Diplomacy, Law and Governance will provide a solid grounding in each of the three areas of international relations, interspersed with case studies. Some examples of weekly subjects include:

1.The Changing Face of Diplomacy

2.International Law

3.Case Study: Maritime Boundaries

4.Managing the Nuclear Threat

5.Governance in Broad Perspective

6.Governance and the Rising Powers

Formative Assessment:

A dummy run of the class debate will run early in the semester to introduce you to the principles of the assessment brief and to create an opportunity to develop group dynamics and collaborative skills. Rather than international law, the focus of this formative assessment will be international governance.

Assessment 1: Digital Diplomacy

You must develop an engaging example of digital diplomacy and write or record a critical overview of your output retrospectively. Examples might include a thread of Tweets, a short-form video, or a podcast. Your overview provides an opportunity for you to explain the rationale and development of your example when it is graded.

Assessment 2: Class Debate

You will be placed into small groups and given time to prepare, before pairs of groups will be set against one another to defend opposing views on a particular issue in international law. You will be expected to show persuasive reasoning and to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the relevant area of international law.

Scheduled learning and teaching sessions will include a mixture of lecturing, all-group discussion, and smaller group work. In lecturing hours, special emphasis will be placed on introducing students to the core principles of international diplomacy, governance, and law, and the historical origins and connections between the three. In group discussions and activities, students will be encouraged to think in more confrontational terms about the trade-offs and hard choices created by conflict at the international level.

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of and apply principles of digital diplomacy for real-life international relations.

Digital Literacy

2. Make persuasive extemporaneous arguments, responding to problems and challenges, and built on a firm understanding of the politics of international law.

Application & Problem Solving

3. Show a critical understanding of the gaps in your knowledge and skills base.

Reflection

4. Collaborate with peers to develop persuasive arguments, responding to the counterarguments and questions of interlocutors.

Critical Reasoning & Collaboration

Hamilton and Langhorn (2013) The Practice of Diplomacy (London: Routledge)*

Bjola and Kornprobst (2026) Understanding International Diplomacy: Theory, Practice and Ethics, 2nd edition, (London: Routledge) 3rd edition

Malcolm N. Shaw (2026) International Law, 10th edition, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)

Thomas G. Weiss and Rorden Wilkinson (2023) International Organization and Global Governance (London: Routledge) 3rd edition

Kelly-Kate S. Pease (2026) International Organizations: Perspectives on Global Governance (London: Routledge) 7th edition

*The Practice of Diplomacy is a canonical text and is therefore included despite its comparative age

International Relations since the end of the nineteenth century has become increasingly institutionalised and interconnected, albeit with some signs today that this process may have now begun to fade. In this module, you will be critically assessing the extent and significance of international institutionalisation by examining diplomatic processes, international law and governance.