POL8006 Theories of International Relations
- Offered for Year: 2025
- Module Leader(s): Dr Hanna Ketola
- Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 999 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
The aims of the module are to:
- Understand and critically assess key theories of international politics;
- Place theories of international politics into their historical contexts and link them to broader issues of power, inequality, identity, and conflict;
- Examine how theories produce different worlds, understandings of the international, and visions of order;
- Provide guidance on how theories of international politics can be employed to examine substantive topics and contemporary issues.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module will cover a range of topics, that may include:
- What is international politics?
- What is a theory (of international politics)?
- Empire, Race, Class, and the Origins of IR Theory
- Theories of Imperialism
- Feminist approaches
- Realisms
- Postcolonial Theory
- Rational Choice and Deterrence Theories
- The English School
- Liberal Institutionalism and Interdependence
- Dependency and World Systems Theories
- Constructivism
- Poststructuralism
- Critical Theory
- International Political Sociology
- Emotion and Affect Theories
- Quantum Theory and International Politics
- Aesthetic Theory and International Politics
- Practice Theory
- Assemblage Theory
- New Materialism
- Actor-Network-Theory
- Popular culture and world politics
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
Upon completion of the module, students should have:
- An advanced understanding of what theories are and what they do in international politics;
- An advanced ability to connect theories of international politics to practice;
- An advanced capacity to critically compare, contrast, contextualise, and assess different theories of international politics;
- An advanced ability to identify the political underpinnings of theories of international politics;
- An advanced capacity to apply theories of world politics to substantive issues and contemporary topics through verbal and written forms of communication.
Intended Skills Outcomes
On completion of the module, students should have developed:
- Cognitive Flexibility
- Communication Skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Intellectual skills
- Interpersonal and Communication
- Management of learning
- Planning and Organisation Skills
- Self-management/resilience
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Present in Person |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Present in Person |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 178:00 | 178:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 | ||||
Assessment Methods
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | M | 100% | 4,000 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The Essay will assess the ability of students to: connect theory to practice; explain what theories do in international politics; and apply theories of international politics to substantive issues/contemporary topics. The Essay will further assess the ability of students to critically compare, contrast, contextualise, and assess different theories of international politics alongside their knowledge of what theories are, what they do, and how to identify the political underpinnings of theories of international politics.