Postgraduate Course: Strategy in International Relations (PLIT11029)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This advanced International Relations course offers students deep engagement with Strategic Studies, meaning the study of the use of force as a means to achieve political ends. It traces major developments in this interdisciplinary field, presents and discusses key strands in the scholarly literature, and problematises strategy as a field of scholarly enquiry as well as a profession. This provides an intellectual framework for students to engage with and reflect on some of the enduring questions in Contemporary Strategic Studies, including its relationship with International Relations and the academic study of international security more generally. |
| Course description |
The course engages with a range of key controversies in Strategic Studies including strategy as a science and a profession, the role of rationality in strategic thought and planning, the role of gender in the practice and theory of strategy, the linkages between strategy and ethics, geostrategy, and the linkages to technological advancement. Apart from the study of scholarly sources and course materials, the students are invited to draw on contemporary examples of strategy and public policy related to the use of force (e.g. defence, policing, crisis management, peacebuilding, counter-terrorism) and to develop regional and country specialisms throughout the course of the semester.
Some of the key questions discussed in the course include: Will armed conflict persist? Is the strategic profession inherently militant, masculine and immoral? Does one need to be a realist, materialist and consequentialist to study strategy? Are 'security analysts' better strategists? How has technological and societal progress changed the pace, place and face of warfare? Is strategic thinking and planning part of a solution or part of the problem? Does Strategic Studies have a Western bias?
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students taking this course are strongly recommended to have background knowledge in International Relations theory or International Security. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically evaluate and synthesise complex theoretical frameworks and concepts in Strategic Studies, demonstrating awareness of key interdisciplinary debates
- Engage with and interrogate the work of a diverse range of scholars, demonstrating the ability to assess epistemological assumptions and contribute original interpretations to key debates
- Analyse the relationship between strategic theory and practice in contemporary contexts, making informed judgments about complex policy challenges in situations of uncertainty and incomplete information
- Present in written and verbal form - well-substantiated arguments that demonstrate originality and creativity represent the established and emerging literature
- Design, lead, and contribute to advanced discussions, demonstrating independent thinking and the ability to engage in critical dialogue between diverse perspectives on key contemporary issues
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Reading List
Baylis, J. et al. (eds): Strategy in the Contemporary World: An Introduction to Strategic Studies (6th edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Vennesson, P. (2020) Is Strategic Studies Rationalist, Materialist, and A-Critical? Reconnecting Security and Strategy, Journal of Global Security Studies, 5(3), 494-510.
Vennesson, P. (2017) Is Strategic Studies Narrow? Critical Security and the Misunderstood Scope of Strategy, Journal of Strategic Studies, 40(3), 358-391.
Wæver, O. (2015) The History and Social Structure of Security Studies as a Practico-Academic field, in Villumsen Berling, T. and C. Bueger (eds) Security Expertise: Practice, Power, Responsibility. London/New York: Routledge, 76-106.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Skill and ability to
- analyse, use and assess empirical evidence in support of explanatory and normative claims
- articulate, sustain and defend a line of argument, and
- exercise informed independent thought and critical judgment
- apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of international relations to political ideas, practices and issues
Personal and intellectual autonomy to
- recognise the structure of an intellectual argument
- be able to construct an intellectual argument themselves, using empirical and theoretical evidence
- think independently and critically
- recognise the difference between dogmatic thought and autonomous thought
- present and communicate information and ideas orally and in writing
Personal effectiveness to
- think clearly under pressure,
- manage their time and plan their academic workload,
- undertake and manage independent research projects, and
- work both independently and co-operatively with others
- locate relevant information through library and IT resources,
- collect and synthesise large amounts of empirical and theoretical material from a variety of sources
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Carmen Gebhard
Tel: (0131 6)50 4622
Email: C.Gebhard@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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