International relations

This unit introduces you to key concepts and theories in the discipline of International relations with the aim of exploring how these help explain events and developments in world politics. You will examine how material power and interests as well as norms, culture, and ideas/theories shape outcomes in the international system, considering theoretically their role in inter-state conflict and war, prospects for peace and cooperation, as well as broader governance questions pertaining to human rights, development and the environment. Drawing also on cases, developments, events and skills encountered in other International Studies subjects, a key aim of this unit is to consider whether it is possible to secure broader normative and humanitarian goals in a state-centric international system that still appears to take seriously the preservation of state sovereignty.