BA Politics and Economics with a Placement Year

Title:

Introductory Mathematics for Economics 1

Code:

EC116

Convenor:

DR Chun Kit Chung

Summary:

This module introduces the mathematical concepts which are of key importance in economics and to which reference is made in compulsory taught modules for single and joint degree programmes in the Department of Economics.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 10%, Set exercise 10%, Class test 20%

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Title:

Introductory Quantitative Methods in Economics and Business 1

Code:

EC115

Convenor:

DR Stefania Lovo

Summary:

This module provides an introduction to quantitative techniques useful in economics.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 20%, Class test 20%

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Title:

Introductory Macroeconomics

Code:

EC114

Convenor:

DR Mark Guzman

Summary:

Introductory Macroeconomics is a first course in understanding what economists consider to be a nation’s economy.  It is designed to provide you with a general introduction to the basic concepts and models used by economists to comprehend the actual world in which you live and the general discussions found in the media and in political discourse.  

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Set exercise 25%, Class test 25%

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Title:

Introductory Microeconomics

Code:

EC113

Convenor:

PROF Marina Della Giusta

Summary:

To introduce students to the basic principles of microeconomics.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Class test 50%

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Title:

Placement Support

Code:

PO1PLA

Convenor:

MRS Purnima Darji

Summary:

This module provides students with general and specific placement and employability related skills.

Assessment Method:

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Title:

Politics: International Relations and Strategic Studies

Code:

PO1IRS

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

The module provides an introduction to the study of International Relations and Strategic Studies. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

Introduction to Political Ideas

Code:

PO1IPI

Convenor:

DR Rob Jubb

Summary:

An introduction to political theory, covering central topics like the state and its authority, democracy, rights and liberty, equality and social justice, and war and intervention, as well as some of the basic methods for understanding them all. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

Degree Core Competencies

Code:

PO1DCC

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

The module will introduce students to key strategies and academic skills necessary to support their undergraduate studies. Students will engage with a series of key competences that will underpin three years of steadily more independent academic progression, including writing, referencing, presenting, teamwork and engaging with feedback. It will include the development of key skills to facilitate transition and adjustment to developing independent learning and building personal and academic strengths. The module will also explore a range of challenges frequently encountered by students along with coping strategies and advice on accessing the network of support available. There will also be opportunities for students to develop an understanding of how skills developed throughout their degree transfer to the workplace. 

Assessment Method:

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Title:

Introduction to Contemporary Democracy

Code:

PO1ICD

Convenor:

DR Christoph Arndt

Summary:

The module is intended to open students’ eyes to how democracy works or does not work around the world today. The first section on the Origins of Democracy looks globally at where democratic and non-democratic systems exist and what factors determine this distribution. Later sections draw much of their empirical content from the UK, but also include comparisons beyond the UK where appropriate.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

Intermediate Macroeconomics

Code:

EC202

Convenor:

DR Mark Guzman

Summary:

Intermediate Macroeconomics builds on concepts introduced in Principles of Macroeconomics.  It is designed to provide a more in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles and analytic concepts related to economic growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates.  

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Set exercise 25%, Class test 25%

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Title:

Intermediate Microeconomics

Code:

EC201

Convenor:

DR Minyan Zhu

Summary:

This module builds on material covered in introductory microeconomic courses and introduces students to some of the more advanced topics in microeconomic theory, including intertemporal choice, decision-making under risk, game theory, and general equilibrium theory.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Set exercise 40%

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Title:

The Study of Politics

Code:

PO2SOP

Convenor:

DR Christoph Arndt

Summary:

This module examines a range of different approaches to understanding, explaining and analysing politics and international relations. It focuses on giving students the ability to identify different methods and approaches in and to the twin academic disciplines of Politics and International Relations, and the different questions which they may be appropriately used to answer. In doing so, it prepares students for more advanced study in Politics and International Relations, including but not limited to an undergraduate dissertation in Politics and International Relations.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Class test 40%

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Title:

Economics of Social Policy

Code:

EC238

Convenor:

DR Samantha Benvinda Rawlings

Summary:

The module concentrates on how economic analysis can be applied to the real-world problems faced by policy makers. Economic analysis is employed in a wide range of social policies, whether in Government, the third sector but also in private sector organisations. This module concentrates on social economic problems. Analysis requires techniques taken from both micro and macroeconomics. Social economics covers a wide range of issues and the topics chosen will vary from year to year, depending on the current focus of policy interest. But, in general, the module could cover poverty and inequality, housing, crime, health, education, labour markets and urban economics for example. Not all these topics will be covered each year.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Report 20%

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Title:

Work Experience Year

Code:

EC2WEP

Convenor:

DR Vivien Burrows

Summary:

This module provides the opportunity to undertake a placement, and for subsequent reflection on and evaluation of the work experience.

Assessment Method:

Oral 20%, Report 80%

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Title:

Economic History

Code:

EC243

Convenor:

PROF Peter Scott

Summary:

This module explains how the world economy got to be where it is today focusing on the first globalisation and economic crises. The long-run approach is instructive as it covers a period where the first truly global integration occurred, followed by the disintegration after the First World War and the global Great Depression emanating from the US in the 1930s, and the post-war reconstruction and resurgence punctuated by the Oil Crises of the 1970s.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 25%, Set exercise 15%

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Title:

Business Economics

Code:

EC208

Convenor:

DR Nigel Wadeson

Summary:

This module introduces a number of areas of business economics not covered in the industrial organisation module, with a concentration on theory. It requires reading from a variety of sources and so is suitable for students particularly interested in business economics.

Assessment Method:

Exam 80%, Assignment 20%

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Title:

History of Economic Thought

Code:

EC209

Convenor:

PROF Marina Della Giusta

Summary:

The module aims to acquaint students with the main schools of thought in economics. The module presents scholars and their ideas in historical perspective, and illustrates their relevance in the context of contemporary debates.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Empirical Methods for Economics and Social Sciences

Code:

EC207

Convenor:

MR Adesola Olumayowa Sunmoni

Summary:

This module introduces the students to the study and practice of data analysis in the social sciences.

Assessment Method:

Practical 25%, Project 50%, Class test 25%

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Title:

Political Classics

Code:

PO2PHC

Convenor:

PROF Alan Cromartie

Summary:

A survey course in the history of political thought.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Professional Placement Year

Code:

PO2PPY

Convenor:

DR David Marshall

Summary:

This module is a work placement year. The area of work undertaken on the placement will be related to the students’ programme of study in the Department of Politics and International Relations. The day to day content of the work will be set by the placement employer. The work placement should provide the student with the opportunity for independent problem solving and working in a team.

Assessment Method:

Oral 50%, Report 50%

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Title:

Model United Nations

Code:

PO2MUN

Convenor:

DR Sarah Von Billerbeck

Summary:

The Model United Nations module explores the structure and function of the United Nations in a changing global context. The module includes a series of lectures about the UN, its primary organs, and its main activities, along with an in-depth simulation of various countries and their positions, aims, and role within the UN focusing on a crisis scenario. Students learn about foreign policy analysis, multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, international organisations, and contemporary global issues. This module will provide students with an opportunity to participate in a Model UN conference in the UK. The location will be confirmed at a later date due to uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. The University will endeavour to inform students of which conference has been selected as soon as practicable.  Attendance at the conference is a compulsory element of the module, and students will be asked to contribute £250 towards the cost of the trip.  

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 20%, Report 40%

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Title:

Contemporary Strategy

Code:

PO2COS

Convenor:

DR Kenton White

Summary:

This module is an introduction to the concept of strategy and its relationship with war and politics. It addresses the demands and challenges of strategic and security analysis in the modern period from a theoretical and practical standpoint. After exploring the theoretical foundation of strategy, we will look at some examples. This module will introduce you to a series of contemporary problems and how they stand in the field of modern strategy.  Aside from asking the question “What can military force do for you?”, the module asks, “Why is strategy so difficult?”

This module complements the module PO2WAP ‘War and Peace since 1800’.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 40%, Oral 10%

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Title:

Comparative Government and Politics

Code:

PO2CGP

Convenor:

PROF Daphne Halikiopoulou

Summary:

This module introduces students to the discipline of Comparative Politics. It examines the origins of political systems, regime formation and processes of a range of states from all regions of the world from a comparative perspective. Studying this module will give students a good understanding of comparative methods and research design; the ability to comparatively analyse the development of state formation and democratization processes around the world; and the tools to nuance, unpack and conceptualize some of the contemporary challenges that democratic nation- states face. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 40%, Assignment 30%, Oral 10%, Class test 20%

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Title:

British Government and Politics

Code:

PO2BGP

Convenor:

DR Rose De Geus

Summary:

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the working and development of the current British political system and culture.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 35%, Oral 15%, Report 50%

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Title:

Global Politics and History

Code:

PO2GPH

Convenor:

DR Kerry Goettlich

Summary:

From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to Brexit, and from the rise of China to the ‘Clash of Civilizations’, contemporary debates in world politics, and often the practice of world politics itself, depend on particular understandings of history. Indeed, it is impossible to study politics without relying on knowledge about the past. But how accurate or convincing are the historical narratives and assumptions that underlie contemporary debates? Is it ‘natural’ for politics to be organised into nation-states? Is empire a thing of the past? Where did democracy come from? When did globalisation start? Was decolonization a success or failure? Students will come away from this module with both the historical knowledge and the analytical skills to be able to answer such questions.

Assessment Method:

Exam 40%, Assignment 40%, Report 20%

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Title:

Modern International Relations

Code:

PO2MIR

Convenor:

DR Joseph O' Mahoney

Summary:

This module provides an advanced analysis of the principal theoretical approaches to international politics, as well as coverage of a selection of major issues on the international stage, including globalisation, conflict, nuclear weapons and terrorism. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 45%, Set exercise 5%

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Title:

American Government and Politics

Code:

PO2AMG

Convenor:

DR Mark Shanahan

Summary:

This module examines the historical, ideological and constitutional frameworks of American Government and Politics. It analyses the relationship between ideas and values (such as liberty and individualism) and the ways in which these condition the expression of the American political system; it looks at intermediate institutions that connect the public to the federal government (such as elections, the media, and interest groups); it explores the central institutions in Washington (such as the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court), and assesses important policy areas (such as gun control); finally the module offers a concluding session on the influences on, and delivery of, US foreign policy.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Report 30%

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Title:

Political Thinking

Code:

PO2THI

Convenor:

DR Alice Baderin

Summary:

Module in applied political theory. The course investigates the ethical issues that lie behind some important contemporary policy debates. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Politics of the Welfare State

Code:

PO2PWS

Convenor:

DR Brandon Beomseob Park

Summary:

The course is an introduction to the politics of welfare states in the developed economies of OECD countries with a particular focus on Western Europe. It focuses on the interaction between political and economic factors in explaining the emergence and evolution of welfare states and their various forms across countries. Students learn the major theoretical approaches in the study of the welfare state and apply them to contemporary debates about the welfare state as well as the politics of welfare state reform.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 40%, Oral 10%

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Title:

Russia in the World

Code:

PO2RTW

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

What is Russia’s role and place in the world? How does it understand and seek this? What sort of challenge does Russia present to the international order? To answer these questions, the module presents a three-fold answer. It introduces students to the foundations of Russia’s view of the world and of its place in the international system from a unique, interdisciplinary lens: the economic roots of political economy. The shifts from communist economy, transition to market economy and emergence as a resource-rich economy.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 20%, Report 40%

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Title:

War and Peace Since 1800

Code:

PO2WAP

Convenor:

DR Geoff Sloan

Summary:

This module aims to enable students to appreciate both the roles played by war in modern history and the ways in which warfare has evolved over a two-hundred year period. The strongly empirical, historical thrust of the module will be used to introduce students to the ideas key to understanding (a) why, how, and with what consequences wars occur, and (b) how peace can be "caused" and sometimes maintained.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

The Media and Politics

Code:

PO2TMP

Convenor:

DR Dawn Clarke

Summary:

The module introduces students to the practice of discussing politics through the media, to theories of the roles played by the media in politics, and to how the media work in the world today.  It combines lectures and seminars with participation in a radio show.  In the event the module is oversubscribed those studying politics as part of their programmes will normally be given priority.  Students are chosen from those prepared to do a short broadcast on the politics show in the summer term of Part 1 study, and attend the editorial meetings at 1:00 pm on a Tuesday.  The module requires student attendance at most radio shows across the two terms – these are delivered live at 7:00 pm each Tuesday evening.  Contact the module convenor for further details.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 35%, Oral 20%, Project 45%

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Title:

Behavioural Economics

Code:

EC343

Convenor:

DR Stephen Kastoryano

Summary:

This module offers students the opportunity to extend their understanding of how a broad range of economic decisions are made. Neoclassical economics is underpinned by numerous assumptions about how agents make decisions. Many decisions routinely observed are indeed at odds with classical economic theory. This module builds descriptively accurate models of decision making based on actually observed behaviour and aimed at including psychological intuitions about the drivers of such behaviour. While being descriptively more accurate, the models aspire at the same formal and mathematical rigour of classical models, thus constituting generalisations of the former. 

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

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Title:

The Economics of Sports and Games

Code:

EC325

Convenor:

DR Carl Singleton

Summary:

This module introduces students to the “peculiar economics of sport”, as expressed by Walter Neale in his seminal 1964 paper. From considering whether the unit of analysis should be the sports club/individual or sports league to the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis, competitive balance and the implications of the invariance principle for the labour market in sports, we consider various sports and games from an economic perspective.

Some proficiency with statistical software is assumed, as the assessment includes an applied econometrics exercise.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Set exercise 10%, Project 30%

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Title:

Economics of Labour

Code:

EC322

Convenor:

DR Sarah Jewell

Summary:

This module concentrates on the more microeconomic aspects of the labour market. It contains both theoretical and applied components, with the idea to introduce and discuss some basic labour market theoretical models and how these can be applied to current policy issues of the labour market.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Project 50%

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Title:

Money and Banking

Code:

EC320

Convenor:

DR Chun Kit Chung

Summary:

This module is designed to provide you with an in-depth understanding on three parts: 1) financial markets (direct finance), 2) financial intermediaries (indirect finance), and 3) the conduct of monetary policy. In the first part, we will cover interest rate, bonds, and stocks. In the second part, we will focus on financial institutions, mainly commercial banks. In the third part, we will discuss central banks, money supply process, and monetary policy. By the end of this module students should have a clear understanding of the common financial assets, banking system and the central bank - as well as the interrelationship between these institutions and monetary policy, interest rates, and inflation.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Class test 40%

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Title:

Dissertation (for Joint degrees)

Code:

EC3DSI

Convenor:

PROF Ken Dark

Summary:

The dissertation module involves a 12,000 word independent piece of research work which students carry out on a topic of their choice. While mostly working independently, students will receive one-on-one supervision with an academic in the Department.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 20%, Dissertation 80%

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Title:

Industrial Organisation

Code:

EC347

Convenor:

DR Joo Young Jeon

Summary:

This module presents a number of lessons from theoretical industrial economics for our understanding of corporate decision-making - such as price-setting, output-setting, investment in productive capacity, advertising, product differentiation, vertical integration and collusive behaviour. In this context, the role of industrial competition is emphasised and both the determinants of market structure and the imperatives for competition policy intervention are discussed.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

Business History

Code:

EC348

Convenor:

PROF Peter Scott

Summary:

The course reviews the history of business from the earliest times to the present day. It provides a wide-ranging introduction to the history of businesses at different times and in different countries. It focuses on the growth of major businesses that have had a significant impact on technological innovation and social structures. It analyses the growth of business through the lens of entrepreneurship, emphasising the role of individual personality and social institutions in the growth of business enterprises.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Financial Economics

Code:

EC349

Convenor:

DR Hussein Hassan

Summary:

This module aims to provide a rigorous coverage of the economic reasoning underpinning much of modern finance including portfolio theory and asset pricing. It will apply neoclassical financial analysis both as intellectual contributions in their own and as a set of guidelines to financial decision making in the more complex world of uncertainty and market imperfections. It will also discuss the organisation of a modern financial system highlighting the role of financial intermediaries, such as banks, facing market imperfections. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Set exercise 25%, Class test 25%

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Title:

Public Economics

Code:

EC314

Convenor:

DR Vivien Burrows

Summary:

This module provides students with the opportunity to explore the rationale for government intervention in the economy, to assess what the role of the government should be, and to analyse a wide range of policy issues.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Set exercise 50%

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Title:

International Economics

Code:

EC311

Convenor:

DR Hussein Hassan

Summary:

International economics is concerned with economic interactions among sovereign nations, in terms of trade in goods and services as well as investment in financial and real assets. It tries to answer questions such as: why do nations trade; what are the gains from trade; are such benefits fairly allocated across various social groups; should trade be free or protected; how much should trade and financial relations among nations be regulated, integrated, coordinated; why do monetary regimes and exchange rates matter; why do some nations tend to accumulate current account deficits and foreign debt whereas other are in surplus and are net lenders. Part of the module will apply the introduced theoretical concepts and models to the policy context of Brexit and EU integration.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

Feminism and Political Theory

Code:

PO3FPT

Convenor:

DR Maxime Lepoutre

Summary:

This module explores the contributions of feminism to contemporary political theory. It begins by examining theoretical controversies surrounding the definition, subject matter, and aims of feminism. It then brings these theoretical insights to bear on a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, and marriage.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

The Far Right

Code:

PO3FAR

Convenor:

PROF Daphne Halikiopoulou

Summary:

Far right parties are on the rise across Europe. Their shared populist rhetoric, emphasis on sovereignty and policies that promote a ‘national preference’ has facilitated the term ‘the new nationalism’. How may we explain this phenomenon? Is it driven by demand or supply-side dynamics? Are different European far right parties comparable? What are their similarities and differences? This course provides a broad overview of the theories and approaches to the study of the far right across Europe, focusing on the commonalities and differences in support for such parties across case and circumstance.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Oral 10%, Project 40%

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Title:

Intelligence, War and International Relations

Code:

PO3INT

Convenor:

DR Geoff Sloan

Summary:

The module aims to provide students with an insight into the pertinence and diversity of the intelligence function within war, strategy and international politics. This will entail acquiring a thorough understanding of the various concepts, changes and continuities associated with intelligence activities in the twentieth and early twenty first centuries.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

International Organizations in Global Politics

Code:

PO3IOG

Convenor:

DR Amanda Hall

Summary:

This module introduces students to the study of international organisations. International organisations are key players in global politics. They help states coordinate policies, solve cooperation problems and advance national interests. At the same time, international organisations have become actors in their own right that regulate ever more issue areas and intervene deeply into the domestic realm of states. This has given rise to controversies in academic and policy communities not only over why international organisations exist and whether they matter in international politics, but also over whether they can effectively alleviate global problems and how legitimate they are. The aim of the module is to

1. Discuss the main theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of international organisations;
2. Examine how international organisations are designed, how they work, and how effective they are;
3. Analyse the major challenges international organisations face – legitimacy problems, politicization, withdrawal – and the ways they respond to these challenges.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Dynamics of Civil Wars

Code:

PO3DCW

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

Civil war is the dominant form of political violence in the contemporary world. The module discusses dynamics of political violence in civil wars. It presents students with a theoretical and empirical analysis of key problems in civil wars such as participation, recruitment, organisation, external support, rebel diplomacy and rebel governance (topics subject to minor change). The module will require students to engage with theoretical works and empirical case studies of modern and contemporary conflicts. This will allow students to come away with a clearer sense of the depth and breadth of how political violence is employed in civil war and think about these critical phenomena in a more nuanced way. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Report 40%

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Title:

Dissertation

Code:

PO3DIS

Convenor:

DR Adam Humphreys

Summary:

Students prepare an independent, research-based dissertation of 8,000-10,000 words on a topic in Politics and International Relations (broadly understood), chosen in consultation with advisers within the Department of Politics and International Relations.  This piece of work represents the culmination of three years of progressively more independent study.

Assessment Method:

Oral 10%, Dissertation 90%

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Title:

Introduction to Critical Security Studies

Code:

PO3CSS

Convenor:

DR Andreas Behnke

Summary:

The module provides an introduction to the rapidly expanding and evolving sub-field of Critical Security Studies. It provides the students with the conceptual and theoretical tools to critically examine recent developments within domestic as well as international security issues. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 10%, Report 50%

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Title:

British Foreign and Defence Policy since 1945

Code:

PO3BFD

Convenor:

DR Kenton White

Summary:

The purpose of this module is to encourage students to critically evaluate Britain's foreign and defence policy record in the post-war era. This module is broken up into two areas. The first will look at how foreign and defence policy is made. The second part will address what the policies have been and why, and what the current policies look like. The course will examine the end of the British Empire, the development of the Commonwealth, the nature of Britain’s relationship with the US and Britain’s sometimes ‘awkward’ relationship with other European states. The course then critically examines a series of major post-war challenges – the Suez crisis, the Falklands War, economic and ‘soft power’, its retention of nuclear weapons, the impact of New Labour on British foreign policy including the conflict in Iraq. The course concludes with an exercise assessing the UK's place in the world today and strategy for the future.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

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Title:

War, Peace and International Ethics

Code:

PO3WPE

Convenor:

DR Maxime Lepoutre

Summary:

This module is about the ethical dimension of international relations in peace and war. While this module focuses on issues within moral thought and theory, it does so with an eye to real world conflicts. Among the issues discussed are war crimes and moral responsibility, strategic bombing, revolutionary war, terrorism, and peacemaking.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

Worlding International Relations

Code:

PO3WIR

Convenor:

DR Andreas Behnke

Summary:

This module is directed to students interested in the history and current development of International Relations. It addresses the challenges formulated in diverse parts of the world to the Western dominance of the field of International Relations. Focusing on how central concept of IR are understood in different parts of the world, the module investigates how scholars from around the world think about central concepts such as sovereignty, the state, war, peace, religion and ‘the international’. Highlighting the conceptual differences in non-Western approaches, the module casts light on their implication for IR and the study of world politics.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

International Political Economy

Code:

PO3IPE

Convenor:

DR Jonathan Golub

Summary:

The course is an introduction to International and Comparative Political Economy (IPE and CPE, respectively), which focuses on the interaction between states and markets at the domestic and international levels. It covers the major theoretical approaches to IPE and CPE and applies them to study international trade, globalisation, the crisis, capitalism, inflation and growth regimes. It also considers the relation between globalisation and the welfare state as well as capitalism.

Assessment Method:

Exam 40%, Assignment 40%, Oral 20%

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Title:

International Terrorism

Code:

PO3ITE

Convenor:

DR Christina Hellmich

Summary:

This course examines key issues in the study of contemporary international terrorism. It starts by examining what terrorism is and what distinguishes it from other forms of conflict and warfare in the international system before tracing the causes and consequences of terrorism throughout history, from the 19th-century anarchists to religious terrorism across a range of faiths. From here, the focus shifts to the question of whether there is a particular terrorist type, and the nexus between terrorism and the media. We examine what factors influence terrorist target selection and the modus operandi as well as the options available to counterterrorism, specifically focusing on the effectiveness of political, economic, military and judicial instruments. Terrorism and counterterrorism are further examined with a view to just-war theory and within the context of the civil liberties debate. The course concludes with a look to the future, both in terms of terrorism itself as well as the contribution the social sciences can make to conceptual and theoretical progress in the area.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Responsibility for Injustice

Code:

PO3RFI

Convenor:

DR Rob Jubb

Summary:

Advanced course in political and moral theory, focusing on questions of responsibility for and appropriate responses to injustice. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Risk

Code:

PO3RIS

Convenor:

DR Alice Baderin

Summary:

Advanced course in political theory, focusing on questions about the ethics and politics of risk. The course brings together ethical theory with the study of applied cases.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

US Foreign and Defence Policy since 1950

Code:

PO3USF

Convenor:

DR Graham O'Dwyer

Summary:

This module examines US foreign and defence policy from the end of the Second World War to the present, with a focus on understanding US foreign policy processes, institutions, and decision-making. At heart the module seeks to address three broad questions: who makes (and influences) US foreign policy? How has US foreign policy changed since the end of the Second World War? What is the role of US foreign policy in the world today? By exploring historical and contemporary cases, students will analyse how foreign policy decisions are made, who influences them, and how this has evolved overtime. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, students will gain an understanding of crucial events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the end of the Cold War, and the War on Terror. Finally, the course will explore salient challenges faced by US foreign policymakers today.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Report 50%

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Title:

Parliamentary Studies

Code:

PO3PAR

Convenor:

DR Mark Shanahan

Summary:

This highly innovative module, taught both for final year undergrads and PIM84 Masters students working together, is co-taught by parliamentary practitioners and experts alongside staff and members from the Department of Politics & IR. This module provides students with an understanding of the working and impact of the institution of Parliament both in theory and in practice. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 30%, Oral 30%, Report 40%

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Title:

The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

Code:

PO3NUK

Convenor:

DR Joseph O' Mahoney

Summary:

How do nuclear weapons affect international politics? How likely is nuclear war or nuclear terrorism? How dangerous is nuclear proliferation? Is nuclear disarmament possible? This module examines the historical, and political contexts for nuclear policy making, including the development of nuclear weapons by states, the evolution of nuclear strategy, the role nuclear weapons play in international politics, the risks posed by nuclear arsenals, and the policies and strategies in place to mitigate those risks. Emphasis is given to political and technical considerations affecting national choices. The module considers the issues surrounding non-proliferation strategies, nuclear security, and next steps for arms control.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Oral 20%, Set exercise 10%

Disclaimer:

Title:

Politics & International Relations of the Middle East

Code:

PO3MEA

Convenor:

DR Younis Lahwej

Summary:

This module seeks to provide students with a nuanced understanding of the Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. Divided into two sections, it links the domestic politics of Middle Eastern states with the international tensions and conflicts of the region. The first part begins with a survey of the history of states and empires, followed by the emergence of nationalism and the establishment of the modern state system. We examine in detail the influence and overlapping roles of Pan-Islam, Pan-Arabism, State-Nationalism, Zionism, Palestinian Nationalism, Islamic Fundamentalism and Gender throughout the region and assess the extent to which they impact and define contemporary state politics. The second part turns to the issue of state-civil society relations in the region and the special role of water and oil in national and international politics. Examination of the international politics of the region further includes inter-Arab relations, the Arab-Israeli dispute, the Gulf wars and the complexities of the Syrian Crisis as well as the roles of the superpowers and their interests in the region. The course concludes with a role-play simulation involving negotiation and conflict resolution within the context of a politically sensitive issue for the Israelis and Arab/Palestinians and the current regional conflicts. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Report 50%

Disclaimer:

Title:

Karl Marx

Code:

PO3MAR

Convenor:

PROF Alan Cromartie

Summary:

This module examines the thought of Karl Marx, the greatest social theorist of the last two centuries. It is a text-based course that focuses on excerpts from Marx’s major writings – in other words, we look at the words on the page to see what Marx actually said. 

Particular attention is paid to his ideas about alienation, ideology, exploitation, and revolution, but you will emerge with a general understanding of the Marxist interpretation of history and its possible political implications.  The approach that is adopted is sympathetic to Marx, but students from all political backgrounds are welcome and vigorous dissent is encouraged; the course pays particular attention to those features of thinking that seem to have continuing political importance, but it also explains the reasons for his vulnerability to liberal and conservative criticism.

There is no examination, but the module will conclude with a Long Essay requiring detailed knowledge of all aspects of the course.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer: