Module Directory

This module gives students an opportunity to apply politics and international relations to address key issues facing society at the local, national and global level. For example, why do mass protests fail? What is next for women's rights in Afghanistan? Why are some civil wars so difficult to resolve? What effect will Covid-19 have on European welfare states? Is increasing political polarisation inevitable in an age of social media?

This module will engage with different topics and themes to better understand how normative and positive approaches to political science and international relations can be used to comprehend issues in the contemporary world. Students will choose a topic of interest to them, conduct independent research on the topic, and produce a series of projects (a blogpost, a podcast, and a policy memo) that help them explore multifaceted ways of communicating what evidence-based research can tell society about different political events and outcomes around the world.

The aims of this module are:

• To understand how contemporary topics and events can be informed by theories of politics and international relations


• To develop student’s ability to critically assess and discuss a variety of issues in politics and international relations


• To adjudicate between competing theories or arguments, giving credit to perspectives other than their own


• To improve students’ abilities to write objectively and persuasively


• To improve general writing skills in a concise fashion


• To learn how to gather data and analyse it in a concise fashion


• To engage students in their own employability and development


• To enable students to develop a thorough understanding of the range of careers and their ability to access and utilize resources effectively


• To engage students with the purpose of developing employable skills and understanding why these specific skills are essential


• To develop the student’s understanding of the recruitment process and what their ability is to influence this process

Transferrable skills

1. Identifying, gathering, assessing and organizing evidence


2. Critically comparing alternative perspectives on current events


3. Exercising judgement on the relevance and reliability of information


4. Written and online communication


5. Data presentation and visualisation


6. Effective time management and organising tasks to meet deadlines


7. Technical skills in putting together online content


8. Complex problem solving and critical thinking

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Develop a detailed knowledge of the main theoretical and empirical concepts in political science and international relations


2. Gain an in-depth understanding of how political science and international relations theories apply to the big issues facing our world and the main findings from these disciplines


3. Develop a comprehensive knowledge of issues, debates, and sources of information used in political science and international relations


4. Develop and understand how to undertake independent research, to learn important research techniques, writing and critical thinking


5. Critically engage with political science and international relations data, and understand how to gather/access sources of data in these disciplines


6. Develop skills in technical presentation (written and oral)


7. Gain self-discipline in setting deadlines and adhering to them


8. Acquire in-depth knowledge in a subject matter of interest to the individual student

Weekly topics:

• Week 2: The basics of communicating evidence-based research


• Week 3: Asking a compelling question: turning a topic/theme into a "puzzle"


• Week 4: Knowing your audience: who is reading/listening?


• Week 5: Conducting background research: general topics


• Week 6: Blogposts 101: structure and format


• Week 7: Persuasive writing


• Week 8: Data visualisation I


• Week 9: Podcasts 101: structure and format


• Week 10: Narratives and interviews


• Week 11: The art of brevity: how to communicate a lot of information in very little time


• Week 16: Communicating evidence-based research: policymakers


• Week 17: Answering a policy question: turning general knowledge into an "answer"


• Week 18: Knowing your audience: what type of stakeholder are you writing for?


• Week 19: Conducting background research: specialised topics


• Week 20: Policy memos 101: structure and format


• Week 21: Establishing the three Ps: purpose, problem, population


• Week 22: Data visualisation II


• Week 23: Using case studies


• Week 24: Limitations and barriers: how realistic are your recommendations?


• Week 25: Introductions in memos: drawing strong conclusions

This module will be delivered via:

• weekly 2-hour seminars

Students’ independent research will be supported by the module supervisor, with the support of members of staff in the Government department who specialise in different thematic areas. Weekly academic support hours specifically for GV832 will offer students the opportunity for more guided supervision as they undertake this independent research that forms the basis for their projects.