Module SGIA2131: INTERNATIONAL THEORY

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2131: INTERNATIONAL THEORY

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module aims to give students detailed and specific knowledge about contemporary international relations theory and to develop students critical engagement with theory and the wider implications of such theories for the contested nature of the subject's boundaries. The module contributes to the students wider understanding of theoretical, conceptual and methodological matters in the study of politics and international politics.

Content

• Concepts, theories and illustrative discussion of:
• What constitutes the disciplined study of international politics;
• The major debates of International Relations;
• International Political Theory;
• Methodological considerations;
• Normative theory

Learning Outcomes

• During the module students should develop subject specific knowledge and understanding of:
• The major contemporary debates in International Relations, including explanatory and critical theories;
• Important elements of international political thought and political philosophy as they relate to our understanding of international relations.

• Students should also develop important subject specific skills, such as:
• Identifying and evaluating key disputes and debates in the context of international theory;
• Understanding key concepts, theories and/or traditions that contribute to defining the field of International Relations;
• Showing awareness of and some sophistication in the use of methodological ideas and approaches to theorising.

• Students should also enhance key skills, including:
• Effective communication of their knowledge, including engaging with, structuring and assessing material.
• Effectively describing and applying more advanced academic literatures; 
• Developing more advanced evaluative techniques.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning are via lectures and smaller-group seminars. Lectures provide for the delivery of subject specific knowledge and enable staff to highlight key areas of dispute in the field, including the role of methodological disputes. Smaller-group seminars enable students to explore the subject in more depth and discuss competing evaluations and assessments of the theories and debates covered in the module. They also offer an opportunity for students to structure and communicate their knowledge in response to the dynamics of the class.
• Formative assessment in the format of an essay gives students practice in advance of summative assessment in setting out their knowledge of the field in order to develop and defend in a suitably structured and rigorous fashion a response to a set question. Formative assessment via an essay offers students an opportunity to practice the kind of skills necessary for exams without the associated time pressure and receive feedback on the development of their knowledge and understanding, and their subject specific skills. In particular, the formative essay contributes to the students ability to develop new skills in exploratory research. The formative essays also provide students with written feedback on their work, enable students to develop their writing, reading and research skills. Achieving this also tests their ability to independently identify, assess and organise resources in support of a consistent academic argument, by a deadline and to a word-limit (1,500 word), requiring students to take responsibility for their learning.
• Summative assessment in the form of a 750-word written assignment (excluding references) which may include multimedia elements (visuals, audio, etc). This assignment will provide students the opportunity to think critically and creatively about knowledge production in International Relations.
• Summative assessment by examination using a take-home exam enables a wide range of knowledge and understanding to be assessed, with the exam structure ensuring that students must engage with methodological debates in the field and show an ability to compare and contrast different theories. Marking criteria highlight the role of analytical skills in gaining the highest marks and questions are set to encourage an analytical response. The time pressures of exams test students' organisational skills and their ability to effectively structure and deploy knowledge and communicate clearly and concisely. The summative assessment is made up of a selection of long answer questions, out of which the student has to choose 2 questions to answer. The exam will include clear information regarding assessment criteria (a strong and clear argument, a tightly structured essay, formal references, demonstration of knowledge of the material and a well-developed understanding of the specific issue the question addresses). Each question will also have a maximum of 1000 words per answer.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1,500 word essay submitted at the end of the first term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University