MA Global Governance and Sustainable Development

The MA Global Governance and Sustainable Development offers both full time and part time modes, with the latter running over 2 years. Four core plus two optional modulels are completed over the Autumn and Spring terms followed by a Dissertation period during the Summer.

You will attend lecture, seminars, workshops and tutorials, where you’ll deepen your theoretical knowledge, work on activities and case studies, and develop your analytical and problem-solving skills. You will do research, produce written reports, give presentations and take part in group discussions and group work, supplementing all this with your own independent study. The use of summative assessment at various stages of the programme will encourage students to consolidate their understanding. Some assessment components will involve group work.

Each module is worth 20 credits, with the exception of the Dissertation and Work Integrated Learning modules, which are worth 60 credits each. The Work Integrated Learning module may be selected as an alternative to the Dissertation, with prior approval.

Open Optional Module (20 Credits)

Students may select any available 20 credit module offered by the School of Law in order to tailor their programme towards their own personal interest. For some modules, programme coordinator approval is needed. Student should discuss with their programme coordinator the opportunities.

Not all optional modules maybe available each year, as they are dependent upon student numbers and interest.

Programme Outline

The MA Global Governance and Sustainable Development offers both full-time and part-time modes, with the latter being run over 2 years. Four core plus two optional modules are completed over the Autumn and Spring terms followed by a Dissertation period during the summer.

You will attend lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, where you’ll deepen your theoretical knowledge, work on activities and case studies, and develop your analytical and problem-solving skills. You will do research, produce written reports, give presentations and take part in group discussions and group work, supplementing all this with your own independent study. The use of summative assessment at various stages of the programme will encourage students to consolidate their understanding. Some assessment components will involve group work.

Each module is worth 20 credits, with the exception of the Dissertation and Work Integrated Learning modules, which are worth 60 credits each. The Work Integrated Learning module may be chosen as an alternative to the Dissertation with prior approval.

Module and programme information is indicative and may be subject to change.

• • Global Security (20 Credits) - Compulsory This module analyzes changes in the global security agenda since the end of the Cold War, both empirically and theoretically. The meaning of security is explored and competing theoretical perspectives in the discipline are compared. The transformation of military security threats is then analyzed with particular emphasis on the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the significance of global terrorism. The module then explores the rise of non-military issues of human security including environmental change, crime, disease, poverty, and disasters
  • Foreign Policy Analysis: Geopolitical Perspectives (20 Credits) - Compulsory The aim of this module is to analyse foreign policy practices as crucial sites of political agency and choice in contemporary geopolitics of international relations. This course will draw on the advanced classical and critical theories of international relations and geopolitical perspectives applied to the study of the foreign policy traditions, strategies and practices of the key actors and cases in global politics. The module is designed to encourage and qualify an international group of postgraduate students who may wish to further their specialized study of foreign policy analysis and or employment in fields related to governance, business, politics, and diplomacy. The overall aim of this module is to create a multidisciplinary, multicultural learning environment that is reflected on the teaching practice and research of the module leader and receptive to the diverse needs and views of students.
  • Dissertation (60 Credits) - Compulsory The module provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate advanced-level legal research skills and understanding in writing a dissertation on a topic proposed by the student and approved by the module leader, drawing as appropriate on knowledge and skills acquired in earlier LLM modules.
  • Politics of Globalisation (20 Credits) - Compulsory This module considers the implications in International Relations of the forces of globalisation, looking at international political processes and institutions at the level of politics, economics and cultural. In this module students analyse the relevance of international organisations, and look at transnational politics and issues of global importance. Students explore theoretical debates surrounding these issues and in this way, critically evaluate the effectiveness of international policy. The module aims to provide a platform for students to work constructively in groups, gain leadership skills and formulate arguments and coherent debates in a diverse international environment.
  • Research and Practice Skills (20 Credits) - Compulsory This module prepares students for the completion of either a dissertation or an assessed work placement or a work based learning project. A series of lectures and workshops and online exercises address research methodologies, skills and employability. Students will undertake a series of formative and summative assessments developing their critical and practical skills and leading towards either; i) the production of a research proposal or ii) a critical review of the work of the organisation they are to be placed with or work with. The satisfactory completion of the module will then allow the student to proceed to writing a dissertation of 10-12,000 words or to embark on a work placement assessed by production of a project report / paper and exercises reflecting on this experience.
  • Global Governance for Sustainable Development (20 Credits) - Compulsory This core module of the MA GGSD aims to provide you with skills and knowledge to understand and critique the notion of sustainable development and the many manifestations it takes in policy and governance starting with the global blueprint of Agenda 21. An increasingly popular term, global governance refers to the collaborations of state and non-state actors in advocating, making laws and policies for and undertaking practical actions to address issues that have global scope in terms of impact and/or causality. This module will help you to understand and learn to contextualise new and emerging theorisations of governance, power and evidence as well as the normative and institutional premises of governance for sustainable development. You will gain a critical understanding of a range of global governance issues such as food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation and healthy cities.
  • International Human Rights Law (20 Credits) - Optional To analyse the international human rights law framework under the United Nations and assess its monitoring procedures and efficacy, engaging the complementary America, African and Asian regional systems. Students will be required to reflect on challenges to the implementation of international human rights law globally, as well as engage strategies that advance thematic and country-specific elements of the human rights bodies under the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The module will involve critical research on international human rights mechanisms, including treaty-based and Charter-based bodies, as well as regional commissions and courts. The aim is to reach a comprehensive understanding of the full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and the interaction between domestic, regional and international law in their protection, realisation and fulfilment. Students will be tasked with evolving a rights-based analysis to identify and address gaps that contribute to widespread contemporary global rights violations.
  • Migration Theories and Approaches (20 Credits) - Optional To provide an opportunity for students to undertake work experience commensurate with postgraduate levels of study and, by doing so, to advance knowledge, critical thinking and understanding to an appropriate level. It also provides an opportunity for students to work alongside key decision makers in organisations where global governance occurs, and also provides an option to the dissertation credit for their degrees. In addition, the module enables students to develop advanced insight into core issues in global governance, developing individual capacity for problem solving, interpretation and critical construction of knowledge.
  • Integrated Work and Learning (20 Credits) - Optional

    Please note this module is a barred combination with Work Integrated Learning.

    This practical experience module provides the means for students to link academic work with ‘real world’ work experience related to their specific programme. The aim is to enable the student to conceptualise the relation of theory to policy decisions within the wider world context. This module aims to develop and embed specific key skills which will facilitate career paths and employment in their chosen speciality. It is envisaged that the student will reflect upon and analyse areas of knowledge relevant to the placement learning experience and develop personal knowledge through review of learning. This learning experience provides students with the opportunity to enhance their skills of self-expression, communication, self-reliance, cooperation and team working within an area of work related to their chosen programme.

  • Foundations and Principles of International Law (20 Credits) - Optional Students will gain a systematic understanding of the core general rules and principles of international law. Knowledge of this conceptual and legal framework is particularly recommended for those enroling on other specialised LLM courses with an international dimension. The course seeks to enable students to analyse, critically evaluate and provide authoritative commentary on how international law impacts international relations and contemporary concerns such as globalisation, the use of armed force, terrorism, poverty, governance and the regulation of ownership over territory.
  • Work Integrated Learning (60 Credits) - Optional The module aims to enable students to apply theoretical knowledge and research to anticipate and respond to challenges in a selected workplace experience. The workplace experience may be undertaken as an internship negotiated by the student or in their current workplace or an existing voluntary role. It also aims to foster sustainable long term learning by requiring students to take responsibility for their own learning, design and negotiate learning goals and make informed judgments about their performance across the programme of study. The module asks students to engage as active subjects in the assessment process, thus enhancing the capacity for transformative learning. By selecting a topic of interest grounded in the workplace experience the student will demonstrate reflexivity, self-regulation and self-assessment in their journey towards personal and professional development
  • Sustainable Development and Human Rights (20 Credits) - Optional This module aims to provide a critical exploration of the key institutions and frameworks that govern human rights at the international level and of the international policy context that promotes sustainable development, to examine how the two do, or do not, interact. It problematises the notion of rights as competing, contested and co-opted and questions their ability to function in crisis situations. It focuses on issues of inclusion/exclusion and to this end reflects on how the rights and ‘development’ of three ‘marginalised groups’ have been promoted focusing on indigenous peoples, the caste system and gender inequality. It aims, overall, to question if the current legal approaches to human rights are sufficient to bring sustainable development to currently marginalised groups.

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