Subject Area: Politics and International Relations

This course investigates some of the most significant issues facing the world today such as the recurrence of violence between and within countries; the difficulty of lifting large numbers of people out of poverty; what is to happen to people who do not have a home in any country; increasing environmental destruction; intensifying global financial instability; and whether the current structures and processes of governance are adequate to address these issues. In doing so, the course also introduces you to some of the different ways in which Politics and International Relations scholars seek to analyse these issues, giving you the opportunity to develop the skills of analysis needed for more advanced study in Politics and International Relations. At the conclusion of the course, you will have developed an appreciation of the scope and significance of the study of contemporary global politics, and some of the strengths and limitations of existing ways of analysing some of the most pressing problems facing the world.