POLI 1002 Introduction to International Relations

This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit https://hbook.westernsydney.edu.au.

Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 101956

Coordinator Margaret Hanlon Opens in new window

Description This is a foundation unit for the major in International Relations and Asian Studies. As such, this unit will introduce students to key topics and debates in the field of International Relations (IR). The unit will familiarise students with leading IR theories and their explanation of political events, phenomena, and processes which cross the territorial boundaries of the state. Students will be exposed to the interplay between power, interest, ideas, identity, and resistance, in explaining continuity and change in international relations. The unit is designed to provide students with the analytical tools and intellectual frameworks needed to understand the behaviour of different international actors in contemporary global affairs.

School Humanities & Comm Arts

Discipline Political Science

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 1 subject

Equivalent Subjects POLI 1003 - Introduction to International Relations (WSTC)

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
  1. Identify the main actors in world politics
  2. Describe the major evolutions in the history of international politics
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of the intimate linkages between 'domestic' and 'international' politics
  4. Show an understanding of the main IR theories and the assumptions implicit in each of these different ways of looking at the world
  5. Identify multiple perspectives on International Relations
  6. Interpret current policy debates and international trends
  7. Evaluate solutions to dominant policy-making problems in world politics.

Subject Content

. History of International Relations (IR) theory
. Main theoretical approaches to the study of IR
. Non-Western perspectives on the study of IR
. Non-anthropocentric/post-human approaches to the study of IR
. Key concepts in the study of IR
. Leading actors in world politics
. Ethics of global affairs
. Conflict and cooperation in international affairs
. The role and consequences of international organisations
. International regimes, international law, and global governance in world politics
. Shift from 'inter-national' to 'inter-regional' relations
. The link between 'domestic' and 'international' politics

Assessment

The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.

Item Length Percent Threshold Individual/Group Task
Tutorial Exercises 500 words 30 N Individual
Essay 1500 words 40 N Individual
Take-home exam 1000 words 30 N Individual

Prescribed Texts

  • Introduction to international relations : perspectives, connections, and enduring questions by Joseph Grieco, G. John Ikenberry, Michael Mastanduno. 2nd ed., published London: Red Globe Press, 2019 (ISBN: 9781352004229)

Teaching Periods

Structures that include subject