Political Science

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

You are here Programmes > Undergraduate > Module Outlines

Module Code: POU22021

Module Name: International Relations A 2024-25

ECTS Weighting: 5
Semester/Term Taught: Semester 1
Contact Hours: 22 hours lectures + fortnightly tutorials; 5 hours tutorials
Module Personnel: Lecturer : William Phelan
Module Pre-requisite: either POU11011 & POU11012 Introduction to Political Science A & B or POU11021 & POU11022 Politics and Irish Society A & B
Module Co-Requisite: POU22022 International Relations B

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Understand the basic causal mechanisms underlying leading approaches to explaining state behavior in international politics
Assess the explanatory power of leading theoretical approaches to international relations, including as relates to particular historical examples
Understand the different collective action problems associated with different issue-areas in international politics.

Contribute, on the basis of theory and knowledge of a range of issue-areas, to contemporary debates in international relations scholarship about the relative influence of power, international institutions, domestic interests and international norms in state behavior.

Module Learning Aims

To introduce students to theoretical approaches to studying international relations, including scholarly debates old and new.

Module Content

This course is an introduction to the positive, descriptive study of international relations. Why do states make war? What are the conditions for the growth of cross-border trade and finance? What is the impact of international organizations on relations between states? This course considers these questions by looking at differing theoretical approaches to international relations and a selection of topics in historical and contemporary politics.