1. To be able to locate Foreign Policy Analysis in the wider study of International Relations.
Knowledge and Understanding

2. To be able to critically examine different views on foreign policy-making.
Analysis
Application
Problem Solving

3. Critically apply the conceptual knowledge of foreign policy analysis to appropriate case studies. Analysis, Reflection

4. To be able to apply, assess and reflect on theories by means of a selection of case studies in foreign policy.
Analysis
Enquiry
Problem Solving
Reflection

5. Write coherently and following normal academic conventions about ideas, theories and particular cases. Communication

Presentation – 1000 words with a 20% weighting (Learning outcomes 2-4)

Essay - 3000 words with a 80% weighting (Learning outcomes 1-5)

This module enables students to see Foreign Policy Analysis as an important part of the study of International Relations. Students learn how some of the main approaches to International Relations interpret and attempt to explain foreign policy. Students are encouraged to consider the ways in which several approaches can in their different ways contribute to the understanding of foreign policy making.

The module encourages students to critically analyse some of the most prominent and important approaches to foreign policy. The roles of states and other actors in the foreign policy-making process are examined. The ways in which international actors and processes influence foreign policy decision-making are considered. Likewise, the module considers the influence of actors and processes in domestic politics and society.

The theoretical material of the module is combined with a selection of illustrative case studies. These studies include the Cuban missile crisis and some more recent cases such as the war in Syria. Students are encouraged to consider the case studies whilst bearing in mind the theoretical and other material of the module.

The module will be taught via one lecture and one seminar for each topic. Materials for each topic will be provided in Blackboard and there will be an on-line reading list containing weekly readings. Students will be expected to use these readings to prepare for class. The lecture is tutor-led though students will be encouraged to ask questions and challenge the lecturer. The seminar will be student-led. To facilitate this, one student each week will start the seminar with a presentation. The rest of the class will be expected to listen closely and to ask relevant and informed questions

S. Smith, A. Hadfield & T. Dunne (eds), Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases, third edition (OUP, 2016)
Valerie M. Hudson, Foreign Policy Analysis: Classic and Contemporary Theory, second edition (Rowman and Littlefield, 2014)
Christopher Hill, Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)

Course textbooks; library resources; supplied on-line reading list; e-books; e-journals; relevant websites.
Blackboard VLE