APG5154 Researching international relations

This is the core, compulsory unit for the Master of International Relations (MIR). It explores how IR scholars ask and answer questions about the world, and how they construct, contest, and communicate knowledge. The best way to learn how to do these things is to try them yourself. So, this unit supports you through the challenging process of planning, drafting, and revising your own original IR research proposal. In the process of doing that, we’ll examine the intellectual scaffolding of IR—its main philosophical debates, conceptual tools, methodological approaches, and the reasons for using (or not using) those methods. You’ll also develop your professional skills as you prepare for life after graduation: critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative analysis, ethical reasoning, writing skills, and giving and receiving constructive criticism.