International Relations and Politics BA (Hons)

The Study Abroad module is a semester based 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which facilitate study abroad within the programme. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. The course of study abroad will be constructed to meet the learning outcomes for the programme for the semester in question, dependent on suitable modules from the partner and will be recorded for an individual student on the learning agreement signed by the host University, the student, and the home University (Northumbria). The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.

Learning outcomes on the year-long modules on which the student is unable to attend the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.

In this module I will learn how to design and carry out a political research project. My learning will build on year one to further examine how political scientists undertake research. I will be introduced to a number of research methods used within the discipline of International Relations and Politics and have the opportunity to apply key research skills. I will have the opportunity to practice the various stages of a research project and learn how to relate the findings to key issues and debates within international relations and political science.

This module adds practical depth to the theoretical frameworks developed in my first year of study and is the foundation for undertaking the systematic investigation required for the Dissertation module in my final year. However, I recognise that in many ways everything about the study of international relations and politics is ‘research’ and this module will bring together the theory and practice of political research which underpins everything I am studying. I realise that learning about the process of undertaking a piece of political research has the potential to transform my understanding of and engagement with everything I learn here at university.

What is a democracy? Are elections enough? How can Western European democracy be improved in contemporary society? In this module you will be invited to challenge the traditional view that elections are sufficient for democracy. In doing so, you will explore democracy beyond the ballot box; examining theoretical and contemporary debates and practices surrounding direct and indirect democracy, political representation and participation. Case studies will be used to explore themes such as: citizen participation (e.g. participatory budgeting, consultation, citizen juries, deliberative polls), non-electoral representation, partnership working and governance, in context of the so called shift from government to governance.

There is a key focus on building your employability in the module. As part of the assessment, you will be asked to take part in a participatory budgeting/competitive funding bidding process. Where feasible, this will be based on a real life project remit linked with the goals and objectives of an external organisation. You will learn knowledge and practice skills used in policy-making, public governance, community engagement and developing and assessing successful funding applications. This is relevant to many roles in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors e.g. community and volunteer engagement officers, elected members, fund-raising officers, researchers etc. Employment related skills gained from this include: team-work, presentation skills, creating and justifying arguments, developing and assessing the merits of funding bids, finding and using evidence, using online IT tools and systems, budgeting public funds and developing projects to meet specific criteria.

You will learn about global governance and international organisations in theoretical-conceptual terms as mechanisms to steer and solve problems of international/global scope. You will explore one or more international organisation to understand whether and how these organisations are able to meet the demands required for that purpose, studying in depth both their normative and institutional framework. This will include studying the main actors and bodies of an organisation, the organisation’s aspirations set out in the respective charter as well as key policy development over time.

Historic case studies or policy analysis will be used to supplement your understanding of the successes or failures of the international organisation to meet its own aspirations and/or facilitate international cooperation.

Subject to staff availability, the international organisations analysed may include the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, etc.

In this module I will learn about the practice of politics. This module complements my learning of political concepts and academic theory by introducing me to the real world of politics. The module provides me with the opportunity to utilise my academic knowledge and develop my understanding by reflecting on how politics operates in the working environment. I will be required to reflect on the connections between academic theory and my experience of practice. It also provides me with the opportunity to develop my research skills which will be applied to a real piece of research. The module will also introduce me to possible careers in politics and enable me to have a more practical understanding of how politics works and, also, the skills required for a career in this area.

In this module I will learn how different scholars have thought about and conceptualised international relations. I will study the range of theories of International Relations, including the three main schools of Liberalism, Realism, Marxism and their variants, and post-structural and critical theories. Learning about the different ways in which we can see, understand and explain international relations will provide me with a better range of tools to form my own understanding and explanation of what I observe, study and read, and thus enhance my skills of critical analysis when engaging with academic literature but also when engaging with political events around the world.

Theories covered in this module will include:
• Neorealism, Neoliberal institutionalism, English School, Constructivism, neo-Marxism
• Critical theory, Postmodernism/Poststructuralism, Feminism, Postcolonialism, International Political Theory

On this module I will investigate the changing nature of the British political system. This module will develop my understanding of how politics in the UK operates beyond the traditional Westminster Model by focusing on debates about the relationship between identities and politics in the UK. In this module I will gain a clear understanding of the conceptual and theoretical basis of identity through a focus on class and nation. The module enhances my empirical knowledge with a strong historical focus on the changing nature of the British political system. The module will test a number of my assumptions about the nature of the British political system and give me a clearer understanding of the forces of identity and how this shapes political action in the UK.

You will learn about the most significant issues and challenges of our times in the domain of foreign policy. While grounded in IR theory, you will be introduced to foreign policy analysis (FPA)-specific frameworks and levels of analysis such as to systems of governance, decision making structures and models, leadership analysis, the role of the media, public opinion and special interest groups. Empirically, you will learn about the foreign policy of key actors in the international system towards a region or set of issues such as, for example, US and China foreign policy.

On this module you will explore human rights through three main themes: the philosophy of human rights, the implementation of human rights, human rights and globalisation.

In the ‘philosophy of human rights’ section, you will analyse the history of the concept of human rights and its critiques, starting with the first universal declaration in 1789.

In the ‘implementation of Human Rights’ section, you will critically analyse its gradual codification and legal implementation, at an international, European and national levels, and how real protection mechanisms were implemented after the Second World War, and critically evaluate its limitations. You will focus on three areas: the European Convention on Human Rights and the new rights acquired by European citizens to defend themselves against their own State; the rise of constitutional courts, focusing on the development of constitutional democracies as opposed to majority democracies and the frictions such a change has entailed, using France and Britain as case studies; the role the EU has played for the protection of human rights, starting from the So Lange case in Germany that forced the EU to become more attentive to Human Rights to an exploration of the four freedoms and finishing with an analysis of the European Charter of fundamental Rights.

In the ‘Human Rights and globalisation’ section you will examine the challenges human rights face in a globalised world by focusing on the universalist versus relativist debate on the one hand, humanitarian intervention and right to protect on the other.

This module looks at the ways in which political violence is represented in the media, specifically the ways political violence is racialised and gendered. You will look at race and gender as analytical categories in international relations, along with the methodologies that scholars use to research these, and you will apply these understandings to the study of political violence via case studies such as the FARC, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the War in Iraq, Daesh and Black Lives Matter.

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.