Debating International Relations Course

Studying at the University of Edinburgh Winter School is the perfect way to broaden your academic and cultural horizons at one of the Top 20 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2020).

The four-week online Debating International Relations course provides at least 72 hours of core academic teaching, along with development sessions to make the most of your international experience.

• Credit Leve l: 8 / 20 credits / 10 ECTS / 4 US
• Contact Hours : 72
• Academic Eligibility : 1-year undergraduate study and aged 18 or above
• Language Requirements : IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) or equivalent
• Tuition Fee : £2,500
• Application Deadline : Sunday 6 December 2020 at midnight (GMT)

Course Description

Debating International Relations will introduce you to the major concepts, theories, and actors of the global system. You will be shown how to apply a wide range of approaches to contemporary and historical cases, giving you a critical understanding of both the cases we study and the approaches we apply to them.

The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, you will examine a number of theoretical approaches drawn from different intellectual traditions in the discipline, including varied schools of thought in both realism and liberalism, post-colonialism, feminism, constructivism, and a range of other critical theories of IR, along with contemporary debates on key concepts such as power and globalisation.

These theories will be understood and assessed through engagement with case studies including China-US relations and the Asia-Pacific region more generally, the current Covid-19 pandemic, the causes of major conflicts including the first and second world wars, and United Nations conferences on climate change.

The second part of the course focuses on key issues in international politics including the changing character of warfare and global terrorism, international political economy, world trade and finance and global economic governance, international law, the EU and the growth of regionalisation, and global warming and the environment.

Course format

The course will be taught using a combination of recorded lectures and live tutorial sessions, with discussion groups based on current issues and debates in international relations. Students will be expected to read materials provided for the class and to participate in discussions.

To get the full benefit from the course, students will need:

• A stable internet connection
• A computer/laptop/tablet/smartphone with internet connectivity, and camera/mic functionality

Your computer/laptop should ideally have a modern operating system installed to ensure compatibility with the university’s online tools (Windows 10 is recommended).

Assessment

• A short presentation (Formative - 0%)
• Submission of an essay plan (Formative - 0%)
• 2500-word essay (100%)

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of major theories of International Relations;
• demonstrate knowledge of the key structures and agents that constitute world affairs;
• critically assess debates and contemporary issues in International Relations theory and world affairs;
• apply the theoretical knowledge gained in analyses of concrete processes and changes in contemporary world affairs.

Who should choose this course?

This course will appeal to any student interested in politics, international relations, and international legal and political systems, especially those who are planning a career or academic research in these fields.

Tuition Fees

The fee for this course is £2,500. This fee includes:

• Tuition fees for the four-week course

• Course materials and equipment

As part of your application process, you will be required to pay a £500 deposit. The deposit payment will be redeemable against your course fee. After a 14 day cooling-off period, the deposit is non-refundable. You will receive information on how to pay your deposit during your application process.

Visas

As the Winter School 2021 will be taught online, students will not need to apply and will not be eligible for a Tier 4 visa.

Welcome to the University of Edinburgh Winter School!

The Winter School will take place online in 2021. Studying at the University of Edinburgh is the perfect way to broaden your academic and cultural horizons at one of the Top 20 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2020).

Our history

With our rich history, noted alumni and distinguished scholars, we have much to be proud of in our many centuries as a world-renowned university.

From Nobel laureates and Olympic champions to space explorers and prime ministers, the University of Edinburgh has been influencing history since it opened the gates to its first students in 1583.

Ground-breaking thinkers

Following the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, the University was positioned at the forefront of academia and critical thinking.

Due to the determination and perseverance of a group of Edinburgh intellectuals, established facts about the world were being boldly and consistently challenged.

Amid this group was David Hume, philosopher, economist and essayist known for his philosophical scepticism and empiricism; Joseph Black, the chemist behind the discovery of latent heat and carbon dioxide; and James Hutton, the ‘Father of Modern Geology’.

Shaping the past, the present and the future

We are the home of Britain’s oldest literary awards, the James Tait Black Prizes and Dolly the sheep, the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell.

It was also here at the University of Edinburgh that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to create his notorious character, Sherlock Holmes and James Young Simpson pioneered anaesthetics through his discovery of the properties of chloroform.

More recently, theoretical physicist and Professor Emeritus Peter Higgs were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his 1964 prediction of the Higgs Boson.

Through the many achievements of its staff and students, the University has continued to present cutting-edge research, inspirational teaching and innovative thinking as its central ethos, attracting some of the greatest minds from around the globe.