University of Essex

GV103-4-AU-CO:
Introduction to International Relations

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Government

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Autumn

Level: Undergraduate: Level 4

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 05 October 2023

End date: Friday 15 December 2023

Credits: 15

Last updated: 12 April 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): GV312, GV517

Key module for

BA L900 International Development,
BA L901 International Development (Including Year Abroad),
BA L902 International Development (Including Placement Year),
BA L921 International Development (Including Foundation Year),
BA L250 International Relations (Including Foundation Year),
BA L258 International Relations,
BA L259 International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L260 International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL268 International Relations,
MPOLL269 International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL370 International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA LR59 International Relations and Modern Languages (5 Years Including Foundation Year),
BA LRF9 International Relations and Modern Languages,
BA VL12 Modern History and International Relations,
BA VL14 Modern History and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
BA VL18 Modern History and International Relations (Including Foundation Year),
BA VL1F Modern History and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV21 Modern History and Politics,
BA LV22 Modern History and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LV28 Modern History and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA LV2C Modern History and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L200 Politics,
BA L201 Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L202 Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L203 Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L2CH Social Sciences,
BA L2CS Social Sciences,
BA L2ES Social Sciences,
BA LFCH Social Sciences,
BA L903 Global Studies,
BA L904 Global Studies (including year abroad),
BA L905 Global Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA L908 Global Studies (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA L225 Politics and International Relations,
BA L226 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA L227 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
BSC L222 Politics and International Relations,
BSC L223 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BSC L224 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL234 Politics and International Relations,
MPOLL235 Politics and International Relations (Including Placement Year),
MPOLL236 Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad),
BA LR04 Global Studies and Modern Languages (Including Year Abroad),
BA L910 Global Studies with Politics,
BA L911 Global Studies with Politics (Including year abroad),
BA L912 Global Studies with Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA L913 Global Studies with Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA R104 Global Studies and Language Studies,
BA R105 Global Studies and Language Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA R110 International Relations and Language Studies,
BA R111 International Relations and Language Studies (Including Foundation Year),
BA L212 Global Politics,
BA L213 Global Politics (including Placement Year),
BA L214 Global Politics (including Year Abroad),
BA C900 Global Studies with Sustainability,
BA C901 Global Studies with Sustainability (Including Foundation Year),
BA C902 Global Studies with Sustainability (including Placement Year),
BA C903 Global Studies with Sustainability (including Year Abroad)

Module description

This module offers a formative background in the study of international politics. The course seeks to provide the essential tools and theoretical concepts used to analyse international politics so that a better understanding of specific historical events or contemporary issues is given. Students will apply the key concepts learned in the module to explain significant events and changes in world politics. This includes assessing important features of international politics in the post-Cold War era, including the global spread of democracy and the rise of new security issues. Throughout the module, students practice applying theoretical concepts to real world events and developing their critical thinking skills.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

To provide students with an understanding of key features, trends, and events in world politics.

To provide students with an introduction to theoretical explanations for these features, trends, events, and specific outcomes.

To provide study foundation for students pursuing international relations and some area-specific modules in subsequent years.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will be expected to:

Have a basic knowledge of important facts, features, and events in international relations.

Have a basic understanding of central theoretical perspectives on international relations.

Have a basic ability to apply key general theoretical perspectives and tools to analyse specific questions and events in international relations.

Understand important historical trends in the international system as well as central contemporary questions in international politics.

Module information

Key Skills

The module seeks to develop or enhance the following key skills:

Communication: writing clearly and to the point, writing to deadlines, presenting ideas and arguments orally.

Working with others: making challenging interventions, listening to others, exchanging interpretations.

Improving own learning and performance: discriminating reading, essay preparation, accepting and responding to criticism, developing own opinions.

Information technology: word processing, library searches, using the internet.

Basic numeracy skills.

Problem-solving: conceptualisation, identifying and evaluating relevant evidence, analysing and synthesising evidence and arguments.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered over 2 hours per week.

Bibliography

Frieden, J.A., Lake, D.A. and Schultz, K.A. (2022h) World politics: interests, interactions, institutions. Fifth edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1129625.
Lundestad, G. (2018c) International relations since 1945: east, west, north, south. Eighth edition. Los Angeles: SAGE. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/206068.
Mearsheimer, J.J. and Walt, S.M. (2003) ‘An Unnecessary War’, Foreign Policy [Preprint], (134). Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/3183521.
Chiba, D., Johnson, J.C. and Leeds, B.A. (2015) ‘Careful Commitments: Democratic States and Alliance Design’, The Journal of Politics, 77(4), pp. 968–982. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1086/682074.
Hayes, J. (2012) ‘The democratic peace and the new evolution of an old idea’, European Journal of International Relations, 18(4), pp. 767–791. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066111405859.
Hurd, I. (2020) International Organizations. 4th Revised edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing). Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/850551.
Dorussen Han (2022) Handbook on peacekeeping and international relations. Edited by H. Dorussen. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=7158626.
Fortna, V.P. and Howard, L.M. (2008) ‘Pitfalls and Prospects in the Peacekeeping Literature’, Annual Review of Political Science, 11(1), pp. 283–301. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.9.041205.103022.
Greig, J.M., Owsiak, A.P. and Diehl, P.F. (2019) International Conflict Management. Oxford: John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/405855.
Cederman, L.-E., Gleditsch, K.S. and Buhaug, H. (2013) Inequality, grievances, and civil war. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1017/CBO9781139084161.
Kydd, A.H. and Walter, B.F. (2006) ‘The Strategies of Terrorism’, International Security, 31(1), pp. 49–80. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1162/isec.2006.31.1.49.
Wallensteen, P. (2023) Understanding Conflict Resolution. 6th Revised edition. London: Sage Publications Ltd (Digital).

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Essay 1	25%
Coursework	Essay 2	25%
Coursework	Class Test	50%
Coursework	Reassessment without attendance 2022-23 ONLY IF REQUIRED BY EXAM BOARD

Additional coursework information

The Class Test will be administered during the timetabled session (week TBC).

The Class Test will operate as a closed-book test, students will not have access to materials.

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor:

Teaching staff: Ms Ireen Litvak Zur

Contact details: Module Supervisor: Ms Ireen Litvak Zur (il20207@@essex.ac.) / Module Administrator: Nicola Rowley, govquery@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: Yes

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 20 hours, 18 (90%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
2 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Government

Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

GV103-4-AU-CO:Introduction to International Relations