| This module introduces students to the main theoretical approaches to and contemporary issues in the study of International Relations (IR). Focusing on the inter-relationships between states, international organizations and non-state actors, the module begins by outlining the key theoretical frameworks which inform IR debates. These include Realism, Liberal Internationalism, Marxism and Social Constructivism. Building on these conceptual foundations the module then introduces the key debates within the world of contemporary international politics, including Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History, Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilisations, the relationship between Islam and the West and the US “war on terror”, and the nature and significance of global economic structures. The mixture of theoretical and empirical analysis will allow students to develop ideas about the international political system, what it is made up of, how states interact with each other and with wider structural forces. Particular attention will be paid to the intellectual history of the discipline and to contemporary IR theory. |