International Relations is not just a field of academic study, we all participate in and contribute to International Relations on a daily basis. Every time we watch the news, vote in an election, buy or boycott goods from the supermarket, recycle our wine bottles, we are participating in International Relations. The decisions we make in our daily lives have an effect, however small, on the world in which we live. At the same time, IR. has a significant impact on our lives. The ease at which students obtain employment after graduation is largely dependent on the state of the global economy, and in a globalised economy graduate jobs are increasingly likely to involve international travel and require an understanding of the international political and economic environment in which businesses must operate. Our daily lives are increasingly international in their focus, improvements in communications and transport technology mean we are constantly coming into contact with people, places, products, opportunities and ideas from other countries. The study of International Relations enables us to explain why international events occur in the manner in which they do and gives us a greater understanding of the world in which we live and work.
What is International Relations?
A strict definition of International Relations would confine itself to the relationships between the world's national governments, conducted by politicians at the highest level. However, this is a far too simplistic and narrow perspective of international relations. The academic subject of IR. is interdisciplinary, drawing on a number of different subjects:
a) Economics - more specifically, International Political Economy (IPE), the politics of economic relationships. This involves looking at trade and financial relations between nations and North-South issues such as economic dependency and debt. The discipline of IPE has a long history, however the subject saw a resurgence in the 1970s for a number of reasons, the breakdown of post war prosperity and stability when the IMF gold-dollar system collapsed, OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) quadrupled oil prices, and the Global North suffered the worst economic recession since the 1930s. The instability of the 1970s led to a new desire to understand how politics and economics interact.
b) Politics - within the field of IR. this covers the political relations between nations and the rise of international organisations e.g. UN, EU, NATO. Although nation states remain the dominant form of political organisation, international institutions have a key role to play in today's world. The number and role of international organisations has rapidly increased in recent decades and in many cases are challenging the supremacy of the state.
c) Security studies - this involves the traditional IR. issues such as war, peace and diplomacy but now increasingly covers areas such as economic and environmental security. The optimism which greeted the end of the Cold War is fast disappearing, many observers of international relations predict that the Twenty First century will be characterised by an increase in economic conflict between counties in the Global North and spiralling military conflict in much of the Global South. Given this situation, it is important that we understand the causes of conflict and methods of conflict resolution.
d) History - in many ways an understanding of the main events in international history is integral to the study of IR. Global conflict has characterised the twentieth century - will this trend continue into the 21st?. Why is history still relevant to the understanding of international relations? As the philosopher George Santayana said 'those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'. Historical events and developments form the basis of structures and principles in international relations, in order to understand the international political and economic situation of today it is vital to view them within a historical context.
Why study International Relations at Lincoln?
The International Relations lecturers at Lincoln are a highly qualified team with varied research interests. Research is one of the School of Social Sciences' core activities. Staff publications (including many books, chapters and articles), staff television and radio broadcasts and other research related activity mean that you will be able to benefit from their expertise. An active research base ensures that staff are involving in current debates, contributing to knowledge, and that new developments and issues become integrated into the curriculum to the benefit of the students. The School has a significant research profile, with most staff being active researchers, and a strong record of publications.
The School of Social Sciences has links with a number of other Higher Educational establishments on overseas countries. Student and staff exchanges, the cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences, is positively encouraged. Study visits of either a semester of a year’s duration provide an opportunity for students to add to their ‘marketability’. We currently have links with Holland, Sweden, Latvia, France, Sweden, Belgium and the USA. We are keen to expand our links in these areas. You will also get the opportunity to participate in field trips both within the UK and abroad, recent departmental trips include study visits to Prague, Brussels and Amsterdam. This year the IR study visit is to Cuba.
Degrees involving IR use a variety of teaching and learning methods including lectures and seminars, group projects and workshops. In an average week you will probably find yourself having to attend a lecture in each of your core units, with a follow-up seminar. Seminars are usually more informal, to enable students to discuss the topic with their tutor in a smaller group, and they sometimes involve students working in groups to prepare presentations or reports. Other methods such as videos, decision-making problems and questionnaires are also used in seminar settings. There is an emphasis on the development of skills, both to assist in your work at University and for future employment. We also assume that students will want to see tutors individually from time to time, to discuss assessment work, for example.
The quality of the teaching and learning experience
was attested to in the Quality Assurance Agency subject
review in October 2000 when, together with Politics, the
subject received a very positive report and 22 out of a
possible 24.
LINK TO QAA REPORT(pdf)