International Relations – Extend Option

Please note: This course is one of our Extend Options designed to be combined with other A Level programmes or BTEC Extended Certificate courses to make up a full timetable. If you are planning to study an A Level programme at Exeter College you will need to enrol on a four element programme, and cannot apply for this course on it’s own.

Why do this course?

“If the human race is wiped out in the next fifty years it will not be because of disease or an asteroid hitting the earth, but because of foreign policy and international relations.” (Independent, 28th July 2006) So if you are interested in the future of our planet, then this is the course for you.

What will it involve?

We shall look at Modern International Relations from 1945 to the present by focussing on: International Relations theory; the structure of international society; and foreign policy formation. We shall also look at how world governance structures and the management of conflict and its resolution affect levels and rates of development. You will explore the reasons why some areas of the world currently suffer conflict, for example Syria and Afghanistan. You will debate Britain’s, and agencies such as the UN’s, responsibility and ability to resolve such conflicts.

You will gain an understanding of some of the conflicts in modern history that have resulted in what is sometimes termed ‘ethnic cleansing’, such as happened in Bosnia and Rwanda, to consider what conditions lead to such events and how the international community can respond to and prevent them. You will also consider what some of the likely conflicts of the future will arise over and how the human race can plan to avoid these, for instance some experts have predicted that water, rather than oil, will be the contested resource of the future. Finally, we will use all of the knowledge gained through involvement with a model UN conference and there shall also be the opportunity to listen to external experts.

How might it help in the future?

The course is up to date, relevant and global in its scope and encourages analytical thinking and problem solving using debating, statistical data, source materials and theoretical models. It will provide synoptic links to History, Geography, Economics and Politics and will be of interest to those considering a degree or career in the international sphere.