International relations, also known as foreign policy or global studies, is an interdisciplinary field that examines the world’s many different political and social issues from a wide range of perspectives. The study of IR brings together many of the core academic areas of university life, such as history, law, economics, politics, and philosophy to offer students an in-depth look at the forces that shape our global society.
The degree can be taken as an undergraduate or graduate program, depending on the level of course and your career goals. A graduate program can allow you to specialise in particular areas of interest, including diplomacy, international development, or global governance. In addition to enhancing your understanding of the world through research, a postgraduate degree often involves more hands-on practical experience with real-world situations, such as field work, seminars, and debates.
Throughout the history of IR, many theories have emerged to explain the way that countries interact with each other. For example, realism asserts that all nations strive to accumulate power, and the strongest will succeed. A more sophisticated approach, called liberalism, advocates a balance of power between states, and attempts to identify circumstances in which states can co-operate with each other. Alternatively, more critical theories such as post-structuralism seek to deconstruct concepts like power and agency, looking at the ways that they are constructed rather than being intrinsically given. These theories have become increasingly popular in recent years. This has led to the emergence of new schools of thought, such as feminist poststructuralism.