International Relations BA (Hons)

The modules for this course can be found in the latest programme specification.

Year One

Module Title Core/Option/Elective Credits Global Issues and Challenges Core 60 Histories of the Present Core 20 The Evolution of the International System Core 20 Analysing Violence and Security Core 20

You will begin the programme in Semester One of the first year by studying a series of global issues or challenges, as a means to understand the ways in which states and non-state actors begin to approach or analyse transnational or global problems such as climate change, refugee crises, or threats to international peace. This will alert you to some of the key actors at the global level and the way that they operate, as well as introducing you to important concepts and tools for critical thinking in International Relations. In Semester Two, you will study the concepts of the Violence and Security, as a grounding for the rest of your degree programme, and you will examine the historical emergence of the international states system.

In the 60 credit module Global Issues and Challenges we start exploring how we might tackle the many problems facing the world today: How do we begin to understand the immense problems that face us, in all their complexity, let alone actually tackle them? In this module you will learn how to get started: you will learn some basic tools for beginning to unpick and analyse the pressing problems of our time. You will work to develop your own understanding of key global problems as a basis for beginning to think about how they might be resolved.

Histories of the Present asks critical questions about the historical developments that have shaped present realities, and about the stories we tell about both past and present. If "History is written by the winners," that is, the powerful get to control the way that historical events are depicted and interpreted, then how, and how successfully, do they do this? Does our everyday understanding of the past reflect the interests of the powerful and how does this affect our responses to problems of the present? In this module, you will explore the relationship between knowledge and power and the role that institutions such as museums and objects such as memorials play in this. Drawing on the University's own special archive and that or our partners, the Bradford Peace Museum, you will examine sources and documents relating to historical episodes of war and peace and design and present your own museum exhibit or memorial presenting an alternative history of contemporary problems.

The Evolution of the International System gives you the essential foundation you need to build your understanding of the contemporary international system from the fall of Napoleon to today. The syllabus is organized into three blocks as tools for analysing the development of today's world order: the supremacy of Europe from the revolutionary era to the First World War; the rise of the USA, the USSR and China and the eclipse of Europe in the twentieth century, and the emergence of a multipolar international system following the fall of Communism. Throughout, a careful balance will be maintained between overarching themes and structures, specific turning points, and case studies.

Analysing Violence and Security provides an introduction to analysing a broad range of contemporary security challenges. Using real world examples of contemporary security problematics such as new wars, nuclear weapons and terrorism, arms control, biochemical warfare, health and biosecurity, risk, environmental security, post colonial security, and gender and insecurity, it will give you the conceptual, methodological and theoretical knowledge to analyse violence and security, insecurity, instability and armed conflict in the modern international system.

Year Two

Module Title Core/Option/Elective Credits Contemporary International Relations Core 20 Analysing Contemporary Conflict Core 20 Globalisation and Global Governance Core 20 Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Core 20 Power Shifts: Regional and Global Challenges Option 20 State Formation and Dynamics in the International System Option 20 Technology, Violence and War Option 20

In the second year, your core modules will teach you about the main theoretical approaches in the discipline and you will use these to examine the nature of contemporary conflict; the interactions between states; the phenomenon of globalisation and the emergence of global governance institutions. You will be able to choose between a number of options which address the history of state-making, changing technologies of warfare, shifting power relations between the Atlantic and Pacific hemispheres, and techniques of foreign policy analysis and diplomacy.

The module Contemporary International Relations provides an introduction to the foundational and post-foundational theories of international relations; war and the process of state-making, colonialism and decolonisation; the Cold War and Cold War security logic. It also covers analytical approaches to the understanding of contemporary global politics, international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, NATO and international security; global economic governance after World War Two; transnational social movements; the contemporary international system and international security, nuclear proliferation and arms control, the conventional arms trade, and climate change.

In Analysing Contemporary Conflict you will learn knowledge and analytic skills needed for a systematic and critical understanding of the causes, dynamics and impacts of conflict in the contemporary world. You will apply key concepts in various research and analysis tasks, exploring contemporary cases of conflict and the validity or limitations of existing academic thinking. As such, the module emphasises an applied and practical approach to conflict analysis, developing your skills in gathering and analysing information about relevant case-studies and contexts of conflict.

We don't have a world government, and we are never likely to have one; but increasingly problems spill across borders and require co-ordinated action at a global scale. How is such co-ordinated action directed? Who are the powerful actors in global politics? Why are some international institutions more powerful than others? And why do we make more progress towards good governance globally in some policy areas than in others? In the Globalisation and Global Governance module, you will learn to analyse and explain the way that global governance systems develop and operate, and the constraints and opportunities that determine what kind of a job we do of governing global issues.

In the module Foreign Policy and Diplomacy you will gain a detailed and critical knowledge of the structures and dynamics of foreign policy and diplomacy as practised in the present day. It includes theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of foreign policy, how states make foreign policy, the role of international institutions, the theory and practice of international diplomacy and its application in bilateral, regional or international negotiations, co-operation or crisis response. We also look at the historical context of diplomacy, focusing particularly on the twentieth century and the contemporary period. You will gain the tools to analyse policy making in a variety of states and evaluate how membership of multilateral bodies influences foreign policy.

Power relationships globally are in flux. The Middle East is in turmoil. And the powers themselves are struggling through difficult transitions. The module Power Shifts: Regional and Global Challenges provides in-depth analysis and knowledge of global power relations. It focuses on US global power, US-Russian relations, perceptions of a rising threat from Russia to Europe, the evolving dynamics of European security, the geopolitics of East Asia, power shifts in the Middle East, the changing role of the NATO alliance, new power alliances such as the BRICS, the threat from non-state actors. 

The module State Formation and Dynamics in the International System starts by looking at how the modern western sovereign state emerged at the expense of pre-existing supranational bodies, through the treaty of Westphalia. We examine how individual state structures developed, the relations between them, and how some of them swiftly went on to acquire global empires. Then we look how states emerged from the decolonisation process in three European empires, the British in South Asia and Africa, and the French and Portuguese in Africa. Finally, we look at the political, economic, security and cultural consequences of the ongoing interaction between the 'old' western states and the 'new' post-colonial ones. This includes the formation of regional and international organizations such as the UN, the World Bank and the OAU/AU, evolving notions of sovereignty and neo-colonialism, and global migration.

The module Technology, Violence and War examines contemporary debates about the relationship between society, technology and violence, focussing in particular on the implications for security and arms governance of recent innovations in drone warfare, nanotechnology, biotechnology and cyberwarfare. The module will include a visit and talk at the Royal Armouries in Leeds to familiarise students with the early history of military-technological innovation. You will be taught using a mixture of lectures, group seminar work and assessed presentations on a case study selected by the group. The case study will be chosen from examples of the recent offensive use of a novel technology. Different groups will be tasked with examining the various ethical, legal, strategic and security issues raised by the offensive use of a novel technology.

Year Three

Module Title Core/Option/Elective Credits Dissertation Core 40 Politics and Security in Africa, or Elective Elective 20 Pathways to Professional Practice Core 20 The Politics of International Crisis Response Core 20 Politics and Security in the Middle East Option 20 Creative Conflict Transformation Option 20 Contemporary Development Challenges Option 20

In the third year, you will undertake a dissertation and a workplace-based project, which could include producing a briefing paper or research note for one of the Division’s partner organisations, which range from West Yorkshire CND to the British Army. You will also participate in a simulated international crisis and play the role of an international diplomat participating in a series of international negotiations, in order to learn about the way that international organisations such as NATO and the United Nations deal with threats to international peace and security. You will also have the opportunity to develop specialist regional knowledge of either Africa or the Middle East, or to take an elective in a field of special interest. This includes the opportunity to take one module from our suite of Masters modules.

Your dissertation is a substantial capstone project with which to conclude your degree. It represents your opportunity to undertake an extended piece of research and writing, guided by an academic supervisor. You will draw on the various concepts and theories you have learned and applying these to a case study or issue area of your choice to come up with new understandings of or solutions to pressing challenges in the world. You will learn about doing research, how to set out a pertinent and important research question, using analytical tools to analyse data, developing your ideas into arguments. The dissertation is a very useful signature piece of work to impress future employers and show them your in-depth knowledge of an area.

Politics and Security in Africa examines the complex and dynamic political and security issues facing African countries, and their implications for peace, conflict and development within the region and beyond. It covers topics such as colonialism, decolonisation, fragility, governance, democracy, gender, development, conflict, security, terrorism, intervention, and other key issues as may emerge. The module will allow students to draw on their knowledge of broader frameworks and theories to apply them to a specific region, Africa, and to particular country case studies or themes in the region.

Bridging the divide between academic theory and professional practice is essential for you to effectively deploy your university studies to make a contribution to the real world outside. Pathways to Professional Practice aims to provide you with preliminary familiarity with the everyday challenges and problems of the practical context of peace and development work, through conducting a placement with a partner organisation in Bradford, or through designing and implenting your own practical project focused on promoting the aims and goals of the university, the student community, or an organisation outside. Under supervision, you will produce a professional quality project document and maintain a learning journal documenting the challenges and issues you face in the professional context, leading to a reflective report on your experience of professional work. The module also offers an opportunity to interact with peace and development professionals in specially designed workshops to assist you in identifying possible career pathways.

The Politics of International Crisis Response brings you together with fellow students in politics, security, international relations, and development studies. Working across these neighbouring disciplies, you will develop an understanding of the dynamics that bear on international responses to complex crises, including disasters, humanitarian or development emergencies, gross abuse of human or minority rights, violent conflict or inter-state security crises. Through relevant case studies, this module examines existing international and regional mechanisms for crisis response and identifies lessons from past experiences. A crisis simulation game and other simulation exercises will give you the opportunity to develop skills and experience that will help you to engage with the challenges and practices of relevant international policy and practitioner communities.

Politics and Security in the Middle East covers topics such as colonialism, decolonisation, fragility, governance, democracy, gender, development, conflict, security, terrorism, intervention, the formation of nation-state model, the rise and the fall of Arab nationalism, political Islam, regional security and oil politics. The module will allow students to draw on their knowledge of broader frameworks and theories to apply them to a specific region, the Middle East, and to particular case studies or themes in the region.

Creative Conflict Transformation invites you to explore some of these questions, and to look beyond the most familiar peacemaking processes to include the arts (e.g. music, applied theatre, literature), memory work, critical/peace education, conflict resolution and mediation. It starts from the assumption that much work to address conflict and its legacies requires a capacity to both envision and act for change. How might we cultivate this capacity in ourselves and others? While this module can and should not provide final answers, it will draw inspiration from existing experiences and experiments and encourage you to reflect both creatively and critically on how they might help you shape your own approach to conflict engagement.

The global political economy is in the process of fundamental transformation. Power relations between north and south, east and west, are changing rapidly, with huge implications for international collaboration on issues such as trade, aid, global governance and on trans-border problems. In Contemporary Development Challenges students will learn about the challenges of applying theoretical models in a useful, ethical and reflective way, which is relevant to the well-being of people, and to the achievement of social, economic and environmental benefits for communities and societies. This will be done through investigating contemporary development issues which affect the Global South most acutely, and exploring these in case-study countries, by undertaking advanced supervised research projects, negotiated between students and tutors.