Leeds Beckett University

MA International Relations

Teaching & Learning

Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through several modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.

Core modules

What you'll learn

Theorising International Relations

Learn how to deploy the principal classical and contemporary theories of International Relations by developing theory within the context of modern and historical case studies.

Theorising Development

Gain an understanding of the concepts, theories and methods used in the study of global development. You will study the origins, evolution and contemporary dynamics of development within the international system and the challenges facing it, and you will be able to apply your knowledge of global development with originality within advanced academic settings.

Gendering the International

Explore the possibilities and challenges of taking gender seriously within both international relations and international political economy. You will study key theoretical, conceptual, empirical, and practical debates surrounding the role of gender in international politics and global political economy.

Dissertation

Engage in critical depth with a research-based project aligned with your personal interests and professional aspirations.

Theorising Human Rights

Explore the contested conceptualisation of human rights, via universalist/relativist and cosmopolitan/communitarian debates, and locate the theorisation of rights within the broad schools of international relations thought. You’ll study the tensions that emerge through the institutionalisation of rights at an international level, the operation of sovereignty and the politics of rights at a group and individual level.

Research Methods

Develop a critical understanding of research as a practice and a product. The module will develop your critical understanding of the nature of knowledge and offer general training on research approaches, including key theoretical, ethical and practical considerations.

Option modules

What you'll learn

Developing & Managing Projects (also available as a distance learning module)

Consider how projects fit within organisations, and how they are developed, funded and managed. You will be introduced to the essential components including planning, evaluation, ethics and governance issues, and stakeholder engagement.

Security, Conflict & Development

This module interrogates the concept of insecurity and draws on a range of theories and understandings of security, and how this has evolved from a focus on the state to incorporate human security. You will explore the relationship between conflict, security and development, including the roles of key actors, agencies, policies and interventions, and key intersections of gender, ethnicity, poverty and exclusion. You will also examine responses to traditional and new security threats from a human rights perspective via a range of local and global case studies.

War, Crime & Violence

Explore acts of war, political violence and ‘crimes of aggression’ through the lens of criminological discourse. You will develop an in-depth understanding of war and its relationship with ‘crime’ by critically evaluating the role of individual states, international communities, as well as victims, bystanders and known perpetrators or combatants.

Political Economy of Environmental Crisis (also available as a distance learning module)

Gain a better understanding of the environmental dilemmas that confront us in the contemporary world, by moving beyond the limitations of mainstream economic analysis in coming to terms with the threats of environmental degradation and climate change. This module tries to reawaken a broader type of ethical, natural and social theorisation which has been present in political economy at least since the 18th century.

Theorising Peace & Conflict

Study the key theories and concepts that are used to understand violence, conflict, and peace. By examining existing case studies, you'll gain an overview of various approaches that have been applied to manage or resolve conflict and build peace. You'll gain an understanding of the key actors and processes associated with conflict resolution and peacebuilding, as well as key achievements and obstacles to building peace.

The Politics of Public Policy

Develop your knowledge of where public policy comes from, focusing on policies' historical and political antecedents. You'll gain a detailed understanding of the most useful theories of the policy process. This will include studying the roles of a variety of key actors and institutions, and the shifting policymaking paradigms from the late-1970s onwards. This will enable you to better understand the reasons why some policies are put in place and others are not. You'll also understand how to effectively influence the future course of public policy.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate sophistication in critical thinking that reflects the independence of thought and understanding of the political significance of multiple polities coexisting and of political boundary drawing and transforming practices.
2. Apply concepts, theories, and methods used in the study of international relations to analyze political ideas, practices, and issues in the international system.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the origins, evolution, and contemporary dynamics of the international system and the challenges to it.
4. Evaluate different interpretations of world political events within complex international situations.
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of research, both as a practice and as a product, and be fully prepared for further development in either an academic or professional environment.
6. Demonstrate knowledge with originality through the production of a significant piece of high-level independent work in the field of international relations.

You’ll have an in-depth understanding of the social and political challenges that affect nations around the globe, with the capacity to cope with these challenges in employment as well as political and social engagement. Our graduates have taken their qualifications into a variety of areas, from roles within marketing and communications to working for NATO and becoming an MP.

• Diplomat
• International Charity Worker
• Government Consultant
• Journalist