MSc Politics and International Relations (East Asia)

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.

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 is the first of part of a 2-semester sequence entitled China and International Politics I and II. This module delves into the interrelations between China’s domestic and foreign policy, aiming to cultivate an understanding of the primary drivers and contradictions that characterize Chinese politics domestically and internationally. The module critically analyses pivotal themes in China’s political landscape, connecting them to broader discussions within the fields of politics and international relations. Further, this module investigates the dynamic processes that sustain and challenge these structures. It addresses how elements such as deviance, capital, law, and technology, among others, are constructed and operationalised within China and in its external engagements. Each feature is explored in the domestic context over five weeks, followed by five weeks on the international dimensions to analyse the process’s impact on the international arena. This module aims to illustrate the interconnectivity between China’s internal governance and its foreign policy, enhancing understanding of how domestic structures shape international relations.

This is the second part of a 2-semester sequence entitled China and International Politics I and II. This module follows on from CIP I (both modules must be selected) and delves into the interrelations between China’s domestic and foreign policy, aiming to cultivate an understanding of the primary drivers and contradictions that characterize Chinese politics domestically and internationally. The module critically analyses pivotal themes in China’s political landscape, connecting them to broader discussions within the fields of politics and international relations. Further, this module investigates the dynamic processes that sustain and challenge these structures. It addresses how elements such as deviance, capital, law, and technology, among others, are constructed and operationalised within China and in its external engagements. Each feature is explored in the domestic context over five weeks, followed by five weeks on the international dimensions to analyse the process’s impact on the international arena. This module aims to illustrate the interconnectivity between China’s internal governance and its foreign policy, enhancing understanding of how domestic structures shape international relations.

Democracy and Authoritarianism in Asia

This module delves into the complex regime landscape of Asia. From burgeoning democracies to firmly entrenched authoritarian regimes, the module explores the historical, cultural, and socio-political factors that shape the region's diverse governance structures. Through comparative study, students will analyze how different Asian states have navigated their paths between democratic ideals and authoritarian governance in order to situate Asian cases within broader theories.

The course  provides a nuanced understanding of political development across the varied experiences of India, Pakistan, China, Japan, South Korea, and various Southeast Asian states. Through the study of political theories, historical trajectories, external influences, and contemporary challenges, students will learn to contextualize the dynamic interaction between democracy and authoritarianism broadly defined. 

Drawing on a rich array of sources, including scholarly articles, historical documents, and multimedia content, the module encourages students to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different political systems and the theories that illuminate them. The coursework is designed to encourage a critical evaluation of the complex interplay between democratic aspirations and authoritarian tendencies in specific empirical contexts.

WEEK 1. INTRODUCTION TO DEMOCRACY AND AUTHORITARIANISM
- Overview of political theories and concepts related to democracy and authoritarianism.

WEEK 2. COLONIAL LEGACIES AND POLITICAL EVOLUTION: REGIME TYPES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
- The impact of colonialism on political structures and institutions with a focus on the full spectrum of postcolonial regime variation in Southeast Asia

WEEK 3. DEMOCRACY (AND DEMOCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM) IN SOUTH ASIA
- Analyzing the development and challenges of democracy in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

WEEK 4. AUTHORITARIANISM (AND AUTHORITARIAN REFORM) IN CHINA
- Exploring China's political trajectory and its impact on governance and society.

WEEK 5. DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA
- Comparative study of democratic practices and challenges in Japan and South Korea.

WEEK 6. THE MILITARY IN ASIAN POLITICS
- Assessing the influence of military institutions in countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

WEEK 7. POLITICAL PARTIES AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN ASIA
- Tracking the interaction between political parties and social movements in Taiwan.

WEEK 8. RELIGION, ETHNICITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA
- Exploring the role of religious and ethnic identities in shaping human rights debates across Asia.

WEEK 9: POLITICS, MEDIA, AND THE (DIS)INFORMATION AGE IN ASIA
- Understanding the ways in which media drives both democratic and authoritarian trends in Asia.

WEEK 10: THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY AND AUTHORITARIANISM IN ASIA
- Speculating on future trajectories and challenges for governance in the region.

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 course examines the origins, characteristics and dynamics of the political systems of Northeast Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) and how they cope with the dilemmas of economic and social sustainability. This module will examine why the economic and social dilemmas of affluence” are particularly acute in Northeast Asia given their recent histories as miraculous economies (characterised by “growth with equity”). It will also reveal whether Northeast Asia is generating its own distinctive responses to these dilemmas.

This unique module provides an introduction to Taiwan’s international and domestic politics. Taiwan’s political democratization, its identity politics and its contested international status have all contributed to making its politics one of the most researched topics in the fields of East Asian and Chinese politics. The module seeks to examine the political processes that have shaped Taiwan since 1949, with particular emphasis on the last three decades. It also explores the evolution of Cross-Strait relations, their enduring rivalry, ongoing conflicts, and Taiwan's contested statehood. We focus on two core themes (1) an analysis of Taiwan’s domestic politics and (2) analysis of Cross-Strait and international relations. Units on Taiwan’s domestic politics will address a variety of issues, including the island’s democratic transition, Taiwan’s party and electoral politics and the quality of its democracy. The sessions on Taiwan’s external relations will examine Taiwan's international status and sovereignty, international relations, as well as the evolution of cross-Strait relations under the early administrations.

This module builds on Taiwan and International Politics Part 1 by delving more deeply into Taiwan’s international and domestic politics. Students will be encouraged to apply a range of theoretical approaches including comparative politics, sociology, and international relations to analyse the politics of modern Taiwan. The domestic politics part of the module will look at three interrelated themes of Taiwan’s electoral and party politics, politics of gender and its social movements. This will involve an examination of a range of topical election, social movement and party case studies. In the final five weeks of the module, the focus will return to Taiwan’s external relations. Topics will include Taiwan's strategies for navigating its increasingly isolated international space and mounting military threats from China, as well as Cross-strait soft power competition. Additionally, we will examine China's evolving policy aimed at bringing Taiwan into its orbit and the dynamics of the US-China-Taiwan triangle.

This compulsory core module for the MSc pathway in Political Thought focuses on approaches to the study of political theory in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This module is distinct from other modules in area studies degrees since our study is not confined to a single geographical region; rather focus is on the study of concepts and political thought and how these emerge in varying contexts, times and places. The module seeks to introduce the main approaches and themes in the sub-field of comparative political theory, and to elaborate conceptual approaches to the comparison of political thinking across boundaries of space and time. Students will read works by Achille Mbembe, Ali Shariati, Saba Mahmood, Rajeev Bhargava, Leigh Jenco, Donna Haraway, Franz Fanon, BR Ambedkar, amongst others in order to develop an understanding of how political theory is produced in a multiplicity of contexts across the world. As such this module pushes the boundaries regarding the conception of political theory conventionally based on a western-focused canon.

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.

To what extent is the leader of a country free to make their own decisions, unconstrained by the material power at their disposal, the governmental bureaucracies they are trying to work through, the experts that surround them or their own socially constructed perceptions? How does a small state set its foreign policy agenda? What does it mean if a state proclaims a feminist foreign policy? What is the role of secrecy in foreign policy? These are a selection of questions we will cover in this module. There are contending approaches within Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). FPA is a sub-field of International Relations, but also an object of analysis which is constituted and transformed by a variety of actors, practices and organisational structures. This raises the important question of how to study the multiple dimensions of foreign policy and who has the power to shape it. Each week's topic will attend to an important dimension of foreign policy, covering central actors, bureaucratic practices, issues and foreign policy tools. The module will also decentre the traditional focus on the US, which has dominated much of FPA scholarship.

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 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 introduces postgraduate students to the field of international theory, from contemplating how and why we might use theory to explain and understand post-/neo-colonial world order, to exploring key concepts and theoretical traditions in the discipline of International Relations. The module situates the narrower, US-centric field of ‘IR Theory’ within broader traditions of global social and political thought, and encourages students to think critically about its roots and functions as an intellectual project. Students are introduced to a range of key paradigms, from the traditional mainstream (realism, liberalism, constructivism) to the critical (postcolonialism, feminism, Marxism, poststructuralism).

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 course will interrogate a series of core concepts in contemporary political theory. Rather than treating theoretical concepts as purely abstract, they will be explored through a series of topics of global significance where we can see the concepts at work. We will cover areas such as the climate crisis, structural racism, repressive use of state power, and interventionism. Through these explorations we will come to a better understanding of what is at stake in theoretical concepts such as sovereignty, rights, justice, and democracy. These reflections are couched in a larger consideration of how political theory may contribute to a liberatory politics, and how we reflect our role as political theorists. This module provides students an opportunity to engage systematically with key normative concepts and their valences in the World.

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 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.

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 the historical grounding of domestic and international politics in Africa. In particular it explores how ideas and processes that animated African struggles against slavery and colonisation have played out within the constraints of the international system. It traces the history of ideas and the collaborative practices underpinning the African campaigns that secured the independence of the continent, and considers the challenges of collaborating and ruling after it was won. It explores how new states emerged within the Cold War and how they balanced relationships within their societies, with each other, and with powerful international actors.

African and International Politics II builds on Africa and International Politics I, exploring how African countries have dealt with new challenges and opportunities since the end of the Cold War. It explores the wave of 'democratisation' that swept Africa at 'the end of history' and the ways in which regime types have been contested since, including a recent increase in authoritarian developmental and military regimes. These developments are understood in their international contexts: the turn of the millennium saw increased Western military and broader political intervention in Africa, as well as African efforts to reckon with Western 'monopoly diplomacy'. This included a search for 'African solutions' to security problems, ongoing economic marginalisation and climate crisis addressed through regional and continental bodies including the African Union, and through relations with rising powers including Russia and China.

This module will analyse the processes and dynamics of Soviet, post-Soviet and ongoing political, economic, social and cultural transformations in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) and South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia). This module is designed to enable students to gain an in-depth understanding of the differential nature of Soviet modernization, imperial-colonial legacies, challenges of post-Soviet transition, complexities of nation and state building, the diverse understandings of Islam and its engagement with politics, the relationship between formal and informal institutions, and the durability of authoritarian regimes in the face of societal protests and resistance.

This module introduces students to the key concepts of geopolitics and their application to the region of Central Asia and Caucasus. It analyses the multiple and shifting understandings of the notion of 'Eurasia' and 'Eurasianism' across the region, the nature of Sino-Russian partnership which shapes the regional organisations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union, the effects of China's BRI on the entire region, and the efforts by the states in the region to develop multivectoral foreign policies. It will focus on themes such as empire and (de)coloniality, regional security and securitization policies, energy and transport infrastructure, authoritarian regionalism, labour migration and the anti-extremism measures enacted for regime survival. It is designed to enable students to develop a broad and in-depth understanding of the role and influence of two regional hegemons Russia and China, the major external actors Turkey, Iran, India as well as efforts by the Central Asian states to balance between these actors and the Western states.

This modules is the first part of a two-semester 'South Asia: Politics and International Relations' sequence combining issues of political thought, comparative politics, and international relations. The module introduces students to the broad spectrum of social, economic, and strategic debates and practices that animate politics in the subcontinent. From the ideas and ideologies that undergird political mobilisation to constitutional contracts that tenuously hold together large, diverse, and stratified countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, the module explores the evolution of modern South Asia. It then tackles questions around identity, state, and society by unpacking the ebb and flow of religious and civic nationalisms (Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, liberal, and secular) coupled with the politics of gender, caste, citizenship, and migration. Sensitive to the economic asymmetries that inform political mobilisation, the module considers the development planning, climate action, and poverty alleviation schemes adopted by South Asian states as well as their domestic and regional implications. It also examines the vast informal underbelly of the region--critical to understanding the drivers of uneven growth. Finally, the module connects these aspects with South Asia’s international and geostrategic landscape, considering the impact of China’s economic and military rise, India and Pakistan’s multi-dimensional rivalry, and continuing separatist violence in South Asia, all with an eye to the drivers that will shape the subcontinent’s future.

This module is the second part of a two-semester 'South Asia: Politics and International Relations' sequence combining issues of political thought, comparative politics, and international relations. The module introduces students to the broad spectrum of social, economic, and strategic debates and practices that animate politics in the subcontinent. From the ideas and ideologies that undergird political mobilisation to constitutional contracts that tenuously hold together large, diverse, and stratified countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, the module explores the evolution of modern South Asia. It then tackles questions around identity, state, and society by unpacking the ebb and flow of religious and civic nationalisms (Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, liberal, and secular) coupled with the politics of gender, caste, citizenship, and migration. Sensitive to the economic asymmetries that inform political mobilisation, the module considers the development planning, climate action, and poverty alleviation schemes adopted by South Asian states as well as their domestic and regional implications. It also examines the vast informal underbelly of the region--critical to understanding the drivers of uneven growth. Finally, the module connects these aspects with South Asia’s international and geostrategic landscape, considering the impact of China’s economic and military rise, India and Pakistan’s multi-dimensional rivalry, and continuing separatist violence in South Asia, all with an eye to the drivers that will shape the subcontinent’s future.

The aim of this course is to provide students with a deep framework for the understanding of the trajectories of Southeast Asian politics from colonial times to the present. This framework is comparative and rooted in political sociology. It is interdisciplinary in terms of its readings, drawing on historical, anthropological, economic and other materials in addition to works in political science. The course is expected to help students develop a capacity for comparative analysis and for evaluating arguments about the roles of factors as class, race, state-building, culture, economics, international impacts and religion on the political trajectories of the region as a whole as well as that of individual countries. Through the lectures, seminar discussions, coursework and the essays, students will learn to think more rigorously and comparatively about Southeast Asia in particular and critically about central political dynamic within the region in general. In addition, students will learn more about accessing library-based and electronic resources on Southeast Asian politics.

This course is designed to equip students with a comprehensive framework for understanding the political trajectories of Southeast Asia from colonial times to the present. This framework is comparative and grounded in political sociology, incorporating interdisciplinary readings from history, anthropology, economics, and other fields, alongside political science literature. The course aims to develop students' abilities in comparative analysis and in assessing arguments about the influences of factors such as class, race, state-building, culture, economics, international impacts, and religion on the political evolution of the region and its individual countries. Through lectures, seminar discussions, coursework, and essays, students will learn to think more rigorously and comparatively about Southeast Asia and critically about the key political dynamics within the region. Additionally, students will enhance their skills in accessing both library-based and electronic resources on Southeast Asian politics.

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.

Using a comparative approach and regional focus this module examines the key theoretical concepts and issues surrounding state formation and state building in the Middle East. It will introduce students to the main theoretical debates relevant to the understanding of the state as a distinctive organisation of power. Topics to be discussed include: regime types and the durability of authoritarianism, state and regime structures, military regimes and militarism, leading to contemporary debates about the state in the Middle East post Arab uprisings.