Politics and International Relations PgCert - 2018 Entry

Course Overview

This programme aims to provide you with a secure knowledge of the major theories, concepts and issues relating to Politics and International Relations.

You will gain a systematic understanding of a range of debates and discussions raised by past and present approaches to the subject. In addition, the PgCert will equip you with the necessary skills appropriate to evaluating, analysing and interpreting both academic and practitioner approaches to Politics and International Relations.

In addition to the core module of Major Approaches to the Study of International Relations you will choose two optional modules from the range available in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion.

Course Structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Optional

• Theorising Security and War

  • Do we still know what security and war are?• How convincing are the arguments about the ‘civilizing process’ and changes in war global politics?• What will war look like in the coming century? How will war be shaped by ‘speed’ and the ‘pace of change’ transforming societies?• How serious are the new security challenges – issues like cybersecurity, climate change and urban conflict?

  Theorizing helps us to pose and answer these questions. This module introduces students to ways of conceptualizing power, security and war. Since forms of security and war are intimately correlated with forms of cultural political and economic life, theories in this module address: geopolitics, biopolitics, techno-science, digitalization, molecularization, network war, image war and virtual war. The teaching and learning strategy of Theorising Security and War is designed to make students theoretically and philosophically literate in conceptual and analytical schemes that help us understand the geopolitics of security and war. Students should be able to:• demonstrate a broad theoretical competence in relation to key texts in the study of modernity, security and war• develop a critical understanding of key areas of contemporary security studies: such as cybersecurity, environmental security, urban geopolitics and drone theory.• locate a specific theoretical tradition within its wider theoretical and philosophical assumptions and be capable also of critical comparing different traditions in relation both to these assumptions and their different logical and practical entailments

  In the process students should be able to demonstrate in written work, group presentation and discussion more refined analytical skills in the interrogation and critical engagement of empirical material and case studies drawn from a wide variety of multi-media sources

  Select Bibliography:

  Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature (Allen Lane, 2012)Gregoire Chamayou, Drone Theory (Penguin 2014)Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust (Polity, 1989)Paul Virilio, Speed and Politics (Semiotexte, 2008)Stephen Graham, Cities Under Siege (Verso, 2011)Thomas Rid, Cyberwar will not take place (Hurst 2014)Foucault, Michel, Society Must be Defended (Allen Lane, 2003)Castells, Manuel, The Rise of the Network Society (Blackwell's, 2000)Creveld, Martin van, The Transformation of War (Free Press, 1991)

• Theory and Concepts in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

  Diplomacy and Foreign Policy are central to the understanding of international politics. The structure of the international system induces a constant need for political dialogue and negotiations. Besides war, diplomacy is the common language states are using to interact on the world stage.

  This module introduces students to ways of conceptualizing diplomacy and foreign policy in the 21st century:

  • Why do states rely on diplomacy?• What are the current forms and features of diplomacy and foreign policy?• Is diplomacy the only form of international dialogue besides war?• How do states (and statesmen) negotiate?• How has diplomacy evolved throughout history?• Does ‘global governance’ exist?

  The teaching and learning strategy of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy is designed to give students both theoretical and practical understanding of contemporary issues in diplomacy and foreign policy. Academic teaching will be complemented by lectures and in-class activities carried out by practitioners (diplomats, civil servants, etc.). Select Bibliography: R. Barston, Modern Diplomacy, Longman, 2006.G. R. Berridge, Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2002.S. Smith et al., Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases, OUP, 2012.J. P. Muldoon et al., The New Dynamics of Multilateralism Diplomacy, International Organizations, and Global Governance, Westview Press, 2005.A. Heywood, Global Politics, Palgrave, 2011.

• Issues and Practice in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

  Diplomacy and Foreign Policy are central to the understanding of international politics. The structure of the international system induces a constant need for political dialogue and negotiations. Besides war, diplomacy is the common language states are using to interact on the world stage.Complementing the first core module on Diplomacy and Foreign Policy which provides theoretical understanding of the subject, this module applies these theoretical tools to contemporary diplomatic and negotiation issues and great power politics (PPR.430 is NOT a prerequisite though). Indeed, the teaching and learning strategy of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy is designed to give students both theoretical and practical understanding of contemporary issues in diplomacy and foreign policy. Academic teaching will thus be complemented by lectures (diplomats, civil servants, etc.) and in-class activities such as mock negotiation exercises.

  Select Bibliography: L.-A. Broadhead, International Environmental Politics: the Limits of Green Diplomacy, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002.M. J. Butler, International Conflict Management, Routledge, 2009.J. A. Larsen and J. J. Wirtz, Arms Control and Cooperative Security, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009.D. Lesage et al., Global Energy Governance in a Multipolar World, Ashgate, 2010. J. H. Mittelman, Contesting Global Order: Development, Global Governance and Globalization, Routledge, 2011.I. Shapiro, Containment: Rebuilding a Strategy against Global Terror, Princeton University Press, 2008.J. G. Speth and P. M. Haas, Global Environmental Governance, Island Press, 2006. M. Telo (ed), European Union and Global Governance, Routledge/Garnet Series, 2009. A. Heywood, Global Politics, Palgrave, 2011.

• Globalisation: Its Meanings, Causes and Consequences

  Globalisation has become a buzzword in the social sciences and lay discourse. It is often related to the speeding up of global communication and travel, and the transnationalisation of economic, political, social and cultural institutions. The meaning and causes of globalisation are highly debatable. For the purposes of this module globalisation is defined as a complex, paradoxical set of processes, which are multi-scalar, multi-temporal, multi-centric, multi-form, and multi-causal. It produces fragmentation and integration, divergence and convergence as well as continuities and discontinuities. Their overall effect is to reconfigure asymmetries of power and knowledge and this in turn raises questions about governance, inequalities, and resistance in and across different parts of the world. Selected themes range from MacDonaldization through to Wal-Martization and the current financial crisis.

  The course is taught on the basis of ten weekly two-hour seminars with short lectures, a 15-20 min. student presentation, and a general discussion in which all are expected to participate. The topics include: the world market, finance and production, labour and migration, global cities, global media and global culture, sovereignty and nation-states, global governance, global cities as well as financial globalization and crisis.

  Select Bibliography:

  Bauman, Z., Globalization: the Human ConsequencesChossudovsky, M and Marshall, A. The Global Financial CrisisGrant, R & Short, J., Globalization and the MarginsHolton, R. Globalization and the Nation-State (2nd edition)Panitch, L. and Gindin, S. The Making of Global CapitalismPerrons, D., Globalization and Social ChangeSchirato, T & Webb, J., Understanding GlobalizationShort, J., Global DimensionsSteger, M., Globalization: The New Market Ideology

• Major Approaches to the Study of International Relations

  This module aims to provide students with a broad understanding of the main areas of study within the field of international relations (IR). The introductory session addresses the general question as to what constitutes the study of IR. Subsequent sessions examine the major approaches to the discipline (both mainstream and critical), focusing upon the distinctive insights and analyses that they have brought to bear.

  Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the wide-ranging theoretical debates that have shaped the discipline and will develop an understanding of the importance of questions of theory to the way in which we study IR. More particularly, students will be able:

  • To understand the importance and role of theories to the study of IR• To understand the interpretation of the world and of IR put forward by each theory• To identify the central assumptions and features underlying each of those theories• To analyse the points of debate between these theories and critically assess them• To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each theory• To apply the theoretical tools to the “facts out there” (linking theory with practice)• To develop presentational and organisational skills through the seminar component of the course

  Select Bibliography:

  Scott Burchill et al., Theories of International Relations, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Fourth edition, 2009.Tim Dunne et al., International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, second edition, OUP, Oxford, 2010.

• Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

  This course familiarises you with the major issues in the politics and international relations of the contemporary Middle East region. The countries covered include all Arab states and non-Arab states such as Iran and Israel. Deliberately, the course will start with a hard look at the contemporary picture in the region and, from that, ask the questions about how we got there. Digging back will include a broad introduction to the people, society, history and politics of the Middle East. The course will then explore the interplay of factors such as religion, ethnicity, gender and class in the politics of the region; the role played by internal and external actors; issues of conflict in the region; political economies; foreign policies of major states and the perception of what those policies might be; regional integration; the concepts of political Islam and the challenge of democracy and Islam.

  The aim of the course is not in the first place to cover in detail all of the most recent events, and it will be assumed that you follow current affairs in the region. Rather, the aim is to undertake a deeper exploration of the region: to help you understand and analyse the dynamics involved in these events and processes. In other words: why did things evolve the way they did, why are they what they appear to be today, and what does this tell us about where they are likely to go in the future? This will be done through guided reading, seminar discussion, and your own research and writing. The topics covered in the course include:• The Middle East after the Arab Spring(s); the shi’i/sunni pulls for influence • “Political Islam” and the concept of the state; the “war on terror” • Where did all this come from? People, society, tribes, money and politics • Voices of the Middle East: religion, ethnicity, gender and class, salafis, language and the Qur’an • Internal and External Actors in the Middle East; diplomacy • Political economies of the region: oil power or dependency? • The Arab-Israeli conflict• Wars now in the region; containment, intervention and persuasion • Democracy in the Middle East; shi’a and sunna; the “gates of ijtihad” Select Bibliography:Mark Allen, Arabs: A New Perspective (Continuum, 2006) Olivier Roy, The Failure of Political Islam (Harvard University Press, 1994)Gilles Kepel, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam (I. B. Taurus, 2006)Philip Bobbitt, Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-first Century (Random House, 2009)Marc Lynch, The Arab Uprising: The unfinished revolutions of the New Middle East (Public Affairs Books, 2012)Joumana Haddad, Superman is an Arab: On God, marriage, macho men and other disastrous interventions (Westbourne Press, 2012)Jonathan Schneer, The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Bloomsbury, 2010)Wen-chin Ouyang, Poetics of Love in the Arabic Novel: Nation-state, modernity and tradition (Edinburgh University Press, 2012)Charles Tripp, The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East (CUP, 2014) John Gray, Al Qaeda, And What it Means to be Modern (Faber & Faber, 2003)

• Public Policy

  This module examines comparatively the changing nature of policy-making in advanced industrial democracies, focusing primarily on government and politics in Western Europe and North America.

  At the end of the module, students will be able to: demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the academic study of public policy; display an appreciation of the different demands placed upon policy-makers; show an awareness of the different types of theoretical perspectives that have been developed in the political science literature on public policy; identify the role of governmental institutions in the policy making process; distinguish between key policy areas such as economic, social, home and foreign affairs; directly link issues discussed in the curriculum to future employability in public policy.

  The module is taught in weekly two-hour seminars. These will commence in Week 1 and will run for ten weeks, covering the topics listed below:

  1. Studying the ‘quality of democracy’2. Theories of power and organisations3. Policy-making in practice4. Government and legislation5. Multi-Level Governance6. Parties and elections7. Economic policy8. Social policy9. Home affairs and justice policy10. Foreign policy Select Bibliography: Michael Hill, The Public Policy Process, Pearson, 2013Anneliese Dodds, Comparative Public Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012Christopher Knill and Jale Tosun, Public Policy: A New Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 Paul Cairney, Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

• Conflict Management and Contemporary Conflicts

  The course aims to explore a variety of approaches to conflict management in contemporary conflicts, by third parties and parties in conflict, and critically assesses their effectiveness and potential. The course draws its theoretical foundations from peace and conflict research but is aimed at enabling students to learn to assess the scope for conflict management and peace-building in practice. The module includes both academic literature as well as policy relevant papers.

  The focus of the course is on analysing peace processes and practical problems of conflict prevention, conflict management and peace-building in a range of contemporary international, internal, ethnic, community and environmental conflicts.

  Students will be divided up into groups of two or three, and each group will take responsibility for identifying and investigating a specific approach to conflict management in a conflict of their choice. The choice of cases will vary with the interest of students. In recent year topics included Afghanistan, Chechnya, Georgia, Kashmir, Kosovo, Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Liberia/Sierra Leone, Timor Elste, conflict prevention and the emergent global climate change negotiations, and peace-building in contemporary Africa and Asia.

  The course is taught in 10 2-hour lecture seminars, with the first half devoted to the lecture and the second half dedicated to substantial presentations by the student / group.

  Select Bibliography:

  Barash, David P. & Webel, Charles P. (2008) Peace and Conflict Studies, London: Sage.Darby J & Mac Ginty, R, Contemporary Peacemaking (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002)Eriksen, T. H., Ethnicity and Nationalism (Zed, 2010).Kaldor, M., New & Old Wars (Polity Press, 2006) Lyons, T. (2008) Conflict Management and African Conflicts – Ripeness, Bargaining and Mediation, London: Routledge, 2008)Misra, A. Afghanistan: The Labyrinth of Violence (Polity, 2004).Misra A., Politics of Civil Wars (Routledge 2008)Paris, R., At War’s End (Cambridge Univ. Press. 2005)Ramsbotham, O, Woodhouse T. & Miall, H, Contemporary Conflict Resolution – 3rd edition (Blackwell's, 2010)Rupesinghe, K, Civil Wars, Civil Peace (Pluto Press, 1998)Zartman, I.W., Peacemaking in International Conflict (USIP, 2005)European Centre for Conflict Prevention, People Building Peace (1999)Wallensteen, P., Understanding Conflict Resolution (Sage, 2006)

• Globalisation and Democratisation

  This course introduces students to the historical and contemporary making of the 'Third World' (the global South) with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. It is divided into two parts. The first half explores historical processes, beginning with the creation of an international capitalist economy and its incorporation of the global South from the sixteenth century onwards and ends with an examination of neo-liberalism and the post-Washington consensus with its emphasis on poverty reduction and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The second half explores key contemporary development policies, debates and actors such as foreign aid and international NGOs; diaspora politics and remittances; grassroots social movements; and the role of China in fostering a renewed focus on resource-based models of development including reformist, redistributive models as in Venezuela and Ecuador. The course objective is thus to equip students to critically appraise the complex interactions between Northern and Southern state and non-state actors in shaping current development policy and resistance to it.

  Select Bibliography

  James, CLR (1938) The Black Jacobins.

  Fanon, F. (1961) The Wretched of the Earth.

  Hobsbawm, E. (1968) Industry and Empire.

  Rodney, W. (1972) How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.

  Robinson, W. (1996) Promoting Polyarchy: Globalisation, US Intervention and Hegemony.

  Hoogvelt, A. (2001) Globalisation and the Postcolonial World: The New Political Economy of Development.

  Robinson, W. (2008) Latin America and Global Capitalism: A Critical Globalization Perspective.

  Petras, J. & Veltmeyer, H. (2009) What's Left in Latin America? Regime Change in New Times.

  Livingstone, G. (2009) America's Backyard: the United States and Latin America from the Monroe Doctrine to the War on Terror.

  Wills, J. et al (2009) Global Cities at Work: New Migrant Divisions of Labour.

  Lewis, D. & Kanji, N. (2009) Non-governmental Organizations and Development.

  Holmen, H. (2010) Snakes in Paradise: NGOs and the Aid Industry in Africa.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.

Key Information

Duration: 12 months, full-time; 24 months, part-time

Entry requirements: A good second class degree, or equivalent, in any subject. Relevant professional experience may be considered in lieu of standard qualifications. Students not meeting the standard entry qualifications may be asked to write a 3,000 word essay to demonstrate their academic abilities

IELTS: 6.5 or equivalent

Assessment: Coursework

Funding: All applicants should consult our information on fees and funding.

Fees

Fees

The University will not increase the Tuition Fee you are charged during the course of an academic year.

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year's duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. The way in which continuing students' fee rates are determined varies according to an individual's 'fee status' as set out on our fees webpages.

What are tuition fees for?

Studying at a UK University means that you need to pay an annual fee for your tuition, which covers the costs associated with teaching, examinations, assessment and graduation.

The fee that you will be charged depends on whether you are considered to be a UK, EU or overseas student. Visiting students will be charged a pro-rata fee for periods of study less than a year.

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12 month session, which usually runs from October to September the following year.

How does Lancaster set overseas tuition fees?

Overseas fees, alongside all other sources of income, allow the University to maintain its abilities across the range of activities and services. Each year the University's Finance Committee consider recommendations for increases to fees proposed for all categories of student and this takes into account a range of factors including projected cost inflation for the University, comparisons against other high-quality institutions and external financial factors such as projected exchange rate movements.

What support is available towards tuition fees?

Lancaster University's priority is to support every student in making the most of their education. Many of our students each year will be entitled to bursaries or scholarships to help with the cost of fees and/or living expenses. You can find out more about financial support, studentships, and awards for postgraduate study on our website.

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