ATS1873 · Introduction to international relations

Overview

In this unit you will be introduced to key issues in International Relations (IR), from traditional preoccupations – such as international security, arms control, war and peacebuilding, and political violence and terrorism – to more recent concerns, including the climate crisis, migration, inequalities and development challenges. You will also be looking at the role of states and supra-state organisations, such as the United Nations; nations and nationalism; world order and global governance; and globalisation and the international political economy. You will engage with key IR concepts and theories to understand these issues, including Realism and Liberalism and critical theories, such as Feminism, Marxism, Postmodernism and Postcolonialism. You will draw from contemporary and historical events to further explore these issues and apply these theories.

Areas of study: International relations

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Recognise, interpret and analyse traditional and critical theoretical perspectives, and conventional and alternative concepts in the study of International Relations across its four subfields (security studies, international political economy, foreign policy and global governance).
2. Comprehend and engage constructively with current affairs, scholarly articles and books in the field of International Relations, and place them in an appropriate theoretical and empirical context.
3. Apply these theoretical perspectives and concepts to illuminate and examine a new or existing problem in the study of International Relations
4. Communicate orally, and in writing, using clear and persuasive language appropriate for an international academic community.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.