in the modern era. It will also consider the various methods and frameworks that scholars have used to grapple with this manifestation of social difference.

This course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the conceptual, historical, and sociological factors that contribute to democracy and authoritarianism in India. While India is the main focus for building in-depth knowledge and within-country comparisons, the course places Indian cases in comparative frames with a range of countries within and beyond South Asia. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on analyses of political processes rather than a description of events. At the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of academic work on the South Asia and an ability to write well-structured and well-researched papers on selected subjects in the field.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

International Theory

This course will investigate the evolving nature of security governance and risks in the 21st century, with particular attention to emerging threats in the realms of nuclear weapons, non-state terrorism, climate change, energy, and food security, as well as emerging forms of security governance in the domains of surveillance and policing.

The course focuses on the contestations in the history, institutions and politics of the global human rights regime, in general terms and in relation to specific rights issues, and considers its future prospects. We begin with a look at the contested history of human rights and ask why arguments about their origins are so persistent and the implications of dominant accounts of origins for contemporary politics of human rights. We then look at the sociology of human rights, using this approach to ask where the politics of human rights are located, and how and with what consequences the human rights ‘movement’ reproduces its moral authority. We then look at both international human rights norms and the institutions that embody them, including the relationship between rights, humanitarianism and international justice. Then, in the long middle section of the course, we examine a series of core rights issues in more depth, ranging from economic and social rights – including what relation, if any, human rights have to neoliberalism; women’s rights, children’s rights, and gender-based violence; LGBT* rights; states' routine suspension of rights in the name of security ('emergencies') - the new ‘normal’ of the ‘Global War on Terror' that has intensified amid the global pandemic; and the struggle for rights in exile (including, but not limited to, asylum) and, relatedly, the inexorable rise of the carceral state.

This module examines international migration and diaspora politics as transnational processes in world politics. Cross-border mobility and diasporic political projects are key features of the contemporary international environment, yet they remain undertheorized in International Relations. How do migration and diaspora politics inform or challenge our understandings of the state, national identity, sovereignty, and the nature of the international system? What is the relationship between international migration and key areas of concern for International Relations scholars such as economic development, diplomacy, international security and global normative contestation? A range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples will be covered.

This module offers an advanced, masters-level introduction to the cross-disciplinary, intellectual field of International Political Economy (IPE). The examination of the international political economy is important for how it sheds light on the complexity of capitalism, including its structures, processes, and outcomes. The module is organised around a set of prominent debates in three areas: (1) conceptual frameworks, derived from both international relations and the broader tradition of political economy; (2) the post-war history of governing the world economy, including attention to finance, trade, and development; and (3) contemporary crises afflicting the capitalist order, including an examination of the global financial crisis, socio-economic inequalities, the political economy of work, the political economy of the environment, and consideration of alternatives to our current predicament.

Students are asked to think critically about how the politics of the world economy is conceived and governed, in particular through evaluating issues of power and equity. There are two main questions addressed throughout the module: (1) why and how does the international political economy take its current form?; and (2) how does the international political economy impact on particular actors, including governments; firms and other producers; civil society groups and other people?

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

Module-specific skills
(1) Demonstrate detailed knowledge of debates within the study of International Political Economy, including relevant conceptual frameworks, the international institutional history of the world economy, and major contemporary problems in key issue areas;
(2) Demonstrate the ability to articulate one’s own ethical and political positions on questions of the international political economy;

Discipline-specific skills
(3) Demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge on the international political economy, and a critical awareness of current problems;
(4) Demonstrate a conceptual understanding that enables you to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline;
(5) Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses;

Personal and key skills
(6) Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
(7) Work independently and with peers to achieve common goals.

Scope and syllabus

1. Introduction: Why IPE?

Part I: Conceptual Frameworks
2. The Liberal Tradition
3. Critical Perspectives

Part II: Governing the Post-war International Political Economy
4. Finance: From Bretton Woods to the Big Bang
5. Trade: From the GATT to the WTO
6. Development and its Discontents

Part III: Capitalism in Crisis
7. The Financial Explosion: Causes and Consequences
8. The Social Crisis: Understanding Global Inequalities
9. Another Day, Another Dollar: The Political Economy of Work
10. A Planetary Emergency: The Political Economy of the Environment

Method of assessment

One two hour unseen written examination: 60% of total mark. Two 2000 word essays: each 20% of total mark.

Suggested reading

Initial readings

Blyth, M. (ed), Routledge Handbook of International Political Economy (IPE): IPE as a Global Conversation (Abingdon: Routledge, 2009).

Eagleton-Pierce, M., Neoliberalism: The Key Concepts (Abingdon: Routledge, 2015).

Gilpin, R., Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).

Frieden, J. and Lake, D., International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth (London: Routledge, 2000).

Ravenhill, J. (ed), Global Political Economy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011 or 2014). **

Strange, S., States and Markets (London: Frances Pinter Publishers Ltd, 1994).

Walter and Sen, G., Analyzing the Global Political Economy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

The Module presents a critical analysis of Artificial Intelligence with a particular emphasis on its implication for human security. It connects current research into the ethics of AI, to comparative philosophies including the socio-economic theories of the Frankfurt School and their emphasis on the perils of modern forms of production for human existence and the threat of “perfectionism” in capitalist societies. In addition, the course will consider the “techno-politics” of Paul Virilio and the critical approaches of Iranian philosophers such as Jamal Al-e Ahmad.

Foreign Policy Analysis.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

This course introduces International Relations students to a wide range of issues in the contemporary world centred on conflict and the liberal world order. We look historically at the decline of inter-state war and the rise (and now decline) of civil wars, and at the rise of global terrorism and its implications, focusing on efforts to combat both the occurrence and conduct of conflict through international law and norms with a particular focus on the politics of human rights, international justice and humanitarianism. We look more specifically at the protection of civilians, torture, civil liberties, cyber warfare and drones, and the Responsibility to Protect. We also ask whether the rise of populism might erode the willingness of Western democracies to support, in principle at least, international norms and at the implications of this both for the liberal world order as a whole and the globalisation of democracy in particular.

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

The course focuses on the contestations in the history, institutions and politics of the global human rights regime, in general terms and in relation to specific rights issues, and considers its future prospects. We begin with a look at the contested history of human rights and ask why arguments about their origins are so persistent and the implications of dominant accounts of origins for contemporary politics of human rights. We then look at the sociology of human rights, using this approach to ask where the politics of human rights are located, and how and with what consequences the human rights ‘movement’ reproduces its moral authority. We then look at both international human rights norms and the institutions that embody them, including the relationship between rights, humanitarianism and international justice. Then, in the long middle section of the course, we examine a series of core rights issues in more depth, ranging from economic and social rights – including what relation, if any, human rights have to neoliberalism; women’s rights, children’s rights, and gender-based violence; LGBT* rights; states' routine suspension of rights in the name of security ('emergencies') - the new ‘normal’ of the ‘Global War on Terror' that has intensified amid the global pandemic; and the struggle for rights in exile (including, but not limited to, asylum) and, relatedly, the inexorable rise of the carceral state.

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

The course focuses on the contestations in the history, institutions and politics of the global human rights regime, in general terms and in relation to specific rights issues, and considers its future prospects. We begin with a look at the contested history of human rights and ask why arguments about their origins are so persistent and the implications of dominant accounts of origins for contemporary politics of human rights. We then look at the sociology of human rights, using this approach to ask where the politics of human rights are located, and how and with what consequences the human rights ‘movement’ reproduces its moral authority. We then look at both international human rights norms and the institutions that embody them, including the relationship between rights, humanitarianism and international justice. Then, in the long middle section of the course, we examine a series of core rights issues in more depth, ranging from economic and social rights – including what relation, if any, human rights have to neoliberalism; women’s rights, children’s rights, and gender-based violence; LGBT* rights; states' routine suspension of rights in the name of security ('emergencies') - the new ‘normal’ of the ‘Global War on Terror' that has intensified amid the global pandemic; and the struggle for rights in exile (including, but not limited to, asylum) and, relatedly, the inexorable rise of the carceral state.

This module is a seminar on ethnic violence. During the module, we will read classic and recent scholarly works that address various aspects of this question using different methods and approaches. In the first part, we will review the key debates on the concepts of ethnicity and identity, and discuss their implications for the study of ethnic violence. Then, we will shift our focus to theories of ethnic conflict and violence in order to understand examples from different parts of the world where conflict among different groups has resulted in varying degrees and types of violence. Throughout the course, we will have a strictly theoretical and empirical focus, and aim to answer the following questions: How do ethnic identities become politically relevant? What causes ethnic groups to engage in violent conflict? Can explanations of ethnic violence help us understand non-ethnic forms of violence?

This module examines international migration and diaspora politics as transnational processes in world politics. Cross-border mobility and diasporic political projects are key features of the contemporary international environment, yet they remain undertheorized in International Relations. How do migration and diaspora politics inform or challenge our understandings of the state, national identity, sovereignty, and the nature of the international system? What is the relationship between international migration and key areas of concern for International Relations scholars such as economic development, diplomacy, international security and global normative contestation? A range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples will be covered.

This course provides an advanced introduction to global advocacy. The aim of the module is to teach the theories and skills that allow an individual to be a more effective in achieving their advocacy objectives.

The Module presents a critical analysis of Artificial Intelligence with a particular emphasis on its implication for human security. It connects current research into the ethics of AI, to comparative philosophies including the socio-economic theories of the Frankfurt School and their emphasis on the perils of modern forms of production for human existence and the threat of “perfectionism” in capitalist societies. In addition, the course will consider the “techno-politics” of Paul Virilio and the critical approaches of Iranian philosophers such as Jamal Al-e Ahmad.

This half-unit module seeks to critically engage with the politic and theory of state violence. It will begin with a close reading of some primary philosophies of violence to try and understand both the phenomena itself and its schemes of justification.

The last few years have seen people rise up in many parts of the world and, in so doing, they follow long traditions of revolt and resistance, and justify the impulse to rebel with both political reform programmes and deep ethical and philosophical, not to mention religious reasoning. This module considers those reasoning and looks at work on the just rebellion from different parts of the world, and not just from Western sources. The module has the general objective of providing a comparative and multicultural approach to the political philosophies, theories, norms and practices of rebellion, both in various historical national contexts and in a contemporary global context.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

Since the age of European colonial rule in the Middle East came to an end around the Second World War, nominally independent nation-states in the region have tried to negotiate the opportunities and challenges of the Cold War, regional conflict and co-operation, underdevelopment, and more recently, globalisation.

This module takes up the study of this rich politics through two different approaches, the first thematic, the second through the study of inter-state politics. After examining the methodological issues involved in the study of the Middle East and becoming familiar with the regions role during the Cold War and thereafter, we will examine important themes and debates in international politics of the Middle East, including war and militarism, ethnicity, development and globalisation, migration and ideological movements.

In the latter part of the module, through a more conventional examination of inter-state politics of the Middle East, we will focus on conflict and cooperation between the Arab states in the region and their non-Arab neighbours, Israel, Iran and Turkey.

Objectives and learning outcomes

• Apply theoretical approaches and critical comparative paradigms to the international politics of West Asia.
• Compare several case studies, inter- and intra-state wars in the region and between regional actors and outside forces.
• Describe the relevance of political cultural parameters, historical context and social construction of states to their foreign policy behaviour.
• Identify the interplay of domestic, regional and global factors in the international relations of regional systems.
• Discover the preconditions for communitarian policies among states.
• Evaluate the cultural and ideological fabric of regional systems.
• Analyse the state formation process in modern western Asia.
• Evaluate historical dynamics, including colonialism and its impact on the politics in- and discourse about the region.
• Investigate the preconditions for regional integration and communitarian interaction between states.
• Compare regional politics and global processes with a particular emphasis on the impact of superpower politics on the region.
• Analyse the historical, strategic and international dynamics of the major inter-state wars amongst regional actors including the three Persian Gulf wars and the conflict in Israel/Palestine.
• Critically evaluate the impact of globalisation on economic and political liberalisation.
• Appreciate the transnational dynamics of civil societies in the region including NGOs, women’s rights movements and human rights organisations.

Workload

This module will be taught over 10 weeks with:

• 1-hour lecture per week
• 1-hour tutorial per week

Method of assessment

• Assignment 1: 50%
• Assignment 2: 50%

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

This module focuses on key issues in the study of politics in the Middle East. It deals with theoretical and empirical questions that are central to the field. The main questions pertain to forms of societal organisation and patterns to state-society interaction. To understand the modes of societal action, the module examines the bases upon which social and political forces are constituted, and the forms of power deployed in the interplay between state and societal actors. Integral to this examination is reflection on the analytical and conceptual tools used to understand and explain state-society relations. Concepts such as class, kin, tribe, sect, civil society, and informal politics are critically examined and assessed.

This module offers Masters students focusing on Middle East politics an opportunity to reflect critically upon ideas of counterhegemony and resistance as ways of understanding politics and political struggle in the Middle East. Much of the literature on politics in the Middle East foregrounds the dominant structures of power, dominant ideologies and the varied forms of hegemony. Less studied are the ways in which variously situated groups and individuals throughout the region have tried to negotiate with, subvert and resist these forms of hegemony and the mixed outcomes of many of these struggles. The module will take certain general themes and illustrate them through specific case studies from different countries in the Middle East.

Is secularism Western? Is religious discourse the natural means of authentic, indigenous political mobilization and expression in the Middle East? This course explores how religious difference in the Middle East became a salient social and political marker in the modern era. It will also consider the various methods and frameworks that scholars have used to grapple with this manifestation of social difference.

The module introduces postgraduate students in the Department of Politics to the urban politics of the Middle East. It aims to provide them with an interdisciplinary grounding in the study of a wide range of urban issues that have implications for understanding political life in the region.

This module examines the relationship between the economy and power in the Middle East. We examine the class formations, expert knowledge, trade networks, raw materials, institutions, legal regimes and ideologies that come to produce “the economy” in the modern Middle East, and their relationship to the production of power in society, with special attention to state-society relations.

The course offers Masters students in the Department of Politics an opportunity to engage with the a range of debates surrounding the politics of infrastructures in a variety of manifestations prevalent in Africa and Asia.  The course themes include the role of class differentiation and race in the making of infrastructures, the specific histories of conflict and struggle surrounding access to basic infrastructures such as electricity, water, and sewage, and the ways in which transport infrastructures have been crucial in remaking societies and politics in Asia and Africa.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

[formerly known as Foreign Relations of the People's Republic of China]

This module seeks to examine  the foreign policy and international relations of the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) addressing how and why China has reached its status within the international system today.  Aside from providing students with a detailed analysis of key issues and events in China’s foreign relations, throughout the module we will pay attention to how China’s foreign policy relates to international relations theories.

The first half of the module is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of key issues, trends and events in China’s international relations from the 19th Century to the present day. The sessions during the first part of the module will examine topics such as the Chinese view of the world order, the demise of the Qing empire, foreign policies of the Republican period, the PRC’s decision to enter the Korean War, the rise and fall of Sino-Soviet alliance, etc. The second half of the module will address thematic issues of relevance to the contemporary foreign policy of the PRC; these include the debate over the rise of China, China’s growing involvement in international regimes, China and global security, China’s role in the global economy, Sino-U.S. relations, China and Africa, issues of human rights, environment and Taiwan, etc.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

On completion of the course students will have the following:

• deepen their understanding of the key historical issues pertaining to the evolution of China’s relations with the rest of the world;
• develop advanced analytical skills;
• develop the ability to employ political science and international relations theories and frameworks to analyse issues pertaining to China and international politics.

Workload

• 1 hour lecture per week
• 1 hour tutorial per week

Method of assessment

Assessment is 30% Coursework (comprising one 3000 word essays), Presentation 10% and 60% unseen examination.

Suggested reading

Selected readings:

• Samuel S. Kim (ed.) China and the World: Chinese Foreign Relations in the Post- Cold War Era 4th edition (Westview, 1998)
• Shaun Breslin (ed) Handbook of Chinese International Relations (Routledge, 2010) (electronic version via SOAS library website)
• David M. Lampton (ed.) The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Reform Era, 1978-2000 (Stanford, 2001)

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

This course is designed to provide students with a theoretically informed introduction to key issues in the international political economy and foreign policy of China (People's Republic of China). This course seeks to develop an understanding of the key driving forces in China's international relations.

This course is designed to provide students with a theoretically informed and comparative introduction to key issues in the contemporary international politics of East Asia. East Asia is defined as the states of the Northeast Asia (in particular, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan), and the two main external actors, the United States and Soviet Union/Russia who played a key role influencing the region’s international relations. East Asia presents fascinating case studies in the study of international relations by bringing together the world’s three largest economies (US, China, Japan), three of the UN Security Council’s permanent members (US, Russia, China) and two divided nations (China/Taiwan and the two Korea).

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

This course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the conceptual, historical, and sociological factors that contribute to democracy and authoritarianism in India. While India is the main focus for building in-depth knowledge and within-country comparisons, the course places Indian cases in comparative frames with a range of countries within and beyond South Asia. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on analyses of political processes rather than a description of events. At the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of academic work on the South Asia and an ability to write well-structured and well-researched papers on selected subjects in the field.

Students will be exposed to key themes and debates on development in India and will be expected to acquire a good understanding of development issues in contemporary India across a range of themes and theoretical frameworks within development studies.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

At the end of this module, a student should be able to demonstrate . . .

• An understanding of culture in contemporary South Asia built upon an appreciation of the multiple forms, languages, and avenues of cultural production; the relationship between local, national, and transnational/global domains; and the remix and reuse of older repertoires and forms in contemporary situations.
• An ability to digest and synthesise the content of lectures, films and seminars and use them to produce reaction papers and essays to a high standard

Workload

A total of 20 weeks teaching with 2 hours classroom contact per week consisting of a one hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial.

Scope and syllabus

The module begins by problematising the notion of national culture while noting the ways in which nation-states in South Asia produce and broadcast particular cultural models. However, these models form only one strand of cultural production: vigorous forms of activism produce counter-cultural forms that often re-use and re-interpret older traditions. Also, despite attempts to purify or delimit national cultures, culture in South Asia continues to mix and remix motifs and vocabularies and to speak to new audiences.

While considering English (and its local hybrid forms) to be a South Asian language, the module will also draw attention to the richness and salience of vernacular expressive codes.

Method of assessment

An essay of 3000 words to be submitted on Tuesday, week 1, term 2 (30%); an essay of 3000 words to be submitted on Tuesday, week 1, term 3 (30%); 8 reaction papers of 800 words each of which the 4 best papers will go towards the final mark (40%), to be submitted at fortnightly intervals starting from Term 1 Week 3.

Suggested reading

A comprehensive reading list will be supplied by the convenor at the beginning of the module.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

As the most heavily populated region in the world, the Indian subcontinent has always played an important role in world affairs. From being one of the most successful trading nations of the world, to becoming the heart of the British Empire, and now sitting adjacent to the newly world-dominant China, South Asia has always been a region of strategic, cultural, political and economic importance.  This module aims to introduce students to the many ways in which law, religion and the state interact in the subcontinent.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

This course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the conceptual, historical, and sociological factors that contribute to democracy and authoritarianism in India. While India is the main focus for building in-depth knowledge and within-country comparisons, the course places Indian cases in comparative frames with a range of countries within and beyond South Asia. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on analyses of political processes rather than a description of events. At the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of academic work on the South Asia and an ability to write well-structured and well-researched papers on selected subjects in the field.

This course is designed to provide students with a theoretically informed and comparative introduction to key issues in the contemporary international politics of East Asia. East Asia is defined as the states of the Northeast Asia (in particular, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan), and the two main external actors, the United States and Soviet Union/Russia who played a key role influencing the region’s international relations. East Asia presents fascinating case studies in the study of international relations by bringing together the world’s three largest economies (US, China, Japan), three of the UN Security Council’s permanent members (US, Russia, China) and two divided nations (China/Taiwan and the two Korea).

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

This module examines international migration and diaspora politics as transnational processes in world politics. Cross-border mobility and diasporic political projects are key features of the contemporary international environment, yet they remain undertheorized in International Relations. How do migration and diaspora politics inform or challenge our understandings of the state, national identity, sovereignty, and the nature of the international system? What is the relationship between international migration and key areas of concern for International Relations scholars such as economic development, diplomacy, international security and global normative contestation? A range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples will be covered.

The purpose of this module is to examine the effects of political factors on economic and social transformation (and vice versa) with reference to the emerging market economies (EMEs). EMEs denote those upper income economies on the cusp of transition to high income status. This module focuses on two main issues. First, how did political factors (i.e. types of regime and the conditions of their formation) facilitate the emergence of the first generation of EMEs during the GATT or pre-globalization era (c. 1950-90)? This section concentrates the varying result of attempts to foster the “capitalist developmental state” in the pursuit of economic take-off. Second, the module will examine how upper middle income economies of today are facing up to the challenges of the globalization era, notably mobile capital (financialization and the emergence of global value chains) and the complex of constraints that constitute the “middle income trap”? Given the vastly changed conditions of the contemporary era, can they learn any relevant political and governance lessons from the experience of the first generation EMEs that have already made the transition to high income status?

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

This course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the conceptual, historical, and sociological factors that contribute to democracy and authoritarianism in India. While India is the main focus for building in-depth knowledge and within-country comparisons, the course places Indian cases in comparative frames with a range of countries within and beyond South Asia. Throughout, the emphasis is placed on analyses of political processes rather than a description of events. At the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of academic work on the South Asia and an ability to write well-structured and well-researched papers on selected subjects in the field.

This module is a seminar on ethnic violence. During the module, we will read classic and recent scholarly works that address various aspects of this question using different methods and approaches. In the first part, we will review the key debates on the concepts of ethnicity and identity, and discuss their implications for the study of ethnic violence. Then, we will shift our focus to theories of ethnic conflict and violence in order to understand examples from different parts of the world where conflict among different groups has resulted in varying degrees and types of violence. Throughout the course, we will have a strictly theoretical and empirical focus, and aim to answer the following questions: How do ethnic identities become politically relevant? What causes ethnic groups to engage in violent conflict? Can explanations of ethnic violence help us understand non-ethnic forms of violence?

This course will investigate the evolving nature of security governance and risks in the 21st century, with particular attention to emerging threats in the realms of nuclear weapons, non-state terrorism, climate change, energy, and food security, as well as emerging forms of security governance in the domains of surveillance and policing.

This module examines international migration and diaspora politics as transnational processes in world politics. Cross-border mobility and diasporic political projects are key features of the contemporary international environment, yet they remain undertheorized in International Relations. How do migration and diaspora politics inform or challenge our understandings of the state, national identity, sovereignty, and the nature of the international system? What is the relationship between international migration and key areas of concern for International Relations scholars such as economic development, diplomacy, international security and global normative contestation? A range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples will be covered.

The purpose of this module is to examine the effects of political factors on economic and social transformation (and vice versa) with reference to the emerging market economies (EMEs). EMEs denote those upper income economies on the cusp of transition to high income status. This module focuses on two main issues. First, how did political factors (i.e. types of regime and the conditions of their formation) facilitate the emergence of the first generation of EMEs during the GATT or pre-globalization era (c. 1950-90)? This section concentrates the varying result of attempts to foster the “capitalist developmental state” in the pursuit of economic take-off. Second, the module will examine how upper middle income economies of today are facing up to the challenges of the globalization era, notably mobile capital (financialization and the emergence of global value chains) and the complex of constraints that constitute the “middle income trap”? Given the vastly changed conditions of the contemporary era, can they learn any relevant political and governance lessons from the experience of the first generation EMEs that have already made the transition to high income status?

The course focuses on the contestations in the history, institutions and politics of the global human rights regime, in general terms and in relation to specific rights issues, and considers its future prospects. We begin with a look at the contested history of human rights and ask why arguments about their origins are so persistent and the implications of dominant accounts of origins for contemporary politics of human rights. We then look at the sociology of human rights, using this approach to ask where the politics of human rights are located, and how and with what consequences the human rights ‘movement’ reproduces its moral authority. We then look at both international human rights norms and the institutions that embody them, including the relationship between rights, humanitarianism and international justice. Then, in the long middle section of the course, we examine a series of core rights issues in more depth, ranging from economic and social rights – including what relation, if any, human rights have to neoliberalism; women’s rights, children’s rights, and gender-based violence; LGBT* rights; states' routine suspension of rights in the name of security ('emergencies') - the new ‘normal’ of the ‘Global War on Terror' that has intensified amid the global pandemic; and the struggle for rights in exile (including, but not limited to, asylum) and, relatedly, the inexorable rise of the carceral state.

This dissertation enables the students to work on a research topic in relation to their chosen major. They will learn how to approach the topic they have chosen from an academic angle, under the supervision of a member of staff. The dissertation is normally written over the summer period and submitted in September.

This module is designed to provide a general introduction to problems, approaches and debates in social science methodologies (broadly understood). The aim is to make MSc students familiar with prominent methodological angles and language(s), to provide both a solid grounding in the key issues and a critical understanding of them.

This module provides a structured, peer-assessed, and peer-supported environment in which to (a) develop a dissertation project and (b) develop skills for presenting research outcomes and analytical information to wider audiences (e.g. data visualisation, public engagement, media, etc.). On the one hand, it highlights tools to read, write, and structure theoretical arguments whilst working through various methods of writing a dissertation, including pathway-specific dissertations. On the other, it highlights skills needed to communicate academic/analytical outputs to non-academic audiences. 

The module presents a critical overview of core concepts and debates in comparative politics as well as an introduction into the comparative method. Drawing on comparative politics debate developed in the West, the module primarily focuses on non-Western regions of the world.

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

The last few years have seen people rise up in many parts of the world and, in so doing, they follow long traditions of revolt and resistance, and justify the impulse to rebel with both political reform programmes and deep ethical and philosophical, not to mention religious reasoning. This module considers those reasoning and looks at work on the just rebellion from different parts of the world, and not just from Western sources. The module has the general objective of providing a comparative and multicultural approach to the political philosophies, theories, norms and practices of rebellion, both in various historical national contexts and in a contemporary global context.

This course, which brings into undergraduate Year 3 an MSc course, is the only such course on this side of the Atlantic and the only other such course outside Columbia. It brings a properly political scientific appreciation of postwar, independence and post-independence thought in Africa as enunciated by leading political figures and public intellectuals.

This module will examine how the primary functions of the sovereign state such as governance and security and the most visible manifestations of state security, war and militarism, both construct and are sustained by specific masculinities and femininities. By exploring feminist theoretical interventions on normative understandings of security, the connections between feminist knowledge production, policy influencing and praxis will be articulated.

This is a critical gender studies course that offers post graduate students an understanding of the diverse ways in which African feminisms have evolved across the African continent. The course proceeds from both a gender and queer theory perspective to unpacking how African feminist interventions have ruptured state/society relations organised around gendered, racialised and classed hierarchies. This course is not designed to offer a comprehensive understanding of the African continent neither does it attempt to offer full coverage of the African continent. What it does is provide students with the theoretical tools to analyse activisms, research and policy making institutions set up to challenge power and resisting injustice. The pedagogical approach to the course is centred on providing practical examples to illustrate the evolution, reversals and contestations that have shaped feminist politics and activisms in Africa.

This module explores economic development in post-colonial Africa from a microeconomic perspective. The focus is on topics that in economics are typically studied at the microeconomic level, such as food and nutrition, education and labour markets. However, while mainstream economics places the emphasis on individual behaviours, in this module we will analyse how it is necessary to contextualise individual decisions and behaviours in a broader understanding of the political economy, geographic and historical context. The module deals with theoretical and policy-relevant debates that are of interest not only to those who want to learn about Africa specifically but also to those who are seeking to develop a global understanding of economic dynamics.

Each week is dedicated to a specific topic, ranging from demographic and environmental issues to land reform and the economics of health and epidemics; each topic can be thought as a single-standing development issue or as a piece of the bigger economic development picture of Africa. The teaching approach is informed by three principles. First, historical and geographical contextualisation is key because Africa is not a country and the diversity across countries and regions will be highlighted throughout the module by using several empirical examples and case studies. Second, each topic is structured around older foundational and current debates that provide an overview of different perspectives; thus, we take a pluralist approach. Third, we seek to give space to knowledge and expertise of scholars and practitioners from African countries or based in African countries through a comprehensive reading list and invited speakers of given topics.

Prerequisites

Pre-requisite modules:

153400123 OR 153400130 OR 153400124

(Macroeconomic Analysis OR Microeconomic Analysis OR Issues in Development Economics)

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

LO1.    Understand the main theoretical debates and controversies related to the microeconomic dimensions of African economic development;

LO2.    Distinguish African economies with regard to their main microeconomic facts and characteristics (commonalities and differences) and have a good knowledge of relevant selected case studies on particular topics;

LO3.    Understand how distinct economic actors face different constraints and how this affects economic outcomes;

LO4.    Apply their knowledge to construct a critical analysis of the development issues for a particular African country.

Workload

Two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial per week.

Scope and syllabus

Some of the topics discussed include demography and environment, land reform, small-scale farming and agribusiness, labour markets and informal economy, food and nutrition security, health and epidemics.

Method of assessment

One 3,000 word essay worth 50% of the total mark for the module, due Term 1.

One 3,000 word essay worth 50% of the total mark, due Term 2.

Suggested reading

• Amanor, K. S. (2009). Global food chains, African smallholders and World Bank governance. Journal of Agrarian Change, 9(2), 247-262.
• Aryeetey, E. (2002). Feature: Taking Africa Seriously: A Case for Enhanced Resource Flow to Facilitate Development and Reduce Poverty. Journal of African Economies, 11(2), 282-307.
• Chang, H-J (2009) 'Economic History of the Developed World: Lessons for Africa', lecture delivered in the Eminent Speakers Programme of the African Development Bank, 26 February, 2009.
• Jerven, M. (2011). The quest for the African dummy: explaining African post‐colonial economic performance revisited. Journal of International Development, 23(2), 288-307.
• Johnston, D. (2013). Economics and HIV: the sickness of economics. Routledge.
• O'Laughlin, B. (2013). Land, Labour and the Production of Affliction in Rural Southern Africa. Journal of Agrarian Change, 13(1), 175-196.
• Ossome, L. (2014). Can the law secure women's rights to land in Africa? Revisiting tensions between culture and land commercialization. Feminist Economics, 20(1), 155-177.
• Tsikata, D. (2016). Gender, land tenure and agrarian production systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, 5(1), 1-19.
• Unterhalter, E., & North, A. (2011). Responding to the gender and education Millennium Development Goals in South Africa and Kenya: Reflections on education rights, gender equality, capabilities and global justice. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41(4), 495-511.
• Wallace, R. G., & Wallace, R. (2016). Neoliberal Ebola. Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules