ATS1873 Introduction to international relations
Faculty of Arts
ATS1873 Introduction to international relations is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Caulfield and Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Caulfield, Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS1873
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS1873
No unit lists ATS1873 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: PLT1031, PLT1040
Overview
In this unit you will be introduced to key issues in International Relations (IR), from traditional preoccupations – such as international security, arms control, war and peacebuilding, and political violence and terrorism – to more recent concerns, including the climate crisis, migration, inequalities and development challenges. You will also be looking at the role of states and supra-state organisations, such as the United Nations; nations and nationalism; world order and global governance; and globalisation and the international political economy. You will engage with key IR concepts and theories to understand these issues, including Realism and Liberalism and critical theories, such as Feminism, Marxism, Postmodernism and Postcolonialism. You will draw from contemporary and historical events to further explore these issues and apply these theories.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Caulfield | On campus |
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- ParticipationExercise10%
- Quiz/QuizzesQuiz / Test20%
- Annotated bibliographyWritten30%
- EssayWritten40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Recognise, interpret and analyse traditional and critical theoretical perspectives, and conventional and alternative concepts in the study of International Relations across its four subfields (security studies, international political economy, foreign policy and global governance).
- 2
Comprehend and engage constructively with current affairs, scholarly articles and books in the field of International Relations, and place them in an appropriate theoretical and empirical context.
- 3
Apply these theoretical perspectives and concepts to illuminate and examine a new or existing problem in the study of International Relations
- 4
Communicate orally, and in writing, using clear and persuasive language appropriate for an international academic community.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages students in actively applying their knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
This unit requires access to a laptop that meets minimum specifications (https://www.monash.edu/esolutions/students/bring-your-own-device-byod). Free specialist software is available via MoVE (https://www.monash.edu/learning-teaching/innovation/learning-technologies/move).
Where it fits
ATS1873 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2025 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Associate Professor Benjamin MacQueen
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Benjamin MacQueen
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS1873?
ATS1873 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS1873 offered?
In 2025, ATS1873 runs in Semester 1 at Caulfield and Clayton.
How much work is ATS1873?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS1873 have an exam?
No. ATS1873 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS1873?
ATS1873 is part of International relations.