History of Keele International Relations

Keele University has a long history of providing excellent teaching in International Relations to our students, and producing internationally renowned, cutting edge research in various sub-fields of the discipline.  Members of the International Relations programme have been active in a wide range of research areas. 

The School has always had a lively and rapidly developing research culture, with members currently engaged in plans for research dissemination in continental Europe, wider Eurasia, the USA and Asia.  All members of the programme are active in research and ensure as far as possible that all teaching is research-driven, and all courses offer an excellent mix of theory and practice.

International Relations is a relatively new university subject, but almost from Keele’s establishment in the 1950s it was offering an undergraduate degree in the subject.  And in the mid-1970s, when degrees in it were still rare both in this country and abroad, Keele established a Department of International Relations and began a new Bachelor’s degree in the subject which combined depth and breadth in a unique way.  Depth was obtained by enabling students to spend a full three years on the study of International Relations; and breadth by requiring them to learn about the historical background to the current international scene, the economic and legal aspects of international relations, and the interplay between politics at the domestic and international levels.

Andrew Linklater David Campbell   Rob Walker  
 Andrew Linklater
(Keele 1993-1999)		 David Campbell
(Keele 1995-1997)		 Rob Walker
(Keele 2000 - 2010)

In 1992 it began offering International Relations as Single Honours course for those who wished to combine their study of the subject with one other such subject chosen from a long and enticing list, including History, Politics, American Studies, Economics, Law, Philosophy, Geography, Psychology and Foreign Languages.  In the same year the Department pioneered Keele’s Study Abroad programme, by agreeing an exchange of students with the University of British Columbia in Canada.  Meanwhile, in 1986, it had led the rest of the world by introducing the first MA in Diplomatic Studies (which was soon joined by a range of other International Relations MAs). In 2000, the IR Department merged with other cognate departments to form the School of Politics, International Relations, the Environment and Philosophy (SPIRE).

We have always scored highly in terms of student satisfaction and regular reviews of the curriculum and teaching methods ensure that the degree remains highly attractive to an international mix of students as well as on the cutting edge of the discipline. In part this is because the degree is deeply informed by our research expertise. This has always been judged of national or international excellence in the government’s regular research funding exercises (which have taken place since the mid-1980s). 

Our scholars attend the major national and international conferences, regularly act as consultants, and serve as editors for leading journals and academic presses. The founding Professor, Alan James (see pictures below), who led the Department between 1974 and 1991, was one of the first chairs of the British International Studies Association (BISA), and was widely known for his writing on the concept of an international society of states, this being in addition to his main research focus on international peacekeeping.  Other internationally well-known scholars who spent periods at Keele include (in alphabetical order) David Campbell, Andrew Linklater, Matthew Paterson, Hidemi Suganami and John Vincent. 

More recently, Professor R. B. J. (Rob) Walker, author of one of the most debated books in the discipline – Inside/Outside: International Relations as Political Theory – was a key member of the programme until he left for Canada in 2010.  Many academics with BA degrees in International Relations from Keele are currently teaching at universities in Canada, Cyprus, Malaysia, New Zealand, the USA, and in the UK at the following universities: Birmingham, East Anglia, Leeds, the London School of Economics, Newcastle, Swansea and Ulster.  Other Keele International Relations graduates (who are notable for keeping in touch with each other – and Keele) have risen to prominent positions in related fields such as broadcasting, journalism, business, diplomacy, non-governmental organisations, and the armed forces.

Prof James with Student

Prof James at UNGOMAP HQ

Prof. James at the headquarters of UNGOMAP, Islamabad. Easter 1989.   
Prof. James with Kenyan graduate student Catherine Waibochi
 Prof James at Khyber Pass
 Prof. James on the Kyber Pass. Easter 1989.