Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 12 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Seminar | 12 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2000 Word Essay | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 5 minute presentation | 10% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours 1 x 2 hour exam | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 2000 Word Essay | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 5 minute presentation | 10% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours 1 x 2 hour exam | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Identify key aspects of Russia’s foreign policy.
2. Distinguish between different foreign policy tools.
3. Evaluate aspects of Russian foreign policy using academic resources.
4. Discuss the different forms and aims of communication styles in international politics.
Brief description
The objective of this module is to introduce students to issues in and instruments of Russia’s foreign policy. The module will elucidate Russia’s international relations with the help of specific concepts, such as: strategic narrative, ideology, soft power and propaganda. The module will introduce these concepts and help students make use of them in order to build their own arguments about international politics and foreign policy-making. Students will compare how these concepts have been employed in academic literature, media and policy discourses.
Content
The module is composed of two parts: Part 1 introduces key concepts such as strategic narrative, ideology, soft power and propaganda in the context of general approaches to and institutions of Russian foreign policy. Part 2 analyses Russia’s relations with specific international actors illustrating how these concepts might be employed by policy practitioners, analysts and scholars and assessing their analytical value.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas verbally and in writing. They will practice expressing their ideas clearly and coherently and to be direct about aims and objectives. Students will also learn how to listen, respect and respond to the ideas of others. Students will practice building strong arguments supported with evidence. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to develop students’ capacity to enjoy learning. Module convenor will create a supportive environment which promotes structured approach to learning and students’ self-management. Students will receive assistance in setting themselves realistic goals. Students will be expected to work under their own direction and initiative whilst preparing their written assignments. This includes making decisions about the subject of their interest, gathering sources, formulating an argument and constructing a narrative. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to use OneNote and EndNote to help them prepare written assignments. They will be encouraged to use on-line translation software. Students will routinely use Blackboard, Turnitin and Aspire to manage and access course material and submit assignments. Students will use Word-processing for their assignments, according to standard expectations. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The module is designed to assist students’ personal development and to hone their professional skills. By the end of this module students should feel confident working within a group and effectively communicating their ideas to other team members. The module will help them develop skills in systematically gathering information and expressing themselves clearly in writing. They will practice self-management and working to a deadline. Students will also improve their computing skills. In terms of career planning, students will be able to distinguish between styles and forms of communication produced by policy-makers, analysts, media reporters and scholars, which may be an indication of what is involved in performing these specific professions. |
| Problem solving | Students will improve their problem solving skills in several ways. The written assignment will encourage students to develop a strategy of searching for, collecting and classifying relevant materials and literature. It will help them build analytical and critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate the problem (essay question) and to make decisions (decide on the answer and line of argumentation). Seminars will involve tasks prompting students to: reason logically, consider similar cases, look for patterns divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | Students will be required to undertake independent research in order to complete the assessed work. This will involve making use of a range of information sources, including journal articles, electronic publications, and online news sources. Students will learn to focus on information relevant to the discussion topic or task. In addition to the library catalogue they will be encouraged to make use of the Google Scholar platform. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will have the opportunity to develop and practice a range of subject specific skills: • distinguish between different types of sources concerning foreign policy • evaluate policy statements • prepare a policy memo • apply concepts to discuss foreign policy • evaluate competing perspectives |
| Team work | Students will have a number of opportunities to work in a team. For many of the topics of this module, seminars will consist of small-group work. Teams will be tasked with several types of activities, such as: policy memo writing, role-paly and debate. This will give students the opportunity to practice negotiation skills, consensus building and solution finding in a team environment. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5