| Unit name | Postcolonial International Relations |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM0041 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tucker |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The unit will introduce students to the study of International Relations from a non-Eurocentric perspective. It will provide an overview of the critiques that have been made of International Relations (IR) from postcolonial perspectives, and the ways in which IR scholarship erases or downplays questions of race, empire and cultural difference. It will draw attention to the persistence of colonial forms of power in -international politics, and the varied resistances that these have provoked, such as movements for indigenous self-determination in the Americas. It will also consider how international politics can be practised and studied without reproducing colonial power and knowledge relations.
The main aims of the unit are:
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
10 x 2 hour seminars
In addition to the 20 hours of classroom time, students are expected to devote approximately 180 hours to independent reading, seminar preparation, essay writing and exam revision.
500 word Research plan (formative)
4000 word research paper (summative) (assesses all intended learning outcomes)
The summative research paper, and the formative plan which feeds directly into it, will ask students to critically apply the insights of postcolonial thinker(s) of their choosing to an area of international politics, also of their choosing. Both assessments will therefore require students to demonstrate an understanding of the aims and contributions of postcolonial theory, and to critically engage with its key concepts, as well their understanding of colonial legacies in international politics and their ability to critically engage with contemporary forms of empire. In this way, the two pieces of assessment will assess the four intended learning outcomes of the unit.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM0041).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
