MSc Politics and International Relations (International Politics and Security)

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 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 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 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 will examine the international political economy through a framework that goes beyond traditions of state-centrism and disciplinary boundaries between politics and economics. The module is organised around key ‘sites’ through which the political economy is articulated, practiced and theorised, from mineral mines and oil rigs to prisons and borders, through which students will pierce the surface appearances of IPE and explore its underlying processes of domination, exploitation and violence.

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 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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.