International Politics and Law BA Honours

Course content

What will you study on the BA International Politics and Law?

You will explore the international political and legal processes and institutions, as well as a range different political and legal systems across the world. You will also cover the key ideas, concepts, theories and practices of politics and law.

You will be introduced to the basic concepts of politics and political ideologies and international development issues which is balanced with an introduction to law and legal skills and public law. You will then focus on enhancing your understanding of international political theories and concepts and the international legal basis of human rights and relates them to the international social, economic, and political context in which they operate. Finally, you will combine your critical understanding of the aspects of public international law as well as concepts and theories of global and regional geopolitics with statecraft and legal practice in international politics.

What will you gain?

You will be able to analyse information and relevant areas of research from a variety of sources, and reflect upon and evaluate the principles, values and ideologies underlying perspectives on politics and law. You will demonstrate the necessary independent critical thinking skills required to explore further areas of interest within the subject areas, either through continued study or more general engagement with contemporary issues and debates.

Modules

This module introduces notions of democracy, civil society and the role of the state. It also has a focus on ideologies such as socialism, liberalism and feminism. The importance of globalisation in terms of these issues is also raised.

This module aims to introduce you to the processes that have shaped, and continue to shape, what has come to be known as ‘The Global South.’ You will explore how the Global South came into discourse through examining the concept of a ‘Third World’ and ‘First World’ to show how these are geographically and historically constructed through processes of colonialism and post-colonial 'development' policies, in particular economic policies designed to bring macro level growth, in order to better understand how these have shaped the contemporary development landscape in both its professional and popular imaginations. From 2000 - 2015 the development agenda has been dominated by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and their achievement became a priority for governments and development agencies. Since then, the post-2015 agenda is shaped by the current ‘universal’ agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.’ Through critical examination of these development frameworks, particularly as they relate to inequality and rights, contemporary notions of 'development' will be critically analysed. As the post-2015 agenda becomes entrenched in development policy and practice, the module considers how this new ‘universal’ framework will impact on the legal, political and economic regimes of both the First and Third Worlds.

This module provides a basic understanding of the legal framework, especially of the operation of the English legal system, the elements of a crime, police powers and of the essential legal principle of the main areas of law of negligence and contract and prepares for more advanced study in law. It will combine theory with practical skills, providing an introduction to contract and other law, and helping develop your practical legal skills.

This module aims to examine general principles relating to the UK Constitution and the organisation and powers of the State. You will gain an awareness of the law and practice relating to the control of the Administration of the UK State and will consider the law relating to Human Rights and aspects of Civil Liberties in the UK. This is a core module and is a requirement of the professional bodies.

This module introduces the main theories, concepts and themes of International Relations. The rival theories of the discipline are initially explored and then applied to the understanding of key topics concerning the relations between states and also non-state global actors.

This module aims to engage you in active investigation of the values, principles and detailed application of human rights law in the UK and Europe.

This module examines the different political systems of the developed and developing worlds in harness with different models of government. It also considers the patterns of political behaviour adopted by very different forms of government across the world.

This module will introduce the political institutions and policy-making processes of the European Union and contemporary international political developments across the whole of Europe. It will facilitate your empirical and theoretical understanding of how the EU has evolved and operates today. You will explore the politics of transition in former Communist states along with analysis of the geopolitics of south-east Europe to provide a through appreciation of what is 'Europe'.

In this module, you will explore historically and conceptually, the interplay of economics and politics at the global level. You will also explore the economic, political and cultural implications of living in an increasingly inter-dependent world. You will examine the workings of the global economy and key issues of global governance, both theoretically and empirically.

This module aims to develop your evaluative abilities regarding quantitative and qualitative research methodologies as well as to introduce you to the underlying philosophical and ethical principles of social research. It aims to make clear the links between theory, method and data, to define what data is within different research paradigms and the various ways of generating and analysing it, and to understand and critique published research. Emphasis is placed on developing awareness and critique of secondary sources. The module also aims to prepare you for the development of a proposal for the final year dissertation project. Throughout the module, you will apply the various components of research methods to the specific subject of the programme you are studying.

This module will explore general issues relating to equality and discrimination, branching out into specific individual areas of inequalities. You will focus on these issues from a legal, ethical, social, political and economic perspective. You will gain the ideal preparation for Year 3 modules such as Employment Law.

This module aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to a range of legal theorists and jurisprudential schools of thought ranging from the work of the ancient Greeks through to postmodernism. You will be provided with an overview of the central thinking of various philosophers and will examine both the historical and cultural context within which these theories were developed and their relevance to the legal issues of our own time. Throughout the module, you will consider law’s relationship to questions of power, violence, ethics and justice.

This module aims to provide you with a firm grounding in the rules and principles that govern the free movement of goods, services and persons (workers, self-employed and EU citizens), and to improve your research and presentation skills. You will develop your awareness of the ethical dimension of the EU Internal Market in which persons are not only regarded as factors of production, but as EU citizens with family ties and a cultural background.

This module builds upon knowledge and skills acquired in previous modules. You will apply theories and concepts explored in those modules to a range of contemporary global political issues. A more advanced, critical appreciation of international politics will be gained along with a more detailed understanding of key geopolitical issues of the day.

This module aims to give you the knowledge and understanding on the principles of public international law. You will be extend your ability to evaluate and analyse legal issues in the international context, often dealing with topical concerns. This might include debates over the legality of the use of armed force, the protection of the environment, or the extent of individual responsibility for war crimes.

This module aims to provide an interdisciplinary analysis of the processes, policies and practice related to contemporary humanitarian crises, be they the outcome of conflict, war, famine, extreme climatic events natural or man-made disasters. Case studies are a key feature of the approach in this module.

This module aims to provide a critical understanding of contemporary migratory processes, migrant communities and experiences and issues of citizenship. You will gain an understanding of the sources and methods appropriate to the study of migration and migrant communities.

Completing a dissertation is designed to synthesise learning from the degree and provide an opportunity for you to study independently and investigate a topic in depth. It fosters academic curiosity, an inquiry-based approach and the employment and application of research skills, thus facilitating the development of a higher level of theorising. You will select a topic of personal interest you wish to study further and manage your own learning with the support of an allocated supervisor for this period of independent study.

This practical experience module provides the means for you to link academic work with a 'real world' situation in order to conceptualise the meaning of theory in the wider world context. This module facilitates the embedding of transferable and graduate skills necessary for future career paths and employment. You can take one of two types of placement; standard placements and project-based placements, both of which will provide you with the opportunity to enhance your skills of self-expression, communication, self-reliance and co-operation. You will be able to reflect upon areas of knowledge relevant to the placement and develop personal knowledge through a review of your learning. You will also engage in risk assessment.

Development is increasingly policy led rather than theory led and elements of social policy have entered the traditionally macroeconomic policy focused prescriptions of the International Financial Institutions. This module aims to expand your ability to analyse and critique development policy from formulation through to implementation. This requires well-developed critical reasoning skills and this module will allow you to become independent thinkers and learners who can take responsibility for facilitating debate and advancing knowledge and understanding. Your ability to do this will be evidenced by a series of hands-on experiences at facilitating sessions in the role of Chair, discussant and presenter as well as presenting a paper.

This module aims to provide you with an interdisciplinary in-depth knowledge of key issues and debates, both historical and contemporary, relevant to an international political perspective on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The module concentrates on the region extending from Morocco to Iran which includes the Arab world, Iran, Kurdistan, Turkey and Israel and will analyse the complex relationships between these countries in the MENA region and their foreign policies with each other as well as the role of the US, Europe, Russia and China in effecting the region though multiple involvements and interventions. In doing so the module will introduce you to the debates around ‘orientalism’.

This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and understanding of the principles of Child and Family Law in order to enable you to extend your ability to evaluate and analyse the development of both the legal and policy framework regulating child and adult relationships. The module will explore the tensions arising from the use of state intervention in the sphere of the family with regard to issues of privacy, autonomy and welfare. Having taken this module, you will have not only an appreciation of key areas of law and procedure affecting children and adults but also be sensitive to the complexities of the wider social issues raised.

This module will provide the knowledge and understanding of employment law and aims to deepens your appreciation of how legal principles encountered in other law modules can be applied to these areas. A critical appreciation of employment law will be encouraged and you will be enabled to place the subject in the context of both your working and non-working lives. Upon successful completion of this module, you will have an understanding of the role of law in regulating the employment relationship and stopping discrimination.

This module aims to provide an understanding of the legal structures and the regulation of immigration control, nationality law and asylum in the UK. The module will place legal controls in their historical, social and political context and will require you to demonstrate in-depth understanding of the inter-relationship of the various legal mechanisms.

This module aims to examine the relationship between medical law and ethics and the role of the law in defining the doctor/patient relationship. You will explore consent to treatment, consent issues relating to incompetent adults as well as minors and medical treatment. Clinical negligence will be explored as well as selected issues relating to beginning of life such as abortion, surrogacy and end of life issues such as euthanasia and assisted suicide. The module will also introduce mental health law and the law regulating medical research. The module will give an opportunity for an in-depth study of a selected area of medical law.

This module aims to provide you with a sound knowledge and understanding of the law governing companies and other business organisations in the United Kingdom. Comparisons are drawn between the laws underpinning the various business organisations/relationships and their different purposes are evaluated. A framework of basic principles of company law is provided, with some detail of how these principles are worked out in practice. The module will further aim to perfect legal reasoning and logic, legal synthesis, analysis and problem solving skills; to enhance research skills and the use of primary source material and to enable you to bring this together with previously learned legal principles.

This practical experience module provides the means for you to link academic work with a 'real world' situation in order to conceptualise the meaning of theory in the wider world context