Politics and International Business BA (Hons)

This module will equip you with the core skills that you need to be successful on a politics degree. These include skills like: Critical thinking, public speaking, choosing sources, making a convincing argument, academic essay writing, qualitative and quantitative research, and referencing. Many of these skills are expected at university – and are essential to a high grade – yet are not necessarily taught elsewhere. This module plugs that gap and ensures that you are confident and prepared for the different kinds of work that lie ahead.

This module provides students with a critical introduction to a number of political concepts such as power, the state, legitimacy of sovereignty and gender through engaging with political thinkers such as Weber, Dahl, Tilly, Hooks and Rousseau. It also aims to establish a grounding in a number of areas that will benefit the students in the academic study of politics. For example, essay writing, debating in seminars, and an introduction to academic research. In so doing the module develops on the skills gained at A-level to ensure students are fully prepared for degree level study in Politics. Principally this will be accomplished through interactive lectures and seminars, as well as detailed feedback on their assessments. This module provides students with the tools they require to master different forms of assessment and course work. It also lays the foundations for the development of research confident students by making them active learners with a responsibility for their own academic study.

The module is an introduction to the fundamental principles of marketing. The module aims to bring contemporary marketing perspectives to life for students new to the concept of marketing. The content of the module is underpinned by marketing theory, with an emphasis on application.

The module provides students with a grounding in practical and theoretical perspectives on historical and contemporary forms of management. It explores how organisations address their major challenges by drawing from tried and tested methods, as well as more innovative practices. Students are encouraged to question common sense assumptions about management, and to identify creative and sustainable practices in organisations.

This module provides an introduction to the main schools of thought and key issues in the field of International Relations (IR). It starts by offering an outline of these schools of thought and introduces students to important thinkers and theories within them. It then moves on to applying and comparing and contrasting different theories to a range of important contemporary issues, from the persistence of war to the environment. It concludes with a discussion of possible futures.

How does politics function in a globalised world? What explains cross-country and cross-time differences in political institutions, behaviour, and outcomes? This module provides an introduction to Comparative Politics by focusing on key concepts and contemporary issues affecting democracies and authoritarian regimes across the world. It introduces students to basic debates around regime types, their causes and consequences, institutional configurations and their effects, political parties and party systems, and political behavior. The module also introduces the idea of the comparative method and how to apply it to the study of different countries. Teaching is based on a combination of theoretical and empirical perspectives, using case studies as illustrations throughout the module.

This course examines the international business environment through a combination of theoretical instruction and empirical (real-world) case studies. Students will be introduced to the key theories used to explain how and why internationalization occurs. Half the course is also devoted to the examination and discussion of real business cases. Students will gain a solid understanding of the international business environment and be able to apply theory to practice. This module aims to provide students with a foundation in the theory and practice of international business and the global business environment. The module equips students with the knowledge and understanding of the extant international business theories, research and practice, which are needed to appreciate the internationalization strategies of firms and the global business environment within which firms operate.

Whether pursuing a career in marketing or in supply chain management, modern business professionals have to be well versed in the language of accounting and finance. This module aims to equip a non-specialist audience with a solid understanding of the key principles of financial reporting and management accounting. Students will first learn how firms measure and report their financial position and performance, and then engage in analysis and visualisation of real data using financial ratios. The module will also introduce students to a number of fundamental managerial decision-making techniques, such as cost-volume-profit analysis, simple costing models, budgeting, and capital investment appraisal methods.

This module delivers an outlook of issues of international finance, such as parity conditions, currency exposures/management and international capital markets; especially focusing on the financial management of multinationals. The groundwork is based on fundamentals of finance which provides an introduction to the core principles of finance, valuation and financial decision-making, within the domestic setting and then expands to the international setting.

The international system has no central authority that makes and enforces laws, yet it is not totally anarchic. A large number of international organisations allows states to co-operate in areas as diverse as the economy, international security, or the protection of the environment. The aim of this module is to enable students to systematically study international organisations. We focus on key questions: How do international organisations become (and remain) legitimate? Are they independent from their member-states? What inequalities and hierarchies do they transform or reproduce? Through a series of empirical examples – such as the United Nations, the WTO, the World Bank – students will be able to systematically analyse the role and functions of international organisations in global politics.

This module gives an overview of some very basic economic principles as it applies to the firm and its environment. It equips the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and evaluate internal and external factors that influence the strategic decisions made by the firms. This includes the analysis of the nature and behaviour of firms in international markets. It is designed for non-economists such as Business Studies students . Explanations are sometimes based on very basic diagrams and students are expected to have GCSE level maths.

International (or Global) Political Economy (IPE/GPE) is a sub-discipline of International Relations. This module examines the interplay between politics and economics and the way this relationship is influenced by domestic and international forces. It examines the social underpinnings of economic transactions, the political frameworks that shape economic activity at national, regional and global levels, and the economic imperatives that impinge upon political decision-makers. During the module, you will be introduced to influential perspectives, theories and ideas that have been advanced to explain and anticipate events and developments in political economy. The module covers the most important issue-areas in international political economy and examines recent developments, including the global financial crisis of 2008, challenges to the western liberal order, and the impact of the ecological crisis on global political economy. Firms, individuals, markets, societies, social classes, and states are all important elements of IPE. Theories differ in the way they deal with these elements and the relative significance they accord to each of them. The tension between the elements, resulting in cooperation and conflict, is a major feature in the theory and practice of IPE.

The aim of this module is to develop awareness of the distinctive nature of the business environment within and around the European Union (EU). Students who complete this module will have an improved understanding of the role of the EU in relation to business. The key political and legal institutions and actors responsible for the formulation of policies that influence business practice in Europe will be examined and core academic debates about the form and function of the EU will be reviewed. The students will also be introduced to economic integration and the operation of the EU single market. In the second half of the module, we will explore specific EU business-related activities. There will be a case study of the UK’s EU membership.         

Innovation and entrepreneurship draw together key themes relating to the development of new products, new processes and new organisations in the business environment. Innovation is strategic when it is consistent with a corporation’s mission, vision and values and is created to enhancing the strategic positioning and/or competitiveness of organisations. This module deals with the principles underpinning innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of a global business environment.
In this module students will gain a deep understanding of the role of strategic innovation activities in various organisational settings as a tool to developing a longer-term entrepreneurial culture. It will focus on comparing methods of best practice for entrepreneurial innovation developments and how these are utilised in practice using case studies and simulated examples.
The module draws on both theory and practice from a range of sub-disciplines and areas of study, including examples of innovation within large public and private sector organisations as well as smaller technology-based organisations both local and international.
Whilst the module provides theoretical insight into innovation and entrepreneurship, students will also be encouraged to identify best practices in the management of innovation and entrepreneurship in organisations.

This module aims to provide undergraduate international business students a broad overview of the core concepts in technology and innovation management, the dominant theories in it, innovation and technology management tools and frameworks that are employed by organisa-tions, international standards on innovation, ethical technology management practices and fi-nally practical evidences of the same. With the aid of lectures and experiential learning orient-ed seminars, the module aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the current international innovation and technology management practices and a critical perspective in evaluating the innovation and technology management frameworks. The module prepares international business students for a career in international business with organisational roles related to new product development and the strategic management of technology, knowledge, and innovation.

Understanding security in international relations and how it is challenged by contemporary globalisation.

This module introduces students to the study of elections and voting behaviour. It uses post-war British elections and referendums as the focal point for introducing key political science debates about voting and party competition and as a context for analysing political change in Britain. In place of seminars, students attend required data lab sessions, in which they are taught quantitative skills (e.g. t-test, Chi- Square test, statistical correlation, linear regression) through the analysis of key election datasets (e.g. vote shares, opinion polls, election surveys, candidate spending) in guided PC sessions. These sessions involve the use of both Excel and SPSS software and students will need to be confident in their ability to undertake basic mathematical procedures and to learn introductory statistical methods.

This module examines the governing institutions and processes associated with the US federal government, and how these interact with core linking institutions and structures of society to create what is understood as the American political process.

After years of authoritarian stasis, the tectonic plates of Middle East politics began to shift with the "Arab Spring" of 2011. Much media analysis reduces political explanation of the region’s politics to a single variable (Islam) or its impact on Europe (refugees, terrorism). This module will provide students with the tools to analyse the region’s politics in its richness. Students will critically engage with key concepts and debates in the study of Middle East comparative politics. These include the role of oil and the "rentier-state", democratisation and authoritarian resilience, and the role of religion in politics.

The module examines devolution in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and within England. How did it come about? How has it changed politics in each country? How have political parties responded and what are the key devolved issues in each country?

The module provides an overview of struggle for democracy in contemporary history. It challenges students to reflect upon why a particular variety of democracy, representative government (or ‘polyarchy’), has become one of the dominant political systems in the modern world. It explores the circumstances under which dictatorship gives way to representative government, and the conditions under which it endures.

The course focuses on three major approaches to questions of democratisation: modernisation theory; the social forces tradition; and transition theory. These rival theories provide the framework for an exploration of key cases in the history of democracy as the course follows the so called ‘waves of democracy’ and ‘reverse waves’ of democratic breakdown.

Moving to the frontier of democratic struggle, the course examines the prospects for democracy in the global South, or amongst countries that democratised during the most recent ‘Third Wave.’ Is there any reason to expect that democracy will take root and consolidate, or might new hybrid political systems establish themselves? Will struggles over the legitimate basis of political rule continue? What can this tell us about the future of democracy in an interdependent world?

This module aims to develop students’ knowledge of British political parties and the party system within which they operate. It explores questions and issues surrounding party structure and organisation, electoral strategy, party ideology and the socio-historical contexts which lead to the rise of certain types of parties rather than others.

This module focuses on the concept, institutionalization, and politics of human rights in international politics. It will provide an overview of the philosophical foundations and debates on human rights. Students will learn about the history and development of human rights in international politics. The module will explore how policies, institutions, and actors aim to improve human rights regionally and globally. It will critically assess the efforts to promote and protect human rights in international politics. At the same time, the module will look at human rights in various regions in the world, as well as issues including war crimes, genocide, torture, environmental rights, women and children’s rights and others.

This is the first module offered to second year undergraduate students to examine the process of political speech and its impact upon the quality of democratic discourse. The module will scrutinise the kind of audiences political figures face, issues of freedom of speech, the development of authentic political rhetoric, the advancement of ideological perspectives, the impact of political manipulation through concepts such as ‘fake news’, and also the process of delivering political speeches.

This module will introduce core concepts in contemporary gender politics –including feminist theoretical understandings of nation, state, family and the market. Gender and feminist politics will be explored more deeply by engaging with intersecting identities and current theories of the concept ‘woman’. Concepts will be illustrated with real world, contemporary case studies (for example, gender based violence and reproductive rights) and also consider non-traditional forms of political engagement including activist organising. The module will encourage students to critically engage with topics through popular culture, media sources, films, books and podcasts and reflection on their own experience. Research, critical thinking and presentation skills will be developed through coursework assessment.

This module is designed to introduce second year undergraduates to issues surrounding racialization in comparative politics. It will locate ‘race’ as an enduring feature of access to power and look at critical race theory in relation to national (UK) and international politics. This module will enable students to develop critical thinking skills about the construction of ‘race’ and ethnicity and how this construction affects certain marginalised communities and precipitates particular modes of democratic engagement and disengagement, participation and resistance and privilege and disadvantage.

As of March 2022, this course was awarded a Fulbright Global Challenges Teaching Award (GCTA). The GCTA requires that a Liverpool class be adapted for co-teaching with a US counterpart as part of a virtual exchange. For 2022, POLI265 will be a COIL class. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) refers to a learning and teaching paradigm aimed at developing cross-cultural awareness through shared learning environments. This means that those who participate in this class will be now co-taught by journalism and creative media Professor George Daniels of the University of Alabama. They will now collaborate with and learn alongside an American cohort of students. The module will also now incorporate Professor Daniel’s expertise on race, gender, and media.

This module examines politics in the ancient world via narratives about the past (or ‘history’), and at the same time evaluates the role of history in politics. Moving from the Near East to Greece and then Rome, students learn about key political events (for example the battle of Marathon and the Jewish revolt), political phenomena (for example Persian kingship, Athenian imperialism, and Roman expansion), and influential persons (for example Pericles, Augustus and Boudica). In the process they become familiar with the different ways of telling history in antiquity: not only through written history (‘historiography’) but also poetic and theatrical performances, philosophical writings, biographical studies, public buildings and monuments and public ceremonies, such as the Roman funeral. While grappling with these different types of history, students develop understanding of the structures, strategies, debates and anxieties that characterized politics in the ancient world. And they recognize that in the ancient world, as today, to represent the past was to participate in politics.

The Basque language is the axis of a long-standing culture that came to feel at risk around the late 19th century. The Basque nation has since embarked on a fight for survival that has largely contributed to transform the Basque Country into an open, modern, and dynamic society. But contemporary Basque society is characterised by its conflicting identities, Basque and Spanish being the most noted of them. This module will analyse the most relevant areas of that conflict from a cultural, historical, and anthropological perspective. It will also offer a taste of contemporary Basque arts and the identity play between the local and the global in which they are inscribed. This is not a theoretical module. It is practical through and through. But by means of studying contemporary Basque society and culture students are invited to reflect about the concept of identity, both its importance to all of us and its striking fragility, and the way all that is linked to their own experience of nationality.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the intertwined concepts of capitalism and international development in the global economy. The module is divided into 2 parts; (1) international development of developed economies and (2) international development of developing and emerging economies. Capitalism has played a significant role in international development- however, this has generated positive and negative effects. On one hand, we see how capitalism has led to substantial economic growth and better standards of life in countries that are now developed. On the other hand, capitalism is also associated with the increase in inequality and other societal and environmental issues.

The module will enable an in-depth analysis of the central issues associated with the economics and policies of international development and will provide an insight into problems, challenges and recent trends in international development as well as i dentify future policy directions.

The core roles of government in relation to business are identified and evaluated and significant changes discussed. The module also explores the nature of the relationship between government and business, for example in terms of neo-corporatist structures and the role of business as an actor in the governmental process. These issues are also placed firmly within a wide-ranging international context and examples are drawn from a wide variety of countries. The module is assessed through an assignment and an unseen exam. Successful students will acquire an appreciation of the interactions between government and business, develop a strong critical awareness and be able to apply the general debates to a wide range of specific examples.

This module provides an overview of what workforce equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are and their relevance and usefulness in improving the understanding and management of people at work. Today’s workplace is changing due to a number of factors including an ageing population and increases in the number of women and ethnic minorities. As a result, there is a need to effectively understand and manage EDI in organisations in order to create an inclusive workplace that meets organisational outcomes. A number of issues that managers of a diverse workforce face are explored. In particular, issues such as gender, age, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation and intersectional identities are discussed. Two key approaches towards EDI are reviewed: the social justice case and the business benefits case. The module also explores a range of EDI related concepts and topics such as social identity, stereotyping and discrimination. It also considers the protected rights of employees covered by UK legislation as well as international legislative drives and policies.
Successful students will develop their understanding of the field of EDI and their own personal position within it. They will also inform their practice as future managers from both research and practitioner perspectives.

Identity and culture are two very important phenomena in organisations. They help explain why organisations look and feel the way they do. They also help us understand why people in organisations often ignore and/or resist rational models and techniques; how these affect the ways employees see their identity at work and their sense of wellbeing; and how identity and cultural management at sectoral, occupational and organizational levels impact workers’ sense of self. Students on this module are encouraged to investigate culture and identity in relation to wellbeing in contemporary films, fictional narratives and social media, as well as in the academic literature.

This module provides an opportunity for students to gain credit from experience acquired in a placement, usually off campus, and outside their immediate academic context, in a setting that matches their academic and possible career/industry interests. During this placement students will have the chance to develop materials and/or undertake tasks within a practical or vocational context; to apply academic knowledge from their degree, and to develop their personal and employability skills within a working environment. Students will also be encouraged to critically reflect on their time on their placement, and tie their experiences into a broader theoretical understanding of what constitutes ‘politics’.

This module is introduced to increase the variety of modules offered to second-year BA students. With increasing student numbers and diversity of students in terms of their programme choices and their interests, this module offers a degree of specialisation and deepening of understanding of transnational security and the ways in which state and non-state actors (especially in the Global South) are responding to ‘new’ security challenges. The focus on the Global South aims at challenging dominant framings of regions such as Africa, Asia and Latin America as sources of insecurities that lack agency on transnational security issues. This module builds student’s understanding and knowledge of the processes and the politics of securitisation, crucial for understanding international peace and security in the context of shifts in global power distribution.

The module covers the media’s relationship to politics, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on Britain. It touches on the political, economic, moral and legal contexts in which journalists cover politics, and looks at how subsequent coverage relates to citizen’s attitides and to democratic politics. The module deals with a range of key topics, such as ‘the economy’, ‘climate change’ and ‘Europe’. Students should, as a result, get a rounded appreciation of the media’s role in contemporary society and politics. The module is delivered via a standard lecture and tutorial format.

This module analyses the major ideologies in British politics and explores how ideas have brought about change in British politics and society since 1945.

This module explores the ethical dilemmas that arise in some of the most controversial public policy debates. We will explore questions such as: should people have the right to euthanasia? Should we ban pornography? Should the consumption of, or testing on, animals be banned? Should we criminally punish people for taking recreational drugs? Are reparations morally justified? We will explore these questions by critically assessing the arguments of political, moral and legal philosophers, and evaluate the implications of their arguments for policy making.

The module develops a decolonial approach to the history of Italy, Africa and the Mediterranean, focusing on trajectories of colonialism and migration to and from Italy, from the age of the empires to the present. Adopting a decolonial perspective on the history of the Italian empire, its languages and cultures, the module examines some of the cultural and geopolitical tensions that shape ideas of heritage, citizenship and belonging between Italy and Africa. Exploring the making of individual and collective memories through a variety of media and languages, the module develops a language-sensitive approach to the study of history, memory and culture in the 21 st century.

The media are now central to any discussion of contemporary war and conflict while global news reporting is supposedly in decline. How can we understand the interplay between global news, media and war in the context of rapidly evolving communication technologies and journalistic practices? This module explores the broader context of global news focusing on media in different parts of the world and the way they report on global issues. It considers the professional practice of foreign reporting and the challenges that notions of ethics, objectivity and attachment present for journalists. Then it engages with both the responses of states, including the use of media management and persuasion, and those of audiences who are often conflicted in reaction to distant conflict. The module concludes with an investigation of specific wars of recent years and a look at the future of reporting war and beyond.

This module introduces students to the study of globalisation in the early 21st century. In the 19th and 20th centuries there were big debates between those who think things work best when people are left to decide how they want to live and get what they need by trading with each other, and those who wanted a communist society where people get what they need and contribute what they can to the common good. Of course it did not work out that way, and now for many people free markets, or neoliberalism is the only serious game in town. The course examines those debates before moving on to examine case studies of how they have worked out in practice.

This module is about politics, about policies, political institutions, and the political culture of Rome in the Late Republic. It does not only trace the deterioration of political consensus amongst the senate aristocracy and the rise of powerful individuals like Marius, Sulla, Pompey, or Caesar put also aims to explore the wider cultural context within which politics unfolds.

This module offers an in-depth examination of key themes in the cultural, social and political history of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1949-1990, as well as questions of memory after 1990. It explores key milestones in the history and politics of the GDR (e.g. the uprisings of 17 June 1953, the building of the Berlin Wall and the demonstrations of 1989), as well as central themes within society and culture, such as gender, youth and cultural policy. Each theme will be examined through a range of texts, films and other primary and secondary resources, to develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of the meaning and significance of life and culture in the GDR and its relevance for contemporary eastern Germany.

The module gives an overview of the subject from the perspective of principles and practice. The first part of the module provides an overview of perspectives and explains the centrality of strategic purpose. The second part is about strategic analysis and covers strategic objectives, and the analysis of the external and internal environments. The third part covers business, corporate, and global levels of strategy. Finally, the module explains implementation: covering strategic actions and performance management.

This module provides a detailed coverage of the nature and determinants of the pattern of world trade and financial, capital and labour flows. The module also aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of why conflicts arise between nations due to international economic activity and what policy options are most appropriate for countries both individually and cooperatively to adopt. Throughout the module emphasis is placed upon the role of theory in enhancing understanding of the key issues in international economic relations.

Globalization is bringing individuals, companies, regions, and countries into direct competition with one another, elevating the role of innovation as a driver of economic success. Even innovation itself is increasingly global in nature, and it is this phenomenon that forms the focus of this module (Innovation in a Global Perspective). There are three areas of interest, namely a) what the globalization of innovation entails, b) which factors enhance and detract from it, and c) how ‘grand’ innovation challenges could be tackled through global collaborative action. Examples of the first area of interest include companies offshoring innovation, licensing technologies developed elsewhere, and entering new markets to access novel knowledge and capabilities. The second topic connects to the first, considering matters such as the cost of research and development, and the availability of skilled workers. The third and final topic shifts the focus to global grand challenges such as the transition to sustainable energy and the Covid-19 pandemic.

A combination of lectures and seminars are used to introduce the basic concepts underlying the globalization of innovation, and to challenge students to consider the specific challenges and opportunities businesses and policymakers face. The knowledge built in this module will help students thrive, whether they choose to pursue a career in public policy, at NGOs, businesses, or in academia.

An understanding of international marketing is crucial in today’s increasingly international marketplace. International marketing activities must be planned, coordinated and integrated whilst recognising the need to understand the complexity of international environment when devising a strategy for market selection, market entry, and marketing mix. Graduates will often interact with international clients and therefore, this module aims to address the importance of having an international marketing understanding. It examines how a firm internationalises the marketing function, looking in detail at how to design and implement an international marketing plan including identifying the need for internationalisation, conducting global market research, selecting the international market, choosing effective entry modes, planning marketing mix in the target market, and coordinating global marketing program.

This module aims to provide students with an overall introduction to the UK Parliament and, in particular, to how its role has changed over time. It will provide students with key knowledge and understanding of the institution and of how it has changed. We will examine how the institution is organised, who MPs and Peers are and how they perform their representative role. We will then focus on key roles such as law-making and scrutiny and accountability, where we will explore in particular the role of Select Committees and of questions to the government. We will also consider how Parliament relates to outside actors such as the public, government and pressure groups. Throughout our enquiry we will identify the role played by tradition in Parliament, as well as outlining paths for reform. The module has been developed in conjunction with the Parliamentary Outreach Service of the UK Parliament and includes guest talks by parliamentary officials and Clerks. Whilst the module introduces students to the key literature and theories on Parliament, it also has a very practical insight. It is therefore particularly suitable for those students considering a possible career in public relations, lobbying, journalism, as well as in parliament itself or party politics.

The module’s assessment has a strong practical component. It is composed of two reports, each actively encouraging the use of resources from Parliament and each putting students in a real life scenario.

The module will cover a range of contemporary mass media and their role in the power structures of British society. Students should achieve an understanding of the mechanisms by which power is (or is not) exerted through and by the mass media; which models of power distribution are most plausible in this context; and which case studies best exemplify the mechanism at work (including mediation of protest; political mobilisation via the web; public relaations and spin practices; and the phone hacking affair). The module will be delivered via lectures and workshops, and will be assessed by exam, short essay and a student’s performance in a presentation undertaken in a group alongside other students.

This is an empirical-based module that discusses classic and current topics of electoral politics from a comparative perspective.

Among the themes usually covered by the module are class voting, the rise of cultural issues, ethnic voting, generational differences in voting behaviour, the influence of religion on voting, the voting gender gap, economic voting, leaders and candidates, and support for niche and radical parties.

The module focuses mostly on advanced capitalist democracies, but research on the global south is also discussed in lectures and workshops.

The module is strongly empirically-driven. Each week, a new topic is introduced in a lecture and then explored further by analysing real survey data during the PC workshops using a statistical package.

Data analysis training is provided as part of the module. Previous statistical training is not a requirement.

The module is highly recommended for students interested in elections, voters and comparative politics, as well as those interested in data science and survey data analysis.

This module aims to acquaint students with terrorism and counter-terrorism in today’s world. It starts by examining key concepts, theories, and history and then moves on to looking at a range of issues that have been the subject of particular debate, such as whether terrorism works, whether there are regularities in how campaigns end, and the necessity and contributions of literature on ‘Critical Terrorism Studies’. The module concludes by looking at whether we are at the end of the religious wave of terrorism and what we might expect to occur next.

This module analyses the ideology of the Labour Party historically through discussions of the ideas of key thinkers from the 1920s to the present day.

This module analyses the ideology of the Conservative Party historically through discussions of the ideas of key thinkers from the 1930s to the present day.

This module explores the role of the EU as an international actor in the sphere of foreign policy, international relations, and security and defence. It analyses the historical development of EU foreign policy and its various dimensions, the main institutions and players involved, but also the different roles the EU assumes when acting internationally, and how it relates to regional and global partners. The module delves into some critical questions about the nature of the EU- whether it actually is an actor capable of making a distinct foreign policy- and whether any policy-making at EU level, particularly in matters of security and defence, is legitimate. This module can build on previous knowledge about EU history and integration or can provide new and specialised knowledge about this organisation’s foreign policy.

Conflicts, terrorism and wars have plagued human societies since their inception: which factors are likely to explain their occurrence and duration of wars? How are civil wars different from inter-state and ethnic conflicts? Who is more likely to become a terrorist? How does the public react to terrorist attacks? How do states respond to terror? This course examines a number of theoretical and empirical debates in the study of conflict and terrorism. We will investigate how empirical analyses can help settling some debates while others remain still open. By the end of this module, students are expected to (1) develop an understanding of the major explanations for conflicts and terrorism and critically discuss their strengths and shortcomings (2) interpret the findings advanced by the empirical literature against or in line with the discussed theoretical predictions (and students’ own pre-theoretical intuitions) (3) get exposed to the data and techniques employed by empirical scholarship to investigate conflict and terrorism.

Please note: this is a theory and method heavy course and the application of both will be a mandatory requirement for the assignment(s). Students should be prepared to devote considerable time to familiarize themselves with methods and theory.

Civil war is the most common form of armed conflict today. While around thirty interstate wars have been fought since World War II, over one hundred civil wars have been recorded. Scholars have long focused their attention on civil conflict, producing a large body of literature on different aspects of civil war, e.g. exploring onset, duration, strategies, outcomes and termination, the formation of rebel groups, and the various forms of intervention in civil war. The module will introduce students to this body of research.

Substantially, the module is divided into four parts. The first part provides an introduction to the study of civil war and an extensive methods discussion. The latter will emphasis concepts and measurement, causal assessment, and case selection. In the second part of the module, we will look at civil war onset. War is a costly and risky endeavor, and rebels face particularly steep odds going up against states that are typically far more powerful. Why do they occur? The third part explores the dynamics in civil wars. Why do parties target civilians? When do civil wars spill over? The fourth part looks at the end of wars and termination of conflict. Why do some civil wars last longer than others? Why do some end in a negotiated settlement while others do not? Does outside intervention facilitate the termination of civil wars and prevent their recurrence?

This module will begin with theories of social movement and collective action and then examine different types of collective action as well as their nature, role and impact. This module will then focus on civil society, its actors and their relations with other actors such as funders and public institutions. The module will draw on examples from different periods, countries, and areas of activity and bring theory and empirical cases together. The module will include compulsory placement in a civil society organization.

Whilst for many people, colonialism has ended, we live in a world where the effects of colonialism are still visible. Many academics have taken a critical perspective on these continued legacies, and this field of thought is now broadly known as ‘postcolonialism’. This module explores the social, political and cultural effects and legacies of colonialism as they occur in particular contexts. The module is divided into two sections, one exploring the theoretical ideas of postcolonialism, the other looking at how thinking ‘postcolonially’ helps us to understand the world. Students are assessed through two pieces of coursework, one a theoretically-driven essay on a student-chosen topic, and one, focused on authentic assessment, which analyses the postcolonial aspects of contemporary culture (e.g. a film, book or museum).

This module is designed for students seeking nuanced understandings of the drivers of various struggles for social change and environmental justice, as well as ways in which resistance, contestation, and alternatives are practised. Readings will provide a critical overview of the historical and sociopolitical forces that continue to generate inequality, damage the environment, escalate the climate crisis, and impact the world. Students will examine the complex dynamics and contentious politics that emerge across differing environmental, political, and economic conflicts, as well as evaluate the role of social movements, mutual aid, and collective action in advancing transformative change. Content will also cover various activist strategies, tactics, and forms of protest, revolt, and rebellion.

Increasingly recognition of the environmental threats that we all face means that responding to this crisis affects the decisions we all make at a variety of different scales. This module explores the extent to which environmental concerns are taken into account in various decision-making processes involving the public (government), private and third sectors at a variety of different scales, global, European, national and local. The module is assessed by an essay and an open-book exam, which provides students with significant choice to explore those parts of the module they find most interesting.

This module will introduce students to debates about democracy in Latin American during and after the Cold War, including the breakdown of democratic regimes and democratisation. By examining the changing relationship between the state, civil society and citizens since the mid-twentieth century, we cover various aspects of the democratisation process in the region, including theoretical explanations. In the first half of the module, we examine the influence of the Cold War on Latin American politics, including the Cuban Revolution, US-Latin American relations, and the emergence of military regime. This is followed by an examination of the ‘transitions to democracy’, including topics such as transitional justice, human rights, and the memory and legacy of dictatorship. We finish by studying some of the challenges confronting Latin America societies today and the prospects for democracy.

This module familiarises students with some of the main theories and arguments in debates about issues that raise problems for traditional ethics. These include the treatment of disability, the issue of humanitarian intervention and other matters of global concern, such as international justice, and issues raised by what some call the ‘environmental crisis’. The module is taught by lecture (1 hour per week) and seminar (1 hour per week). Assessment is via a 3,500 word essay (comprising 90% of the module mark) due in the January assessment period. Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on a draft essay plan towards the end of the autumn term. Students will also give one 10-15 minute seminar presentation that provides the remaining 10% of the module mark.

The module studies human rights through the lens of the media in order to critically understand the changing nature of human rights’ representation and the role media play in representing and responding to critical human rights issues. It explores the interconnections between media and human rights focusing on media and human rights theory, policy and practice and exploring both historical developments and contemporary issues. In particular, the implications of the global media in the current information age for a range of key human rights’ issues are analysed. Among the issues that will be reviewed are terrorism and war on terror, freedom of speech, human trafficking, asylum and immigration, torture and genocide, humanitarian intervention.

This module gives students an up-to-date coverage of global strategy and hands-on experience putting theory into practice. It sets new approaches such as institutional analysis alongside more traditional approaches based in economics and management. It also gives considerable attention to competition in and from emerging economies. At the end of the module, students are able to critically analyse the challenges and opportunities that a multinational enterprise (MNE) faces and the context in which these organizations make decisions. Assessment is through an individual report submitted at the end of the module.

This module focuses on the business environment and practices in emerging markets, including the range from micro- small and medium-sized enterprises (‘MSMEs’) to multinational enterprises (‘MNEs’) based in these countries.

The key focus of this module is for the students to build a strong understanding on contemporary issues concerning the International Business discipline as well as develop their critical thinking and critical discussion skills on a variety of controversial issues in IB. Through reading and interpretation of the academic international business literature as well as recent trends and developments in the global marketplace, students will be encouraged to analyse and debate the topics in order to form and express their own perspective in a structured and convincing manner. The module will draw on the research expertise of academic staff at ULMS and appropriate external speakers.

The module introduces students to core theories and current issues and developments concerning knowledge management with the aim of fostering innovation. Students will learn how to analyse and critically evaluate the subject matter and apply it to diverse organisational environments.   

This module unravels why and how immigration, and the ‘crisis’ that surrounds it, has become ever more central to political debates. Students will learn how to assess and use theories and apply to case study material relating to a range of countries, but there will be particular focus on receiving states – mainly the UK and the US and selected European countries. The module explores how the topic of immigration connects with some of the deepest political questions which face contemporary democracies including human rights, citizenship, identity, globalisation and nationalism. It is through the international movement of persons that the edges – and limits – of the state (both territorial and conceptual) are rendered visible. The approach is to analyse state responses to immigration as a lens to critique the nature of liberal democracy and the contemporary nation-state. The module maintains a clear focus by locating the very wide range of debates that exist over immigration within a theoretically-informed perspective on policymaking and liberal democratic states as political systems.

This third year module examines how burgeoning economic, political and security relations between Africa and China are contributing to changes in the global order. Challenging framings of states in Africa as ‘system ineffectual’, inconsequential to global politics, and lacking material and ideational capabilities to structure their foreign relations, the module, through critical IR theories, examines how these states’, the rise of China and the dynamics in China-Africa relations are impacting, shaping and reframing the norms and practices of development and global security governance.

This module explores the theories, ideas and concepts that underpin the development of contemporary public policies.

​What are the institutional prerequisites of economic development? Global development institutions such as the World Bank or UNDP have proposed the concept of "good governance" as an answer to this question. This module critically engages with this concept by juxtaposing it with various historical institutionalist accounts of the state, including the East Asian developmental state, Africa’s failed states, and the Middle Eastern rentier state. Students engage with key debates about the role of the state, democracy, corruption and the "resource curse" in economic development.

This module examines the different ways in which states intervene in the domestic affairs of other states or territories such as humanitarian intervention, invasion, annexation, peacekeeping, and colonial interventions. It explores how intervention has changed and developed historically, especially during and after the Cold War. It analyses whether state-practice has out-run the rules and norms that guide international state behaviour, particularly the legal framework of the United Nations and other relevant bodies of international law.

This is the first substantive module in the UK to examine the rhetoric of British political parties at Undergraduate level. It roots its theories and methods in the classical schools of rhetorical analysis, alongside developing a more contemporary understanding of discourse analysis. This module will enable students to think critically about the political message, how it is constructed, and delivered to a range of audiences.

The principal aim of this module is to analyse the political significance of national and ethnic identity in international politics. This involves the examination of the interrelationship between national identity, territory, sovereignty and democracy within the nation-state from historical and ideological perspectives, and in the context of current political developments. Module deals with cultural diversity, the role of the nation-state in international system, ethnic conflict, migration, diasporas, neo-nationalism and the European Union.

The module begins with an analysis of the validity of comparative approaches to the study of the politics of peace, before moving to a series of individual case studies. These include Northern Ireland, Bosnia, the Middle East and the Basque Region.

The module will look at the manner in which a range of media engage with climate change and energy security, and the political and social implications that follow. Students should achieve an understanding the context of coverage (including the science, the surrounding political environment, and journalistic practice). They should also be able to understand the principal features of coverage (and their impact), and the political implications that follow. The module will be delivered via lectures, workshop-tutorials, and online tutorials. It will be assessed by exam, short essay and a student’s performance in a presentation undertaken in a group alongside other students.

POLI346 is an interdisciplinary module in political psychology that combines basic statistical concepts and data analysis with SPSS with substantive content on biological, physiological, psychological, communication related, and health-related aspects of political behaviour.

This is a challenging module that exposes students to high quality, to cross-disciplinary research largely based on quantitative methods, and to statistical inference. This means that the practical part of the module is divided between seminars and data lab sessions. In their assessments, students: engage in the hypothesis generation process; are tested on their understanding of data analysis and interpretation of findings based on quantitative research and substantive content; analyse data and produce a research note or short article, following the structure of short articles published in the leading journal American Political Science Review (including background, hypotheses, data, results and conclusions).

This module provides alternative perspectives on global politics, drawing on feminist theory and gender analysis, with a focus on conflict and peace, and the implications for global politics and International Relations (IR). The module will engage with theoretical concerns (how are women affected differently by conflict and peace, how do we engage feminist methodologies) to practical concerns (conflict, security, participation, sexual violence, human rights). Theories and concepts will be illustrated with relevant global case studies and examples. The module aims to encourage engaged, critical reflection on feminist approaches to our understanding of issues in world politics.

Race and civilisation are fundamental concepts through which societies have organised the international order and imagined the hierarchies that exist between them. As such, racism and civilisationism have had a crucial influence on international politics and practices, and are still used to sustain global inequalities. In this module, students will explore how the ideas of race and civilisation have enabled a variety of practices of violence, exploitation and domination in global politics. They will also explore how some actors have fought against racism and civilisationism, and which of these strategies have proved successful.

Should there be a wall of separation between the institutions of religion, politics and law? Should politicians, public officials and citizens refrain from appealing to religious beliefs when debating laws and policies? Should religious citizens be entitled to special rights, such as exemptions for Kosher and Halal animal slaughter or doctors who do not wish to provide abortion services? On this module we’ll explore these and many other moral questions from the perspective of analytical political theory. To do so, we’ll examine how the freedom and equality of religious and nonreligious citizens should be balanced, and what are the policy implications our moral arguments.

This module gives students the opportunity to explore selected areas of conflict in social, political and legal domains. When rights or interests clash, or seem to clash, what philosophical issues are at stake? How should the state adjudicate? Key themes include rights, freedoms and responses to oppression. The module seeks to help students develop a philosophical manner of thought that will enable them to refine their views on other similar issues of public importance, often controversial in nature, which they might encounter later in life. Representative areas for inquiry include questions such as ‘Does the state have the right to display religious symbols in classrooms?’ and ‘How far should midwives be allowed to opt out of assisting with abortions?’, and topics such as freedom and the media, the ethics of immigration, forms of oppression within society, and sexual harassment.

There are no lectures for this module; it is based on student-led research and applied learning, facilitated by the tutor in weekly two-hour workshops. Some content is sensitive, and discussions are carefully moderated to respect this. The assessment asks students to integrate their academic skills with analysis of ‘real-world’ scenarios. There are three research-based applied components: a presentation (15% + submitted materials 5%), case study (2000 words, 45%), and an opinion piece (1000 words, 35%). The opinion piece is published electronically as a course wiki for peer comment prior to formal submission.

Samples and in-class support will be provided.

This module will involve students producing and presenting a weekly politics and current affairs programme (The Politics Hour). Over the course of a full academic year, students will work in programme teams to plan and present regular one hour broadcasts and linked web and social media content. Within each team, students will rotate key roles (as researchers, reporters, presenters, producers, editors and social media managers). There will be no formal teaching. Instead, students will ‘learn by doing’ by participating in weekly editorial meeting, in the production of each show and in structured peer feedback and self reflection exercises. The learning process aims to replicate a ‘real world’ broadcasting environment and this approach will be reflected in the use of ‘authentic’ assessment tasks. Students will be required to produce a range of audio and written outputs and will also be assessed, in part, on their ability to work successfully in teams. Reflective learning will also require students to engage in ongoing review of professional, mainstream radio broadcasts and to undertake recommended reading to support the development of their broadcasting skills. The module will be particularly suited to students keen to pursue a career in political journalism. However, it will furnish all participants with a wide-range of transferable skills designed to enhance their employability, including communication, team-working and problem-solving skills, by facilitating the application of academic subject knowledge gained on the degree programme as a whole in a ‘real world’ and ‘real time’ context.

This module involves students researching and producing an 8,000 to 10,000 word dissertation. It helps develop key skills such as autonomy, in-depth analysis and research design.

Students are responsible for formulating their own research question and are encouraged to maintain a close relationship with their supervisor who will provide guidance and support throughout the module.