Undergraduate Course: Global International Relations Theory (PLIT10181)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | What do you really know about international relations? Focusing on close analysis of key texts and theories, students will be introduced to key ideas and approaches to the study of international relations that emerge from beyond the Global North.
By focusing on key questions about what to study and how to study it this course addresses some of the major questions we can ask if we are to think about international relations in global terms - How is the world beyond the Global North analysing international relations? What are some of the problems with 'Western' IR theory? What happens when we introduce non-Western theories and stories into our thinking about the world? How can existing theories of IR respond to these challenges? |
| Course description |
International Relations (IR) theory has evolved rapidly over the last few decades. Existing paradigms have deepened and new approaches have emerged to analyse the world beyond the state. Part of this development has been the spread of IR theorising beyond the Global North, as well as the acknowledgement of relevant theorising about the world outside the confines of what is commonly considered as disciplinary history and development. This course asks students to think about how, and with what consequences IR theory has expanded/opened up to include alternative approaches beyond the West and its disciplinary history. The course centres on debates around 'Global' IR, Worlding IR, and decolonising IR.
By introducing students to the wide range of ways that theorists from around the world approach international relations students will be encouraged to reflect on what they know about IR, the limitations of western and eurocentrism, and how 'the rest of the world' thinks about the world we live in. Students will in short be encouraged to think about a broader horizon of the 'international' then more orthodox approaches offer.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses, one of which is security themed, at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe and evaluate global approaches to the study of international relations
- Situate their own understanding of international relations in a global theoretical context
- Critically reflect on and evaluate IR Theory and the discipline of IR from the perspective of global and non-Western approaches
- Use global IR theory to identify, analyse, and understand various international phenomena
- Present clear, analytical, and robust arguments about the contributions and limits of Global IR
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Reading List
Arlene Tickner and Karen Smith eds (2020) International Relations from the Global South, Routledge.
Arlene Tickner and Ole Waever (2009) International Relations Scholarship Around the World, Routledge.
A. Layug and John Hobson (2023) Globalizing International Relations Theory, Routledge
Aaron Ettinger (2023) 'Global International Relations and Worlding Beyond the West: A Pedagogical Critique', International Studies Review, 25.
L.H.M. Ling (2014) Imagining World Politics, Routledge. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. Ability to critically engage, appraise, and synthesize a range of diverse academic literature.
2. Enhanced ability to deploy complex theoretical literature to empirical issues.
3. Improved communication skills to present complex theoretical arguments in verbal and written form.
4. Enhanced research skills developed during tutorials to identify and develop a research question.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Benjamin Coulson
Tel:
Email: Ben.Coulson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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