International relations
Introduction to International Political Economy
Module code: L2024
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture
Assessment modes: Essay
The intensity and scope of the relationship between politics and economics has become a central element of international relations. This module offers a distinctive perspective in terms of which traditional issues of international relations – such as war, trade, integration and international society – can be studied. It considers the central theoretical traditions of international political economy:
- liberalism
- realism
- Marxism
- neo-institutionalism
- critical theory.
It then applies these diverse theoretical traditions in an analysis of the evolution of the state system from the 16th to the 20th century, paying particular attention to the relationship between class and state power, on the one hand, and the capitalist world economy, on the other.
Module learning outcomes
- Knowledge of the key themes and problems involved in the study of international political economy
- An overview of key events in the rise of the international political economy up to World War II
- Familiarity with the principal IPE theoretical traditions