¹ú²úÄÚÉä

International Relations Theory (903M1)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

Theories are essential for understanding world politics. They help us make sense of the many events, key players and issues that shape international affairs.

On this module, you’ll explore the major theories of International Relations (IR). You’ll look at the historical contexts in which they developed, and examine what each theory focuses on and how it explains global politics.

We’ll compare their strengths and weaknesses, and explore how they shape different views of world politics in both theory and practice.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 267 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.