Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
IPM3720
Module Title
Knowledge and Expertise in International Politics
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Reading List
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 3500 Words | 70% |
| Semester Assessment | Project outline 1500 Words | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 3500 Words | 70% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Project outline 1500 Words | 30% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Students will be able to identify central knowledge-related issues in the study of international politics.
Students will have learned to critically discuss theoretical literatures on different aspects of knowledge and politics, following the structure of five fundamental approaches to IR.
Students will be confident in analysing the role of knowledge-related issues in the formulation and implementation of policies in different arenas of international politics and global governance.
Students will be able to identify, describe and account for the role of power in processes of knowledge production.
Students will confidently identify, describe and account for dominant and subordinate actors in conflict-related knowledge production and provide different theoretical explanations for their findings.
Students will be able to demonstrate grounded empirical knowledge of a range of specific case studies.
Students will be able to identify and develop appropriate research methods to study knowledge-related issues in international politics.
Brief description
'The reality of politics is a politics with "realities"', wrote Friedbert W. Rüb in 2006 to summarise the underlying assumptions of the political study of knowledge, a relatively young field of academic inquiry. Studies exploring the production, circulation, and contestation of knowledge in international politics have been on the rise since. In parallel, the importance of scientific advice in the coronavirus pandemic, talk about post-truth politics in the light of populist politics, and the urgency to understand and address climate change have highlighted the different roles knowledge and expertise play in (international) politics.
In this module, we discuss the forms, functions and politics of knowledge and expertise in the discipline of International Politics itself as well as how knowledge and expertise take shape in and shape different fields of international politics. To this end, the module approaches questions of knowledge and expertise in international politics from the five perspectives of actors, structures, relations, practices, and contexts, and discusses how these knowledge-centred perspectives with their different foci can enhance our understanding of.international politics. Empirically, we draw on examples from a range of diverse international policy fields and topical issues (e.g., peace and conflict, security, development, migration, economy, climate, law, global health - to be determined), to explore the international politics of knowledge. The aim of this module is to raise awareness of knowledge-related problems in analysing political issues and of the specific challenges to knowledge and expertise in international politics.
In this module, we discuss the forms, functions and politics of knowledge and expertise in the discipline of International Politics itself as well as how knowledge and expertise take shape in and shape different fields of international politics. To this end, the module approaches questions of knowledge and expertise in international politics from the five perspectives of actors, structures, relations, practices, and contexts, and discusses how these knowledge-centred perspectives with their different foci can enhance our understanding of.international politics. Empirically, we draw on examples from a range of diverse international policy fields and topical issues (e.g., peace and conflict, security, development, migration, economy, climate, law, global health - to be determined), to explore the international politics of knowledge. The aim of this module is to raise awareness of knowledge-related problems in analysing political issues and of the specific challenges to knowledge and expertise in international politics.
Content
The module is organised around the following questions:
- Which ACTORS matter in the production, diffusion and contestation of knowledge and expertise in international politics, why, and how can we know? (Actor-centred approaches)
- HOW, or through which practices, ways, and performances of knowing, does knowledge come into being? And which wider material arrangements make these epistemic practices authoritative? (Practice approaches)
- How and to what effect does a given CONTEXT, understood as encompassing the social, cultural, material, and political milieu of knowledge production, influence epistemic practices, knowledge outputs, and their broader use? (Context-centred approaches)
- How do diverse broader (social, discursive, material) STRUCTURES such as capitalism, coloniality, patriarchy etc. shape knowledge practices, actors, relations and contexts in international politics? And what is the value of applying a structural approach to knowledge production in international politics? (Structural approaches)
- How do we know the world of international politics if we approach it through RELATIONS and RELATIONALITY? What does it mean to engage in relational knowledge production in different contexts? (Relational approaches)
- What contributions do practical and experiential knowledges make to international politics?
- Which ACTORS matter in the production, diffusion and contestation of knowledge and expertise in international politics, why, and how can we know? (Actor-centred approaches)
- HOW, or through which practices, ways, and performances of knowing, does knowledge come into being? And which wider material arrangements make these epistemic practices authoritative? (Practice approaches)
- How and to what effect does a given CONTEXT, understood as encompassing the social, cultural, material, and political milieu of knowledge production, influence epistemic practices, knowledge outputs, and their broader use? (Context-centred approaches)
- How do diverse broader (social, discursive, material) STRUCTURES such as capitalism, coloniality, patriarchy etc. shape knowledge practices, actors, relations and contexts in international politics? And what is the value of applying a structural approach to knowledge production in international politics? (Structural approaches)
- How do we know the world of international politics if we approach it through RELATIONS and RELATIONALITY? What does it mean to engage in relational knowledge production in different contexts? (Relational approaches)
- What contributions do practical and experiential knowledges make to international politics?
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N.A. |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to assert themselves to advantage. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to the best advantage. They will learn to be clear and direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. Seminars will be run in groups where oral discussion and presentations will form the main medium of teaching and the emphasis throughout the module will be on student participation and communication. Fellow students will be encouraged to question the paper-giver to critique their approach or to suggest areas for the development of the chosen topic; in turn each will discuss the contributions and ideas of the other. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context of assistance from both the convenor and the fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their essay and case study report. The need to prepare for seminars and to meet an essay deadline will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time and resources well. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources (such as BIDS and OCLC). |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The seminar discussions in particular will help to develop students' verbal and presentation skills. Learning about the process of planning an essay and a case study report, framing the parameters of the projects, honing and developing the projects and seeing through to completion will contribute towards their portfolio of transferable skills |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one of the central goals of the module; the submission of an essay will require that the student develops independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The need to research and prepare seminar contributions will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; engage with theory; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | The submission of a book review, an essay and a case study report will reflect the independent research skills of the student. The report will require some (directed) independent research on a case study of the student’s choice. The need to locate appropriate research resources and write up the results will also facilitate research skills. Research preparation for seminars will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: • Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module • Ability to critically evaluate competing perspectives • Demonstrate subject specific research techniques • Apply a range of methodologies to complex strategic problems |
| Team work | Seminars will consist in part of small-group discussion where students will be obliged to discuss as a group the core issues related to seminar topics. Such classroom debates and discussions are a vital component of the module. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7