Undergraduate Study

Modules Summary

Students may choose to study elective modules which are offered as part of other programmes in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and across the University. These include:

• Modules in other subjects closely related to International Relations.
• Modules in other subjects in which they may have a particular interest such as  History
• Modules designed to help students for whom it is not their first language to improve their use of English for Academic Purposes.
• Modern foreign languages modules at different levels in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin).
• Free standing modules related to the development of graduate attributes, student volunteering, and studying abroad as part of the University’s exchange programme.

A summary of the credit requirements per year is as follows, with a minimum of 90 subject credits (compulsory plus optional) required for each year.

Modules - Year One

Year 1 (Level 4)

The two compulsory first year modules provide students with a thorough grounding in the study skills needed for International Relations and an introduction to the nature and scope of International Relations as a discipline. They expose students to the various traditions or schools of thought that have tried to make sense of international politics and familiarise them with many of the problems addressed by, and concepts employed in, the discipline of International Relations. These include war and peace, order and intervention, the balance of power, diplomacy and international organisation, territoriality and the sovereign state, equity and justice, territoriality and governmentality.  International Relations students may also learn about the workings of the global political economy, gain a solid background in the main developments in international history throughout and beyond the Cold War, or examine aspects of the study of Politics.

Modules - Year Two

Year 2 (Level 5)

In the second year students build on the foundations laid in the first year. The two compulsory modules cover core aspects of contemporary international politics: the roles and functions of international institutions, organisations and regimes in mitigating anarchy; the contending perspectives on international relations and contemporary developments in theoretical approaches to the IR discipline. Students have the opportunity also to study a number of specialised aspects of International Relations such as the International Relations of Eurasia, the Modern Middle East, African Politics or the Politics of the European Union or to take modules offered in the Politics programme. They may also take the Work Experience module offered by the School of Politics, Philosophy, International Relations and Environment.

Modules - Year Three

Year 3 (Level 6)

In the third year students deepen their knowledge of selected topics in International Relations by choosing to study two or more modules in a range of subjects which vary from year to year but reflect the specialist expertise and active research interests of members of staff. Students taking Single Honours International Relations must write a research dissertation in International Relations, working under the guidance of a Supervisor who is a member of the academic staff of the School with expertise in the topic chosen by the student.

For further information on the content of modules currently offered, including the list of elective modules, please visit: www.keele.ac.uk/recordsandexams/az