Course description
Course Summary
The ability to analyse the complex issues and dilemmas presented by International Relations is increasingly important both for understanding many of the forces and events that shape our lives and in a wide range of careers. As an academic subject, International Relations has expanded beyond its original concern with relations between states and the study of war and international organisation to cover topics such as globalisation, security, international theory, human rights, the politics of the natural environment and the politics of specific geographical regions.
Course Details
Typical Modules
Core
Evolution of International Relations
The module analyses the theoretical development of International Relations and many of its central political and normative questions. The evolution of the discipline is traced through critical analysis of the key debates, questions and interventions that have marked an increasingly contested field. The module will also equip students with the concepts and paradigms that are necessary to analyse other areas of International Relations.
Globalisation
This module deals thematically with the main issues in the debate about the meaning, extent, and consequences of ‘globalisation’. It uses a multidisciplinary approach, and covers the political, economic, historical and cultural aspects of globalisation. Topics include the impact of globalisation on economic policy, with particular reference to the role of the international institutions, international migration, and the impact of globalisation on culture and the environment.
Dissertation
The dissertation enables students to conduct research on an area of particular interest, on a topic approved by the Course Director and under the guidance of an academic supervisor. Students are expected to show awareness of methodological issues and utilise appropriate social science methods.
Elective Modules
You will take four elective modules, and at least one module from each pool. These represent the core sub-fields of the discipline (there may be exceptional circumstances that justify variation in this schema).
Security
* Arab-Israeli Conflict
* The Rise of the National Security State
* World War One
* Intelligence: Concepts and Methods
* War in the Modern World
* Liberal Intervention
* Women and War
Area Studies
* China in the World
* EU Public Policy
* Soviet Foreign Policy
Theory and Issues
* Human Rights
* Anthropology of Human Rights
* International Politics of Climate Change
* Empire, Imperialism and Hedgemony
* International Business Ethics
Special Features
The Brunel Business School is the largest School in the University and offers a wide range of services to the local, national and international community. To prospective and current students, we offer a great range of vocational and relevant courses, excellent teaching and facilities and a vibrant London campus experience. If you choose to study at Brunel, you will be taught by lecturers who are active researchers engaged in advancing the state of knowledge and understanding in the very fields in which they teach.
To employers we offer a regular supply of highly qualified and employable graduates who can apply theory to practice in the workplace. We also offer a range of research and consultancy services tailored to meet individual organisational needs. Links with industry and the development of employable knowledge are common themes across all parts of the School.
Assessment
Successful completion of the course requires students to pass six 20-credit modules and a 60-credit dissertation on an appropriate topic. A Master’s degree is awarded if you reach the necessary standard on the taught part of the course and submit a dissertation of the required standard. The pass grade for all modules and the dissertation is 50%. Students are normally required to pass all the required taught modules before being permitted to proceed to the dissertation. If you do not achieve the standard required, you may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate if eligible.
Teaching Methods
Courses will be taught through a programme of lectures, directed reading and seminars. Modules are assessed by a variety of coursework and examination methods.
