Department of International Relations

Contributor(s): Dr Julia Gray, Dr James Morrison, Dr Stephen Woolcock | Featuring academics from the International Relations Department at the LSE, ‘Aspects of IR: International Political Economy’ is a short film about the study of international political economy, particularly at the LSE. The film looks at what we study, and why, and also at the major themes in IPE, such as the financial crisis, climate change and globalisation of markets. It debates how IPE fits into IR, and the rewards and value of studying IPE.

Contributor(s): Dr Peter Wilson | In this short video aimed at prospective students, Dr Peter Wilson gives an overview of the BSc International Relations programme.

Contributor(s): Peter Wilson | This course is compulsory for the MSc International Relations & MSc International Relations (Research) and for students taking MSc International Relations as part of the LSE-Sciences Po Double Degree in Affaires Internationales. It is not available to students on any other degree programme. This course has 5 objectives: (i) to enquire into the nature of international politics and the role of general theory in advancing our understanding of it; (ii) to introduce the main contributions to the general theory of international politics; (iii) to provide students with a range of concepts, ideas, and perspectives to enable them to widen and deepen their understanding of international politics; (iv) to encourage critical, independent, thought; (v) to ascertain the extent to which progress has been made in our understanding of international politics, and more tentatively to what degree international politics itself can be deemed intrinsically or latently progressive. The primary pedagogical device of the course is a close reading of 13 seminal IR texts. Students are encouraged to investigate the epistemological assumptions underlying these texts, the methods of analysis they employ, their importance in the canon of IR, and their value for thinking about international politics today.

Contributor(s): Dr Katerina Dalacoura | In this short video aimed at prospective students, Dr Katerina Dalacoura gives an overview of the MSc International Relations programme.

Contributor(s): Professor William A Callahan, Professor Iver Neumann, Dr Jens Meierhenrich, Dr Stephen Woolcock, Professor Karen Smith, Dr Toby Dodge | Featuring academics from the International Relations Department at the LSE, ‘International Relations: an introduction’ is a 10-minute film about the study of international relations, particularly at the LSE. The film looks at what we study, and why, and also at major themes and how to approach them, and debates Star Trek and whether there will ever be world peace.

Contributor(s): Dr Federica Bicchi | The course focuses on the foreign policy of the EU and of EU member states towards Arab-Israeli relations (with a special emphasis on Palestinian-Israeli relations), in comparison with the US foreign policy. The main focus will be on the European perspective, but it would be impossible to analyse this subject without taking into account the US position and, to some extent, Transatlantic relations.

Contributor(s): Mr Mark Hoffman | DISCLAIMER: This introductory video was recorded in November 2013. Some details of the research arrangements may change and you should always consult the FAQs for Prospective MPhil/PhD IR applicants for the most detailed and up-to-date information about the LSE IR Research Programme. The FAQs for offer holders and First Year Research Students (MPhil/PhD) may also be of use. In this short video, Deputy Head of Department for Teaching and Learning, Mr Mark Hoffman talks about the following aspects of the MPhil/PhD International Relations programme: Introduction, Application Process, Structure of the MPhil/PhD programme, Support provided, Teaching Opportunities, Funding, Application Deadlines and Careers.

Contributor(s): William Callahan | This course will provide students with an historical overview of the development of Chinese foreign and security policy, the theoretical concepts used for analysing the making of Chinese foreign policy, and an up-to-date survey of China's evolving relations around the world. The first five weeks will be dedicated to providing a long historical perspective, and use a number of case studies to show how basic factors used in foreign policy analysis shape policy outcomes, including economic factors, the role of perception, geopolitical influences, bureaucratic politics, nationalism, and socialisation into the international system. The remainder of the course will involve analysing case studies on China's relations with the United States, Japan and Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Russia and Central Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands, the EU, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East.

Contributor(s): Jens Meierhenrich | This seminar course provides an introduction to the study of genocide. The course's disciplinary ambit ranges from anthropology to economics, from history to law, and from political science to sociology. Against the background of diverse disciplinary approaches, it explores major theoretical and empirical aspects of the role(s) of genocidal campaigns in international politics, inter alia, their origins, development, and termination; the manner of their perpetration, progression, and diffusion; their impact on the maintenance of international peace and security; their consequences for the reconstruction and development of states and the building of nations; and their adjudication in domestic and international courts and tribunals. Empirical cases to be discussed include Australia, Cambodia, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Nazi Germany, Guatemala, Iraq, Northern Ireland, the Ottoman Empire, Rwanda, Uganda, the Soviet Union, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia, among others. The course is designed to equip students with the analytic tools necessary for making sense of the evolution of the international system from the nineteenth century to the present-and for critically assessing the promise and limits of responding to collective violence.

Contributor(s): Karen Smith | This course covers the development of the external activities of the European Communities since 1957, including the development of European Political Cooperation and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The relationship between the member states and these external activities, in particular the impact of the evolution of EU institutions and policies on national foreign policies.