COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA Conflict and International Security programme includes a structured set of compulsory and optional modules designed to build a strong foundation in the study of war, security, and international politics, beginning with core modules such as International Security, where students examine issues like transnational crime, global terrorism, and private military companies, War in Theory and Practice, which explores both classical and modern theories of warfare including technological change and intra-state conflict, International Relations Theory, which introduces feminist, green, and postcolonial perspectives applied to global issues such as climate change and the rise of non-Western powers, Advanced Academic Skills, which supports postgraduate study through training in research, writing, and study techniques, and a dissertation that enables independent supervised research on a chosen topic; alongside these, optional modules expand analytical and methodological understanding through Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods and Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods, while additional specialist topics include Contemporary Diplomacy, Terrorism in a Globalising World, Worlding International Relations, Building Peace, NATO Strategy during and after the Cold War, Philosophical Issues in the Social Sciences, and International Organisations in Global Politics, all of which examine issues such as diplomacy, peacebuilding, counter-terrorism, and global governance in different historical and contemporary contexts, ultimately equipping students with critical thinking, research skills, and a deep understanding of international conflict and security dynamics.