International Politics and Law BA Honours

This module will introduce the key concepts, institutions, ideologies and contexts of global politics. You'll gain a broad, critical and inclusive knowledge of political orders at national, regional and global levels within and beyond the western conceptualisation of political world. You'll be encouraged to explore the alternative ways of understanding and appreciating global political ideologies beyond those primarily influenced by the west and western scholars. You'll become aware that theoretical knowledge and political thought is socially and historically situated. You'll explore how political concepts and thoughts are articulated in different parts of the world. In this sense, recognising multiple identities of your fellow students in terms of gender, class, ethnicity and culture is necessary for a genuinely constructive class dialogue in a "world of worlds" in which student diversity flourishes.

This module gives you a grounding in the political and social context of economic ideas, theories and ideologies which continue to impact contemporary international politics. You'll develop an understanding of the content and origins of economic ideas that have articulated and criticised the emergence and development of capitalism. In particular, classical, Marxist, neo-classical, institutional, Keynesian and monetarist political economy will be examined as contested theories and ideologies. You'll also develop an understanding of the claims of these distinct approaches to political economy to represent scientific explanation of trends in the economic and political world.

This module introduces two of the most pressing issues facing the world today from a ‘Global South’ perspective; Sustainability and Development.
You'll learn about the processes and changing discourses that have shaped, and continue to shape, the Global South. You'll address key questions surrounding issues of the colonial legacy, post-colonialism, poverty and inequality through the lens of sustainable development and consider the frameworks that have attempted to shape the world up until the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030). You will also begin considering what's next for post-2030.

This module will give you a broad knowledge of law, governance and regulatory politics at national, regional and global levels that will underpin your studies and enhance your appreciation of your place in the world. In an increasingly complex world, being better skilled to appreciate and evaluate how and why the varied rules that govern our lives are made is essential to both academic and personal development.

This module introduces the main theories, concepts and themes of International Relations. The rival theories of the discipline are initially explored and then applied to the understanding of key topics concerning the relations between states and also non-state global actors.

This module will engage you in active investigation of the values, principles and detailed application of human rights law in the UK and Europe. You’ll focus on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its incorporation into UK law by means of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. You’ll be able to critically analyse legal principles and cases, as well as broader political and normative discourse about the role of human rights in a modern democracy, thereby broadening your horizons and developing your own value systems.

Historically speaking, the pendulum of European integration swings between the forces of integration and disintegration. As the recent developments indicate, European integration, as the most advanced model of regional integration, is facing enormous challenges; Brexit, the rise of populism, identity crisis, migration, democratic deficit debates, enlargement fatigue, north south, east west divisions and legitimacy issues. This module will introduce the context, theories and issues of European integration with reference to the economic, social, cultural and geopolitical challenges that the EU will be facing in the 21st Century.

There has been a growing movement of regionalisms and regionalisation of global politics and economy across the world and beyond Europe. This module will introduce you to regions, regionalist movements and regional organisations beyond the west. Regionalism is also a continuously evolving phenomenon serving distinct purposes and definitions within different regional geopolitical settings from Africa to Eurasia and from South East Asia to Latin America as alternatives to the core and northern regions of the world. This module is concerned with conceptual and theoretical approaches to regionalism and exploration of specific case studies including China, Eurasia, Africa, Latin America and the Indian Ocean, Asia Pacific Regions and the Middle East.

This module examines the different political systems of the developed and developing worlds. You'll look at the different forms of government across the world and consider the patterns of political behaviour adopted by these governments. You'll focus on systems of government and the organisation of formal political processes. You'll examine key concepts which help to explain political behaviour within the state in order provide a deeper basis for comparison.

This module examines specific examples of different political systems in the developed and developing worlds. You’ll look at the different forms of government across the world and consider the patterns of political behaviour adopted by these governments. You’ll focus on different states in order to gain an understanding of how they differ in terms of organisation, electoral systems, constitution and legal frameworks.

The module will give you a detailed understanding of climate change, its drivers, and the need for mitigation and adaptation to its already inevitable impacts. The perspective of the module is global, but national and local level case studies will be featured to provide an understanding of different contexts, sectors and policy frameworks and their relevance to climate change. The concept of climate justice will be interrogated and the ability of existing global agreements and national policy mechanism such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals to deliver to it will be assessed. Climate change raises some fundamental questions regarding human rights, individual and collective action and sustainable lifestyles. Class based group work and debates will be central to analysing principles and concepts and recognising the role of competing perspectives and judging the significance of evidence in finding societal solutions to climate change.

This module will give you experience in thinking critically about gendered power relations and global politics. Gender is an important process that shapes how we see and even how we act in the world as well as what resources we have access to. By studying gender from a globalised perspective, you’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of intersectionality, particularly in relation to colonial legacies, race, class, sexuality and youth through creative and exploratory problem-based learning (PBL).

This module will give you the knowledge and skills to design and undertake both quantitative and qualitative research as well as the ability to assess when each is the appropriate tool to use. You’ll be supported to use SPSS to undertake statistical analysis and develop your ability to analyse qualitative data using thematic analysis. You’ll be prepared to undertake both qualitative and quantitative research for your dissertation and gain useful skills which can be used in your further studies and/ or the workplace.

This module will give you the opportunity to develop conceptual skills to explore, both historically and conceptually, the interplay of economics and politics at the global level. You’ll explore the economic, political and cultural implications of living in an increasingly interdependent world. You’ll also examine and formulate judgements about the workings of the global economy and identify key issues of global governance that affect the global economy. The issues of global governance will be examined both theoretically and empirically within the overall framework of global political economy.

This module gives you the opportunity to develop conceptual skills to explore, both historically and conceptually, the interplay of economics and politics at the global level. The economic, political and cultural implications of living in an increasingly interdependent world will be explored. You'll examine and formulate judgements about the workings of the global economy and key issues of global governance that affect the global economy. You'll also examine the issues of global governance, both theoretically and empirically, within the overall framework of global political economy. This module will build on your previous learning from Year 1 around the political and social context of economic ideas, theories and ideologies which continue to impact contemporary international politics.

This module will explore general issues relating to equality and discrimination and examine specific individual areas of inequalities. You’ll look at these issues from a legal, ethical, social, political, historical and economic perspective. This module is ideal preparation for third year modules such as Employment Law, and International Public Law.

If you choose this module, you need to choose two additional 15 credit modules or one more 30 credit module

This module will give you a firm grounding in the rules and principles that govern the free movement of goods, services and persons (workers, self-employed and EU citizens). You’ll develop your research and presentation skills as well as your awareness of the ethical dimension of the EU Internal Market in which persons are not only regarded as factors of production, but as EU citizens with family ties and a cultural background.

If you choose this module, you need to choose two additional 15 credit modules or one more 30 credit module

This module will develop your critical evaluation of the range of secondary research methodologies available, and your understanding of the underlying philosophical and ethical principles of social research. The module aims to make clear the links between theory, method and data as well as defining what data is within different research paradigms and the various ways of generating and analysing it. Emphasis is placed on developing your ability to evaluate and critique published research and to use this to construct evidenced arguments. You’ll also be prepared for secondary research, a requirement for your dissertation which can also be used in your further studies and/or the workplace.

This module will help you better understand and explain the operations of social movements that have an international focus. You'll be expected to apply the knowledge they have gained of social movements to examine the real-world context of organisations operating in any of the following fields: women’s rights, climate change and justice, or democratic governance and citizenship. This will involve engaging individually and collectively with such organisations to gain a familiarity with their aims and objectives, organisational structure, accountability, and mode of operation.

This module is designed to give you a deep understanding of the traditions, concepts, and perspectives in the study of geopolitics. You'll develop an advanced, critical appreciation of international politics along with a detailed understanding of key geopolitical issues and cases of the day. This module particularly encourages reflective, critical and analytical use of geopolitical theories and methods in appreciation of the key global and regional issues, world cultures, foreign policy and diplomatic state craft practices. Throughout the module, you'll use written and original texts, films and documentaries as well as visual material and maps to gain the skills to critically analyse the discourses and their role in the production and construction of the geopolitical spaces, drawn from the lecturers’ own research interests. The module should be of special interest if you're looking to proceed into further specialised study of global politics, law, society and economics and/or employment in fields related to governance, business, politics, diplomacy, law, risk and foreign policy analysis or media.

This module will develop your skills to analyse, critically evaluate, and provide informed commentary on how international law impacts international relations and contemporary concerns such as globalisation, the use of armed force, terrorism, and the regulation of ownership over territory, including the law of the sea. The module has been designed to maximise your career potential, giving you an insight into the extent to which international law underpins international relations between states and non-state actors as well as the work of international organisations. You'll also develop your knowledge of law in an international and globalised context as well as broaden your horizons as you develop as a professional in the area of law and politics.

This module will synthesise your previous learning on the course and give you the opportunity to study independently and investigate a topic in depth. It fosters academic curiosity, an inquiry based approach, the employment and application of research skills thus facilitating the development of a higher level of theorising. You'll select a topic of personal interest you wish to study further and will manage your own learning with the support of an allocated supervisor. You'll be responsible for your own learning as you conduct an in-depth study and demonstrate your abilities to select and appropriately use a wide range of sources to analyse, challenge and critically evaluate the received views. You'll also be able to demonstrate your ability in a range of research skills.

Development is increasingly policy rather than theory led and elements of social policy have entered the traditionally macroeconomic policy focused prescriptions of the International Financial Institutions. This module aims to develop your ability to analyse and critique development policy from formulation through to implementation. This requires well developed critical reasoning skills and you'll be able to develop as an independent thinker and learner who can take responsibility for facilitating debate and advancing knowledge and understanding. You'll be able to evidence this by running a series of seminars where you'll take the role of chair, discussant and presenter, giving you hands-on experience of facilitating a session as well as presenting a paper.

Placement learning aims to link academic work with the 'real world' situation in order to conceptualise the meaning of theory in the wider world context. You'll be encouraged to reflect upon your areas of knowledge and how they apply to the placement learning experience as well as developing personal knowledge through a review of your learning. The placement learning experience provides for two types of placement; standard placements and project-based placements. The placement experience gives you the opportunity to enhance your skills of self-expression, communication, self-reliance and co-operation, and embeds your transferable and graduate skills required for future career paths and employment.

This module will develop your understanding of the legal structures and the regulation of immigration control, nationality law and asylum in the UK. The module will place legal controls in their historical, social, ethical and political context and you'll be able to demonstrate your understanding of the inter-relationship of the various legal mechanisms. You'll also focus on the inter-relationship of law and social and political pressures.

This module introduces the interdisciplinary analysis of the processes, policies and practices related to contemporary humanitarian crises, whether they're the outcome of conflict, war, famine, extreme climatic events or disasters. You'll focus on the complexity of humanitarian emergencies through consideration of their different origins and the different actors involved. This will allow you to problematise the notion of ‘humanitarianism’ and its continued relevance.

If you choose this module, you need to choose another 15 credit module

The module introduces the interdisciplinary analysis of global change through activism. You'll explore different types of activism from grassroots to NGOs, social movements and even the digital powers of social media and the imaginary power of the arts. Through addressing contemporary issues through a genealogical lens, you'll be able to trace global change back in time and discover root causes as well as links to broader philosophies of knowledge. You'll examine how a range of actors engage with activism and why through critiquing and designing campaigns, actions and outcomes led by the question, what does it really take to create positive change?

If you choose this module, you need to choose another 15 credit module

This module will develop your critical understanding and analysis of root causes of contemporary conflicts, wars and consequences of political violence in the Middle East. You'll explore the foundations of peace and conflict theories, focusing on armed conflicts, violent extremism, ethnic, religious and regional tensions, economic, social and gender injustices as well as challenges that arise in areas of  peace, conflict, political instability and socio-economic inequalities in the Middle East. You'll concentrate on the region extending from Morocco to Iran (which includes the Arab world, Iran, Kurdistan, Turkey and Israel) and analyse various conflicts and violence in diverse societal, local, national and regional contexts.

If you choose this module, you need to choose another 15 credit module

This module will develop your interdisciplinary in-depth knowledge of key issues and debates, both historical and contemporary, relevant to an international relation perspective on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). You'll focus on the region extending from Morocco to Iran (which includes the Arab world, Iran, Kurdistan, Turkey and Israel) and analyse the complex relationships between these countries in the MENA region and their foreign policies with each other as well as the role of the US, Europe, Russia and China in effecting the region through multiple involvements and interventions. In doing so, you'll gain substantive knowledge of key issues and debates on the international relations of the Middle East and North Africa.

If you choose this module, you need to choose another 15 credit module

This module will examine the international legal framework for international trade provided by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The importance of the WTO has dramatically increased in the last two decades, shaping the global trade regimes and regulatory governance. You'll gain a thorough understanding and knowledge of global trade regimes from an overview of globalisation and contemporary international economic relations; the regulation of international trade through the WTO, to the relationship among international trade, harmonisation of the law and trade-related issues. You'll deepen your understanding of the origins, structure, rationale and scope of the global trading system. You'll be able to demonstrate your legal and multidisciplinary knowledge, analytical skills and understanding through extended writing in a cogent and appropriate writing style. Although prior knowledge of WTO law is not necessary, some familiarity with the basic principles of the international trade and international law is useful.

The module aims to provide you with an understanding of traditional and recent  theories and approaches  concerning contemporary migrations. It also explores  some of the major debates  relating to migration management and the rights of migrants through the study of  policies, political discourses, civil society activities  and media.

The module builds on the Autumn term module ‘Understanding Migrations’ to explore the politics of belonging in relation to immigrant communities in Europe, with (i) a critical overview of multicultural and assimilative discourses and approaches to incorporating migrants and (ii) consideration of how best to frame and research migrant identities and experiences and their racialised and gendered dimensions. It will look at ‘invisible’, hidden, and ‘forgotten’ migrant communities in the UK and Europe as well as large, established diasporas. It will provide you with the tools and resources to engage in migration research, from survey data analysis to ethnography to interviews, with a specific focus on issues of research ethics and reflexivity.