Module Information
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 4000 Words | 70% |
| Semester Assessment | Project outline 2000 Words | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 4000 Words | 70% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Project outline 2000 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.
Aims
The aim of this module is threefold:
- To introduce students to the new knowledge paradigm in IR by mapping the field of knowledge-centred studies in international politics through discussions of the latest research and thinking within this broad field;
- To provide a broad overview of the ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies, and objectives of knowledge studies, which students can apply to other fields of international politics, therefore providing a broad basis for their studies;
- To apply select knowledge approaches to empirical questions and issues in international politics and thereby enhance analytical skills and thinking.
- To introduce students to the new knowledge paradigm in IR by mapping the field of knowledge-centred studies in international politics through discussions of the latest research and thinking within this broad field;
- To provide a broad overview of the ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies, and objectives of knowledge studies, which students can apply to other fields of international politics, therefore providing a broad basis for their studies;
- To apply select knowledge approaches to empirical questions and issues in international politics and thereby enhance analytical skills and thinking.
Content
'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.
The module is organised as follows:
1) Introduction to knowledge debates in international politics:
The aim to provide an overview regarding the field of knowledge and expertise studies in international politics and its most widely used terminologies and debates, as a general basis from which to approach the subsequent parts.
2) Actor-centred approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Actor-centred approaches focus on a broad array of individuals, organizations, bureaucracies, communities, networks, coalitions, and movements, whose practices contribute to the production, diffusion, and contestation of expertise and knowledge in and on international politics. A a key question of actor-centred approaches is: Which actors matter in the production, diffusion and contestation of knowledge and expertise in international politics, why, and how can we know?
3) Structural approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Structural approaches study how dominant material conditions determine social reality and the place of the individual within it, and how structures of meaning are central to how the world is seen, interpreted and acted in/upon. Depending on the theoretical lens employed, these structural approaches range from various takes on discourse (e.g., Foucauldian studies of power/knowledge regimes) to material conditions (e.g., Marxist or Gramscian approaches to class and elites in the transnational realm). Key questions are: How do diverse broader (social, discursive, material) structures 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?
4) Relational approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Relational approaches to knowledge come in a range of guises, including: the use of relationalism; an elaboration of its dialogical form; a Bourdieu-inspired ontology, which historicizes and sociologises knowledge production through focus on networks and power relations that privilege certain ways of knowing; narrative and anthropologically inflected meaning-making and critique; as well as complexity thinking, including more-than-human and other-than-human features of knowledge production in global contexts.. We will look at a selection of relational approaches, asking: How do we know the world of international politics if we approach it relationally? More specifically, what does it mean to engage in relational knowledge production in different contexts, as inspired by different epistemological principles, and what research perspectives are thus mobilised?
5) Practice approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Practice approaches study HOW knowledge is (re)produced or circulated, and with what effects on international politics. Practice approaches to knowledge draw on Foucauldian genealogy, science and technology studies (STS), practice theory, assemblage thinking, techno-politics and epistemic infrastructure approaches, among others. Central questions are: 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?
6) Context-centred approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Context-centred approach questions of knowledge in and about international politics through context, understood as encompassing the social, cultural, material, and political milieu. Context is not necessarily nationally bound and special attention is paid to the standpoint of knowledge making. A key question to be asked when enquiring into the context-related aspects of political knowledge is: How and to what effect does a given context influence epistemic practices, knowledge outputs, and their broader use?
7) Conclusions:
In the concluding session of the module, we reflect on the merits and limitations of a knowledge-centred approach to international politics, and think about potential future research avenues and political issues.
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.
The module is organised as follows:
1) Introduction to knowledge debates in international politics:
The aim to provide an overview regarding the field of knowledge and expertise studies in international politics and its most widely used terminologies and debates, as a general basis from which to approach the subsequent parts.
2) Actor-centred approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Actor-centred approaches focus on a broad array of individuals, organizations, bureaucracies, communities, networks, coalitions, and movements, whose practices contribute to the production, diffusion, and contestation of expertise and knowledge in and on international politics. A a key question of actor-centred approaches is: Which actors matter in the production, diffusion and contestation of knowledge and expertise in international politics, why, and how can we know?
3) Structural approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Structural approaches study how dominant material conditions determine social reality and the place of the individual within it, and how structures of meaning are central to how the world is seen, interpreted and acted in/upon. Depending on the theoretical lens employed, these structural approaches range from various takes on discourse (e.g., Foucauldian studies of power/knowledge regimes) to material conditions (e.g., Marxist or Gramscian approaches to class and elites in the transnational realm). Key questions are: How do diverse broader (social, discursive, material) structures 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?
4) Relational approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Relational approaches to knowledge come in a range of guises, including: the use of relationalism; an elaboration of its dialogical form; a Bourdieu-inspired ontology, which historicizes and sociologises knowledge production through focus on networks and power relations that privilege certain ways of knowing; narrative and anthropologically inflected meaning-making and critique; as well as complexity thinking, including more-than-human and other-than-human features of knowledge production in global contexts.. We will look at a selection of relational approaches, asking: How do we know the world of international politics if we approach it relationally? More specifically, what does it mean to engage in relational knowledge production in different contexts, as inspired by different epistemological principles, and what research perspectives are thus mobilised?
5) Practice approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Practice approaches study HOW knowledge is (re)produced or circulated, and with what effects on international politics. Practice approaches to knowledge draw on Foucauldian genealogy, science and technology studies (STS), practice theory, assemblage thinking, techno-politics and epistemic infrastructure approaches, among others. Central questions are: 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?
6) Context-centred approaches to knowledge and expertise in international politics:
Context-centred approach questions of knowledge in and about international politics through context, understood as encompassing the social, cultural, material, and political milieu. Context is not necessarily nationally bound and special attention is paid to the standpoint of knowledge making. A key question to be asked when enquiring into the context-related aspects of political knowledge is: How and to what effect does a given context influence epistemic practices, knowledge outputs, and their broader use?
7) Conclusions:
In the concluding session of the module, we reflect on the merits and limitations of a knowledge-centred approach to international politics, and think about potential future research avenues and political issues.
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