MSc International Management and International Relations

Research Methods:
This module will prepare you to undertake effective research drawing upon a range of secondary and primary data sources in preparation for your coursework. You will be introduced to a range of tools required for research including methodological issues, data collection techniques and study skills. This module prepares you for completing high quality, systematic business and management research.

Global Political Economy:
This module examines the emerging global political economy through the vantage point of competing theoretical perspectives and the evolution of these perspectives, resulting from theoretical debates and the progressive encounter with empirical developments. Different theories reveal different aspects and dimensions of the global political economy and they will thus be used to present key historical developments and contemporary issues of the global political economic order.

Production, Finance and Global Governance:
This module looks at the changing nature of the global political economy from the origins of capitalism to the present day. It explores the hallmarks of key epochs in this period as well as specific issues related to these, including the nature of state power, changing labour relations, the role of finance and the evolution of the global trading system. It also explores contemporary issues such as the financial crisis and the future of global governance.

Business Strategy:
In this module you will be introduced to key ideas in business strategy and will develop an understanding and ability to evaluate key strategic decisions. You will consider the wider economic environment and explore why strategy is important. This will help you to understand how organisations make strategic decisions through the processes of analysis, choice, responsible and ethical management and leadership. You will examine how these decisions impact on the wider environment of the organisation and how strategy is implemented.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
You will develop your understanding of approaches to solving problems when governing in the corporate sector. Your studies will consider current issues and consider the social implications of governance. You will also focus on the impact of globalisation on international management practices. You will be equipped with the knowledge to enhance management decisions involving ethical choices. Finally, you will consider your assumptions about the role of managers and organisations in a complex and challenging context through the exploration of contemporary issues in CSR. You can choose between taking a Consultancy Project module or the International Management in Practice: Study Trip module

Leading and Managing: International Perspective:
This will develop your international management and leadership skills, introducing you to key management issues which are illustrated by case studies. It will improve your cross-cultural awareness and enhance your effectiveness when working with an international organisation.

Dissertation:
The dissertation is an opportunity for you to carry out an in-depth investigation into a topic of Business Management which is of particular interest to you. It should have an appropriately clear focus and be an investigation based on primary and/or secondary data, allowing you to specialise in the area that you find the most interesting.

Critical Approaches to Terrorism:
This module will examine how we think about and study terrorism. It will critically consider debates about how terrorism has assumed the significance it seems to possess, how we define and understand terrorism, as well as thinking about the nature of the threat that terrorism poses. The causes of terrorism and the gender politics of terrorism will also be assessed. The module will debate questions around whether states can be terrorists and reflect on the main ways in which states and others seek to counter terrorism. In each of these topics, the aim will be to take a critical approach, to try to think beyond mainstream and conventional answers to some of the issues listed above.

Dilemmas of International Ethics:
This module surveys the main traditions and theories of international ethics and asks what guidance they may or may not provide in thinking through important ethical dilemmas in contemporary world politics. Ethical controversies in world politics examined in the module include: humanitarian intervention; global economic inequality; global environmental justice; nuclear proliferation and disarmament. With each controversy studied, students will be asked to think about what global responsibilities state and non-state actors have, if any, in connection with the issue. It is the aim of the module to explore the impact of ideas, norms and values in a diverse world and how normative thinking in relation to world politics impacts our day-to-day lives.

Global Governance, Civil Society and Social Movements:
The module is grounded in debates that have emerged within International Relations since the end of the Cold War. The rise of transnational policy issues has illustrated the limitations of a state-centric approach towards IR. Concentrating on understanding ‘globalisation from below’, this module investigates what kind of a role civil society can play in global politics. Furthermore, as many social, political and economic changes have brought into question the nature of citizenship in contemporary world politics, the possibility of the emergence of post-national forms of citizenship is raised. The module introduces key conceptual and theoretical debates surrounding global civil society and global citizenship and through focusing on a number of more concrete illustrations and case studies, asks to what extent can global politics be transformed and democratised by global civil society actors.

Global Politics and the Environment:
This module offers a critical, interdisciplinary investigation into the way in which the tensions brought about by the ecological crisis have been addressed globally, looking at institutional, conceptual, ideological, socio-cultural and political economic facets. It analyses our understanding of global environmental issues in relation to international political thought. It examines the role and efficacy of international regimes as management solutions to global environmental problems. It situates the global environmental crisis within wider structures of modernity bringing in political theoretical and global sociological perspectives. It further analyses the political economy of the environment, and examines the dynamics of global environmental governance and resistance.

International Development:
Since the end of the Cold War one of the key dynamics in world politics, namely the gap between rich and poor, has come into sharper focus. This module examines both the theory and practice of the international politics of development. The first half of the module looks at key theoretical debates and how these have related to practice. Various contemporary issues in development are then explored to illustrate the theoretical debates. These will include the Third World Debt Crisis, fair trade, development assistance, sustainable development and the resource curse thesis.

International Energy Politics:
This module examines the complex and inter-linked relationship between energy, security and international politics. Students enter the subject through a critical reading of the concept of energy security and are encouraged to disaggregate the concept and apply it at different levels of analysis (security of demand, security of supply, physical security, individual security etc.) Students will have the opportunity to critically evaluate the concept across several themes and relationships within the energy-politics nexus including: the relationships between energy and authoritarianism, conflict, foreign policy and global governance. Focusing mostly on the international politics of oil and gas, the module will address these themes through an engagement with a range of theoretical perspectives and literature related to international relations, foreign policy analysis, political economy and security studies and will do so through a close reading of several case-studies including: Russia, Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the United States, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Postcolonial Perspectives: Security, Violence and Resistance:
This module sheds light on questions of security, violence and resistance from a postcolonial perspective. It explores how phenomena such as terrorism, migration, violent conflict and racism, as well as political responses to these phenomena, can only be understood in relation to past colonial contexts, including the inscription of racial identities and material exploitation that these contexts entailed. The module discusses how contemporary notions such as ‘Islamic extremism’, the ‘oppressed Muslim woman’ or the ‘developing/Third world’ are used to elevate Western societies to a status of cultural and political superiority. This gives legitimacy to strategies such as the waging of war to defend ‘our’ way of life, and the pacification and ‘development’ of other societies; however, it also gives rise to violent as well as non-violent resistances. The module aims to provide space for an in-depth reading of some central texts of postcolonial theory, but even more so for exploring their relation to a variety of practical political and cultural sites around questions of security, violence and resistance.

Violence and Post-War Reconstruction:
This module investigates the occurrence of violence during peace processes. It asks why violence continues despite the ceasefire, how it affects peace processes, and what are the implications for its management? The first part of the module achieves a conceptualisation of violence, peace and peace processes, while the second part of the module examines the sources and manifestations of violence after war. Uniquely, this module gives students the opportunity to examine the relationships between different 'types' of violence and the existence of a 'culture of violence'. Examples will be taken from contemporary peace processes. In the end, students should be able to critically analyse the causes and manifestations of violence in the context of a peace process and be able to make recommendations for its management.

Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Accreditation: This course is dual accredited by CMI – a CMI accreditation means you have the option to graduate with your degree and gain a professional CMI qualification (Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership) and there’s no extra study involved. This accreditation is not only a hallmark of excellence, but also provides you with benefits. For example, student members can access online content, networking events, company visits, online seminars and mentoring.

A CMI Induction event will be held so you can find out about the CMI qualification and membership and choose whether you would like to qualify and join. If you do choose to gain the CMI qualification you will need to pay a non-refundable fee for the CMI level 7 qualification in Strategic Management & Leadership, which is currently £278 and includes one-year membership of the CMI.