BSc (Hons) International Relations Bachelor's degree at the University of Plymouth

This module provides the foundation for the study of democracy and democratisation in politics and international relations, with a focus on competing theories of democratic governance and how these can be applied in a critical analysis of political practices and institutions both within states and in transnational global governance.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

The team-taught immersive module introduces students to key concepts and contemporary issues in the fields of Politics and IR and provides them with the necessary skills and tools to write essays and engage with academic debates.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module introduces students to the key themes involved in the study of democracies. It examines each of these topics within a comparative framework. The application of the key themes will be achieved through the medium of theoretical approaches and case study application. This module will include two 2-hour talks that introduce our School and programme level employability related opportunities and support, including details of the optional placement year.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module provides an introduction to the historical development of the international political system since 1945. It provides a crucial background to the major processes and actors that have shaped the contemporary international system.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module addresses some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century from a variety of ideological and political perspectives. Through real-world case studies and critical reflection of lived experiences, we explore and debate the complex, interdependent processes underpinning sustainability and global inequality and insecurities. You develop an understanding of key drivers and public policy impacts and consider future alternative scenarios. The emphasis is on active, collaborative, le

Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Practicals

This module introduces students to the main authors and debates in contemporary IR theory, from mainstream theories to critical approaches. The module pays particular attention to the relationship between theory and practice in contemporary global politics. At the same time, the course emphasizes that there are an increasing range of political interactions on the global stage and examines the consequences of this for practitioners of global politics as well as those who study it.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module explores the transformation of political community in the 21st century through the prism of international institutions such as the United Nations. The module offers an overview of international institutions and considers various theoretical approaches to understanding the resulting regimes of global governance. The aim is to evaluate the nature of 'governance' in world politics.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module analyses how the governance of international economic affairs has developed from the Mercantilist expansion of early modern Europe to the present day. It introduces four alternative approaches to the study of IPE. It presents the leading historical narratives of the evolution of the modern world political economy, and then investigates its development since 1945.

Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Remotely delivered assessments

This module considers the issue of security in contemporary international relations. It examines a variety of different security concepts from deterrence and the security dilemma to arms control, peacekeeping, terrorism, regional security complexes and governance. It then seeks to relate these to practical examples from world politics.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Lectures and workshops will explore key approaches to sources, and practical and theoretical aspects to research. Students will complete an independent research project. Lectures include some choice, and cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, research in archives / local studies/ digital resources, creative practice, and literary analysis.

Students will interrogate labels, state emergence and postcolonialism, and themes that highlight complexity in the Global South. These may include issues of race, legitimacy, democracy, revolution, connectivity, climate change, and development and inequality. The module addresses the following UN SDGs: 5, 8, 10, 13, 16.

This module focuses on the political, economic and social context of forced migration and considers the complex and varied nature of global refugee populations. It analyses responses at international, national and regional level and engages with a range of challenging questions around international co-operation, the framework of international protection, humanitarianism and the causes of displacement.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module is for students in the School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs, portfolios, and cover letters).

Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. Students will have the option to un

This module provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their attainment of the aims and objectives of the Honours Programme. It requires the design and execution of a dissertation of 12,000 words in the field of political science, together with the submission of a 2,000 word formative Literature Review detailing the aims and objectives of the dissertation together with a consideration of the extant academic literature in the field of the research question.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module provides students with opportunities to gain practical insights into the workings of organisations whose role and function have clear relevance to the focus and subject matter of their undergraduate degree in Politics or International Relations, and to link such insights to their acquired knowledge and understanding of social science theories and concepts. In addition the module will prepare students for the graduate job market and encourage their autonomous engagement in personal de

Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Practicals

The module proposes to study the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from a theoretical as well policy point of view. The aim is to investigate the relevance of NATO in the 21st century by looking at how NATO survived and developed in the aftermath of the Cold War as it appeared to have lost its original purpose of containing the Soviet Union. By looking at key developments within NATO in the post-Cold War period, this module also looks at the challenges which NATO has faced and overcome b

Assessment: 100% Coursework

This module introduces students to the fundamental principles of politics in the United States. While domestic politics are privileged, consideration is given to the foreign policy of the US. Specific emphasis placed on the role of the Constitution and institutions of governance in promoting (or inhibiting) democracy both domestically and abroad.

Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Remotely delivered assessments

The module introduces students to politics and international relations in the Middle East. It equips them with the analytical skills to examine regional rivalries and conflicts.

Assessment: 50% Coursework 50% Remotely delivered assessments

The European Union is the world's most integrated regional institution. This module takes a holistic look at the EU, both as a political institution in Europe and its broader role in the world system. It focuses on the link between its economic and political presence, the ideologies it generates, its role in climate politics and other global public goods, as well as relations with key states and regions.

This module introduces students to politics in China, providing them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China's international affairs. The module supports SDG16 on development of peace, justice and sustainable institutions.

This module introduces students to the study of foreign policy. It explores a range of theories to explain how and why foreign policy decisions are made, and it then seeks to apply them to case studies drawn from international politics. The aim is to improve understanding of how foreign policy decisions are made, and to subsequently provide explanations.