Progrmme Specifiction MA / PG Dip / PG Cert in Interntionl Studies (Interntionl Reltions) MA / PG Dip / PG Cert in Interntionl Studies (Globl Politicl Economy) MA / PG Dip / PG Cert in Interntionl Studies (Security) MA / PG Dip / PG Cert in Interntionl Studies (Environment) Vlid from: 1 September 2012 Fculty of Humnities nd Socil Sciences
SECTION 1: GENERAL INFORMATION Awrding body: Teching institution nd loction: Finl wrd: Progrmme title: Interim exit wrds nd wrd titles: Brookes course code: UCAS/UKPASS code: JACS code: Mode of delivery: Mode/s of study: Lnguge of study: Relevnt QAA subject benchmrk sttement/s: Externl ccredittion/recognition: (pplicble to progrmmes with professionl body pprovl) Fculty mnging the progrmme: Dte of production (or most recent revision) of specifiction: Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University MA Interntionl Studies (Interntionl Reltions) Interntionl Studies (Globl Politicl Economy) Interntionl Studies (Security) Interntionl Studies (Environment) PG Dip / PG Cert SS62 P037965 L250 Fce to fce Full-time nd prt-time English None N/A Humnities nd Socil Sciences 19 September 2014
SECTION 2: OVERVIEW AND PROGRAMME AIMS 2.1 Rtionle for/distinctiveness of the progrmme These re interesting times for interntionl studies: issues such s globlistion, environmentl degrdtion, poverty nd deprivtion, interntionl conflict, the rise of religious fundmentlism, the future of democrcy - mong mny others - chllenge us to understnd trends tking plce in modern society. Interntionl Studies is quintessentilly concerned with these issues. These postgrdute degrees enble students to increse their understnding of contemporry issues in globl context. All four nmed wrds plce n emphsis on gining criticl perspectives on contemporry theory nd prctice in interntionl studies. They not only enble students to evlute nd explin contemporry issues in interntionl studies, but lso llow them to gin insights into the nture, development, nd history of contemporry theoreticl perspectives. The course lso ims to provide sound grounding in reserch methods in the socil sciences. The four nmed wrds begin with common set of modules tht re tught in Semester 1. The different pthwys then llow students to specilise in discreet spect of interntionl studies. The Interntionl Reltions pthwy covers the centrl foundtions of the contemporry discipline of Interntionl Reltions, which hs grown beyond the trditionl concern with inter-stte reltions. The Globl Politicl Economy pthwy focuses on the globlistion of economic reltions nd the potentil chllenges this poses for sttes nd the governnce of the interntionl system. The Security pthwy offers both the trditionl focus on the security of sttes nd more contemporry debtes centred on humn security in vriety of contexts. The Environment pthwy focuses on issues such s globl environmentl governnce nd whether we cn chieve development whilst still mintining the qulity of our nturl environment. Tutors on the course tech cceptble modules which re directly derived from their own reserch, while the core modules reflect the stte-of-the-rt in methodologicl nd theoreticl thinking in the field. As postgrdute progrmme, the integrtion between reserch nd teching is crucil prt of the qulity of the experience. The teching tem will often use their refereed publictions in the teching process nd encourge students to prticipte in their respective reserch interests. 2.2 Aim/s of the progrmme To provide specilised trining in the key theories nd concepts of dvnced Interntionl Studies, including the ppliction of these to rel world cses nd issues, nd culminting in utonomous lerning nd independent study in the form of disserttion. In ddition the Mster of Arts nd Postgrdute Diplom will provide generic socil scientific methods trining nd subject-specific methods trining in Interntionl Studies (including the nture of explntion, dt collection nd dt nlysis). As fr s possible, this trining will be gered towrds student s own reserch re.
SECTION 3: PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES Knowledge, understnding nd skills: 3.1 Acdemic litercy On completion of the progrmme students will be ble to:. demonstrte criticl understnding of the mjor debtes in contemporry Interntionl Studies theory; b. demonstrte understnding of the history of the interntionl system; c. nlyse nd engge with stte-of-the-rt cdemic literture in the field of Interntionl Studies; d. demonstrte dvnced knowledge nd understnding of inter-stte prctices nd the ppliction of key theories nd concepts in Interntionl Reltions [Interntionl Studies (Interntionl Reltions) only]; e. demonstrte dvnced knowledge nd understnding of vrious spects of the contemporry globl politicl economy [Interntionl Studies (Globl Politicl Economy) only]; f. demonstrte dvnced knowledge nd understnding of key debtes in security studies nd contemporry developments in the role of force, security policies, wr nd pece in world politics [Interntionl Studies (Security) only]; g. demonstrte dvnced knowledge nd understnding of globl environmentl issues nd debtes [Interntionl Studies (Environment) only]. 3.2 Reserch litercy On completion of the progrmme students will be ble to:. conduct individul reserch with criticl wreness of current debtes within the discipline of Interntionl Studies; b. demonstrte n dvnced knowledge nd understnding of n re of prticulr interest in Interntionl Studies (MA only); c. understnd nd pply relevnt socil science epistemology nd methodology (MA nd PG Dip only); d. formulte, design nd conduct n extended piece of project reserch with criticl wreness of relevnt debtes within the discipline (MA only). 3.3 Criticl self-wreness nd personl litercy On completion of the progrmme students will be ble to:. mnge worklods effectively nd set personl gols; b. demonstrte the skills of reflective independent lerning; c. mke pproprite decisions in communicting effectively within diverse settings. 3.4 Digitl nd informtion litercy On completion of the progrmme students will be ble to:. communicte rguments orlly nd on pper; b. collect, collte nd present mteril from vriety of sources; c. develop reserch skills with informtion technology.
3.5 Globl citizenship On completion of the progrmme students will be ble to:. pply the understnding s defined by progrmme outcomes 3.1 nd 3.1b to contemporry rel world cses nd issues of Interntionl Studies; b. criticlly engge with different understndings of the globl nd the locl nd how they relte to the concept of citizenship; c. demonstrte criticl understnding of how Interntionl Studies s discipline is often built on dominnt culturl understndings of the world. SECTION 4: PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND CURRICULUM 4.1 Progrmme structure nd requirements: For ech of the nmed wrds, students require totl of 180 M-level credits for n MA. Students who exit with 120 M-level tught credits will be eligible for the wrd of Postgrdute Diplom in ech of the nmed specilist res of study. Students who exit with 60 M-level credits will be eligible for the wrd of Postgrdute Certificte in ech of the nmed specilist res of study. PG Cert Requirements (note c=compulsory nd =cceptble) All modules re single (20 credits) Semester 1 Modules P23101 Interntionl Reltions in Theory nd Prctice Interntionl Reltions Globl Politicl Economy Security Environment c c c c P23102 Globl Politicl Economy c c c c Semester 2 Modules P22123 The Lw nd Politics of Trnsntionl Orgnistions P23103 Globl Theory: From Knt to Hrdt nd Negri P23104 Interntionl Development P23105 Citizenship in Theory nd Prctice P23106 Gender in Globl Context P23107 Globl Politics nd the Environment c P23108 Production, Finnce nd Globl c Governnce P23110 Globl Governnce, Civil Society nd Socil Movements P23111 Interntionl Security in the Globl Er c P23117 Interntionl Energy Politics P23118 Violence nd Post-Wr Reconstruction P23xxx Dilemms in Interntionl Ethics P25188 Independent Study
PG Dip Requirements (note c=compulsory nd =cceptble) All modules re single (20 credits) Semester 1 Modules P23101 Interntionl Reltions in Theory nd Prctice Interntionl Reltions Globl Politicl Economy Security Environment c c c c P23102 Globl Politicl Economy c c c c P25116 Redings in Socil Science c c c c Semester 2 Modules P25111 Reserch Methods in the Socil Sciences c c c c P22123 The Lw nd Politics of Trnsntionl Orgnistions P23103 Globl Theory: From Knt to Hrdt nd Negri P23104 Interntionl Development P23105 Citizenship in Theory nd Prctice P23106 Gender in Globl Context P23107 Globl Politics nd the Environment c P23108 Production, Finnce nd Globl c Governnce P23110 Globl Governnce, Civil Society nd Socil Movements P23111 Interntionl Security in the Globl Er c P23117 Interntionl Energy Politics P23118 Violence nd Post-Wr Reconstruction P23xxx Dilemms in Interntionl Ethics P25188 Independent Study MA Requirements (note c=compulsory nd =cceptble) All modules re single (20 credits) unless otherwise stted (treble = 60 credits) Semester 1 Modules P23101 Interntionl Reltions in Theory nd Prctice Interntionl Reltions Globl Politicl Economy Security Environment c c c c P23102 Globl Politicl Economy c c c c P25116 Redings in Socil Science c c c c Semester 2 Modules P25111 Reserch Methods in the Socil Sciences c c c c P22123 The Lw nd Politics of Trnsntionl Orgnistions P23103 Globl Theory: From Knt to Hrdt nd Negri P23104 Interntionl Development P23105 Citizenship in Theory nd Prctice P23106 Gender in Globl Context P23107 Globl Politics nd the Environment c P23108 Production, Finnce nd Globl Governnce P23110 Globl Governnce, Civil Society nd Socil Movements c
P23111 Interntionl Security in the Globl Er c P23117 Interntionl Energy Politics P23118 Violence nd Post-Wr Reconstruction P23xxx Dilemms in Interntionl Ethics P25188 Independent Study Summer Session P23199 Disserttion (treble) c c c c 4.2 Professionl requirements N/A. SECTION 5: PROGRAMME DELIVERY 5.1 Teching, Lerning nd Assessment Teching methods: A wide diversity of teching methods will be employed throughout the progrmme in order to id the qulity of lerning opportunities for students' knowledge nd understnding of Interntionl Studies. Most modules include 24 hours contct time nd ech 20 M credits is expected to tke bout 200 hours of student effort in totl (including contct time). Teching methods will include: stff-led lectures tutor/group-led seminrs nlysis of cse studies group presenttions individul presenttions individul nd smll group tutorils During the compulsory modules in Semester 1 tutors use mix of both stff-led lectures combined with seminrs nd/or group presenttions. These modules represent the core spects of the discipline of Interntionl Studies. In Semester 2 workshop-style pproch is used to tech Reserch Methods in the Socil Sciences, which enbles students to engge with the prcticl nd ethicl spects of using different reserch methods. Acceptble modules directly reflect the reserch interests of tutors on the course. On these modules we employ vriety of smll group teching methods to llow students to develop criticl thinking nd consolidte their lerning from different prts of the progrmme. Assessment methods: Assessment for the progrmme will be conducted through vriety of ssignments linked to the lerning outcomes to be chieved in the course. The Postgrdute ttributes re ddressed throughout ll teching, lerning nd ssessment (see below). ) Acdemic litercy is inherent to the substntive content of ll modules nd is prticulrly ddressed in P23101 Interntionl Reltions in Theory nd Prctice, which encourges students to criticlly engge with rnge of theoreticl pproches centrl to the discipline by pplying them to rel world issues. b) Reserch litercy is ddressed in students independent lerning nd resource retrievl for ll ssessments. The modules P25116 Redings in Socil Science nd P25111 Reserch Methods in the Socil Sciences provide dedicted trining in both the philosophicl nd prcticl questions
of conducting reserch in Interntionl Studies. The disserttion module then provides n opportunity to conduct n in-depth piece of independent reserch. c) Criticl self-wreness nd personl litercy is exercised through student inititive nd personl responsibility in their own lerning nd with ll forms of ssessment. This is crystllised in the disserttion module during which students re ble to present nd receive feedbck on their proposls t the Annul Postgrdute Dy. d) Digitl nd informtion litercy is chieved through the full use of online resources vi Moodle. Students re lso expected to use the electronic librry s mny resources nd redings for ech module re only vilble digitlly. e) Globl citizenship is ddressed through the nture of the disciplinry remit nd its benchmrks nd subject mtter which prescribe not only country studies, but re studies, including regionlistion, comprtive nlysis, inter nd trns-ntionl perspectives nd ttention to the globl frme of reference. Students re encourged to criticlly reflect on both different understndings of wht it mens to be citizen in globlising world nd the dominnt culturl underpinnings of Interntionl Studies s discipline. Assignments will include essys, presenttions, projects, reports nd disserttion (MA only). Assignments will be spred over the yer to provide constnt feedbck nd ssessment. One module (Interntionl Reltions in Theory nd Prctice) includes written exm s prt of the ssessment. The teching tem re committed to the Brookes Assessment Compct nd will return coursework within mximum of 3 weeks (during semester time) from the time when it ws hnded in. 5.2 Assessment regultions The progrmme is subject to the University s Postgrdute Tught regultions. These cn be found t: http://www.brookes.c.uk/uniregultions/current SECTION 6: ADMISSIONS 6.1 Entry criteri Students dmitted to the Tught Postgrdute Progrmme in Interntionl Studies re normlly required to hve t lest second clss honours degree from University in the UK or n equivlent qulifiction from countries outside the UK. The degree should be in n pproprite discipline. Applicnts whose home lnguge is not English or whose undergrdute degree studies were not conducted in English must demonstrte tht their level of English is pproprite for study t the postgrdute level. Such pplicnts re normlly required to hve one of the following or n equivlent qulifiction cceptble to the University s set out in the list produced by Oxford Brookes Interntionl: IELTS level 6.5 or bove. O Level or GSCE English Lnguge grde A-C. Oxford Brookes Pre-Msters Diplom or Pre-Msters Certificte with n verge of t lest 55%. 6.2 CRB checks N/A.
SECTION 7: STUDENT SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE A number of meetings re rrnged during induction to welcome students to the progrmme. These include Study Skills session which is run by the Course Director nd n Acdemic Conduct Officer. This provides invluble informtion bout the pproprite wys of studying t postgrdute level nd explins the rules nd regultions concerning ssessment. Students re lso provided with course hndbook during induction. Ech student is llocted n cdemic dviser who they cn see for personl or generl cdemic problems. Similr mtters cn lso be discussed with the Student Support Co-ordintors within the Fculty. Module leders should be the first point of contct for specific questions connected to specific module component. The Course Director, with the support of the Progrmme Administrtor, is lso ble to provide support s prt of the generl dministrtion of the course. MA students re llocted supervisor for their disserttion project. In ddition to the generl services offered by the centrl Creers Service, students hve the opportunity to ttend dedicted creers workshop for students on the course, run by members of the Creers Service. SECTION 8: GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY Students with postgrdute wrd in Interntionl Studies hve mde successful creers in vriety of professions, including prlimentry reserchers, government, non-governmentl orgnistions, chrity orgnistions, socil work, mngement, teching, lecturing, publishing, journlism, finncil sector, dvertising, government, civil service, locl government, interntionl orgnistions, lw nd the trde unions. A number of our students hve gone on to undertke reserch degrees. SECTION 9: LINKS WITH EMPLOYERS As ctive reserchers, tutors on the progrmme hve number of links with employers, in prticulr with civil society orgnistions (such s Oxfm nd Rights nd Accountbility in Development) nd the policymking community. Reserchers from outside the University re invited to our weekly seminr series run by our Centre for Globl Politics, Economy nd Society, which students on the progrmme re encourged to ttend. The Annul Postgrdute Dy, held in June ech yer, includes lecture from guest speker, from outside the University. SECTION 10: QUALITY MANAGEMENT Indictors of qulity/methods for evluting the qulity of provision Externl mechnisms: Externl exminer reports re vilble online to ll students Internl mechnisms: At Course level Student module evlutions Module leder report forms Course meetings ttended by stff nd student representtives
Externl exminer reports Course Exm Committees Peer Enhncement of Teching nd Lerning scheme in which ll teching stff prticipte Politics nd Interntionl Reltions Annul Review ttended by stff nd student representtives At Fculty level Fculty Acdemic Enhncement nd Stndrds Committee Fculty Annul Review At University level Acdemic Policy nd Qulity Office University Acdemic Enhncement nd Stndrds Committee Periodic review of Politics nd Interntionl Reltions with externl ssessors