International Relations BA Hons

at Coventry University

Why you should study this course

You should get a deeper understanding of the rationale for and value of cooperative relationships between nations, and of the foreign policy challenges.

The world is becoming ever more interdependent with the resulting global socio-political changes. This includes the rising cost of foreign aid and the impact of non-English speaking immigrants within the education system – increasingly affecting people at a local level.

You will examine major themes of post-war international politics, including:

• the dominant relationship between the superpowers
• the consequences of decolonisation
• the emergence of the 'Third World'
• the spread of revolutionary wars
• the development of European integration and
• the spread and final collapse of communism and its effect on world politics at the end of the Cold War.

What you'll study

Drawing on case studies of intervention in the Congo, Somalia, the Balkans and Iraq, for example, you will examine sometimes controversial decisions around peacekeeping and peace enforcement in the wake of conflict, state collapse political or natural crises and large-scale human rights abuse.

You will cover the evolution and interaction of different states and societies around the globe, exploring the history of world politics since World War II. We consider how foreign policy decision-makers and international organisations respond in the face of war, social movements, terrorism, political struggles, democratic advances and setbacks.

Year one
In your first year, you will cover the foundations of international relations theory and be introduced to the ways in which other people interpret the world and what goes on within it – liberals, realists, socialists and so on. These provide a foundation for your learning in subsequent years.

Modules

• History of the Atlantic World and Globalisation

• Applied politics: Politics in Action - 30 credits

• Introduction to International Relations Theories - 20 credits

• Themes and Concepts in International Relations - 20 credits

• World Politics since 1945 - 20 credits

• Add+vantage - 10 credits

Year two
In the second year, the course focuses on contemporary events and issues, including global security, humanitarian aid, and foreign policy. 

You can examine a range of real-life case studies to illustrate the challenges of various government responses, the responses themselves and subsequent reactions.

Modules

• Humanitarian Intervention and Peacekeeping - 20 credits

• Power and Political Violence in the Age of Globalisation - 20 credits

• Foreign Policy Analysis - 20 credits

• Contemporary Global Security - 20 credits

• A Graduate Career - 10 credits

• Add+vantage - 10 credits

• International Political Economy - 20 credits

• The Contemporary Far Right in Western Europe - 20 credits

• A History of International Crime - 20 credits

Final year
In your final year, you will apply your knowledge gained from years one and two.  You can choose from a number of options to fit your future ambitions.

You will have the chance to develop your interests and choose from a wide range of optional modules. For example, you could choose modules on the Middle East, the United States, or China to enhance your intercultural and political awareness.

Modules

• Ethics and International Relations - 20 credits

• Dissertation - 30 credits

• Add+vantage - 10 credits

• An Inconvenient History: The Green Movement - 20 credits

• Politics of the Contemporary Middle East - 20 credits

• Study Trip - 20 credits

• Global Organised Crime - 20 credits

• Chinese Politics, Foreign Relations, and Security - 20 credits

• US Foreign Policy since 1945 - 20 credits