ATS3705 · Knowledge and power in world politics

Overview

How does power operate in world politics? What is the relationship between power and knowledge about world politics? This unit introduces you to debates in the discipline of International Relations that focus on epistemological questions (or how we know what we know). You will examine foundational, critical, post-structuralist, feminist and post-colonial approaches to knowledge and power within the discipline and explore their implications for key contemporary issues such as the rise of China and the legacies of colonialism. Contending theoretical perspectives offer different possibilities for interpreting politics and acting politically. The unit aims to develop your critical awareness of the relationship between the politics of knowledge and our options for political practice.

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. Contextualise the discipline of International Relations within the history of the social sciences;
2. Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between knowledge and power and its implications for world politics;
3. Apply and compare diverse theoretical perspectives in order to define and analyse issues in world politics;
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the different possibilities for action that are enabled by contending theoretical perspectives in International Relations;
5. Communicate complex ideas in a manner (written and spoken) appropriate to an academic and general audience;
6. Demonstrate independent research skills appropriate for the capstone level.

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.