Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

In this Diplomacy and Foreign Policy MA, you will develop your analytical capacities and your ability to examine and critically evaluate the role of foreign policy, diplomacy and decision-making in relation to complex issues such as:

• the capacity of states to meet their economic and political foreign policy goals
• the role of foreign policy and diplomacy in global conflict
• the relationship between human rights, foreign policy, and diplomacy
• the evolution of international organisations as diplomatic and foreign policy forums.

You will explore the significance of risk and change in contemporary foreign policy and diplomacy, and develop your ability to critically evaluate foreign policy tools and diplomacy in the contemporary world.

You take six taught modules during the Diplomacy and Foreign Policy MA course: three core modules and three chosen from a list of electives. All modules run for one term (usually eleven weeks). You also complete a dissertation.

Deadlock in the WTO multilateral trade negotiations, negotiations for an international climate change agreement, and the diplomatic exchanges surrounding the renegotiation of sovereign debt in Europe are all examples of situations where economic diplomacy plays an increasingly significant part.

After exploring the key concepts and theoretical frameworks, you will explore different approaches to economic diplomacy among major industrialised economies, regional organisations such as the EU, emerging markets like China, India and Brazil, and developing countries.

You will critically analyse economic diplomacy in key areas of the world economy such as trade policy, climate change, financial regulation, sovereign debt management, foreign aid, and exchange rate adjustments. You will also evaluate the role played in the management of international economic affairs by non-state actors such multinational corporations and NGOs.

In this module you cover issues and problems in foreign policy by engaging with the theoretical and practical dimensions of Foreign Policy Analysis, a strand of International Relations theory. The module reflects the research specialities of academic staff including Dr Amnon Aran and Professor Inderjeet Parmar.

By the end of the module you will have learned to develop suitable conceptual and theoretical frameworks to examine the formulation, implementation, and consequences of contemporary foreign policy, and to identify the key drivers and determining factors of foreign policy.

This is a highly participative and experiential module in which you explore practical approaches to policy formulation, decision-making and negotiation within organisations and between competing parties.

Through exercises, debates and simulations you will be encouraged to experiment with different ways of defining problems, reconciling competing agendas, facilitating dialogue and mitigating risk.

By the end of this module you will be able to identify constructive ways of taking on some of the challenges surrounding decision-making and diplomacy that you can expect to encounter in the work place.

The dissertation is a 15,000-word piece of self-directed research, focusing on a specific issue, phenomenon and/or event within the study of foreign policy and diplomacy. This might include political, economic, and policy issues, and also normative and ethical dimensions, as well as the use (and misuse) of foreign policy tools.

You will be assigned a relevant dissertation supervisor who will advise on the appropriate approach and stages for the investigation of the topic.

You are normally required to pass all taught modules before progressing to the dissertation.

Three electives (20 credits each) from:

• Understanding Security in the 21st Century
• International Organisations in Global Politics
• Development and International Politics
• Political Islam in Global Politics
• Global Political Economy
• Political Economy of Global Finance
• The Politics of Forced Displacement and Resettlement
• Global Civil Society
• International Politics of the Middle East
• Global Transformations
• International Financial Institutions
• Strategy, Diplomacy and Decision-making
• US Foreign Policy
• Transnational Media and Communication
• International Communications and Conflict
• Migration and Social Inclusion
• Rights, Multiculturalism and Citizenship
• Human Wrongs
• International Human Rights Law
• Global Politics of Human Rights
• Crime News
• Penology
• Political Economy of Food
• Key Issues in Financial Journalism

Read the full 2015 programme specification.