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PL30745: Culture and religion in international relations

[Page last updated: 02 August 2022]

Academic Year: 2022/23
Owning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Credits: 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 120
Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Period:
Semester 2
Assessment Summary: CW 33%, EX 67%
Assessment Detail:
  • Coursework (CW 33%)
  • Open Book Examination (EX 67%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course students should be able to critically examine and evaluate debates and policies regarding: culture and religion in the theory of international relations as it is developing today, and in selected issue-areas - conflict, cooperation, diplomacy and statecraft, peace-making and conflict resolution, democracy promotion, and foreign aid policy; the origins of the modern Westphalian system of international relations; different perspectives of social theory and how they have tried to explain different events regarding culture and religion in international relations negl, and the terms often associated with these perspectives, such as fundamentalism, extremism, militancy, terrorism, etc.; key religious non-state or transnational actors in international relations - such as the Catholic Church, and the Organiation of the Islamic Conference; to explain the role of culture and religion in war and international conflict; the role of culture and religion in promoting international cooperation, peace-making, and conflict resolution; the nature of religion and the history and development of diplomacy and statecraft; foreign policy - the role of culture and religion promoting demoncracy; foreign policy - the role of culture and religion in foreign aid policy.

Aims: To provide an understanding of the on-going saliency of culture and religion (broadly defined here as the main world religions) in the theory of international relations as it is developing today, and in selected issue-areas - conflict, cooperation, diplomacy and statecraft, peace-making and conflict resolution, democracy promotion, and foreign aid policy; to explain the role of culture and religion or the theo-political origns of the Westphalian system of international relations after the 'wars of religion' (i.e. the Thirty Years' War); to explain why the different perspectives of social theory neglect or ignore the role of culture and religion in the theory of international relations, and the terms often associated with these perspectives, such as fundamentalism, extremism, militancy, terrorism, etc.; to describe and examine some of the key religious non-state or transnational actors in international relations - such as the Catholic Church, and the Organiation of the Islamic Conference; to explain the role of culture and religion in war and international conflict; to explain the role of culture and religion in promoting international cooperation, peace-making, and conflict resolution; t examine the nature of religion and the history and development of diplomacy and statecraft ;Foreign policy - to explain the role of culture and religion promoting demoncracy; Foreign policy - to explain the role of culture and religion in foreign aid policy.

Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are taught and assessed in this unit.

Content: This course is about the impact of culture and religion in the theory of international relations and in key issue-aras of international relations, and it does not include the impact of culture and religion in domestic politics, which is covered in other course units, especially in my other course unit, The Politics of Ethnicity, Religion, and Nationalism EU30732).
The course re-examines the existing theory of international relations in view of the growing impact of culture and religion on international affairs, and how this has been facilitated by a variety of aspects of globalization as well as state policies and foreign policies. This necessarily also involves the various types of secularism and their impact on international relations. The way culture and religion have been marginalized in the main perspectdives of international relations - realism, pluralism, and globalism, provides the basis for how culture and religion can be brought back into the theory of international relations, and then become part of a variety of key issue-areas in international relations - conflict, cooperation, diplomacy and statecraft, peace-making and conflict resolution, democracy promotion, and foreign aid policy.
Key Texts:
Scott M. Thomas, Foreword by Desmond Tutu, The Global Resurgence of Religiion and the Transformation of International Relations (Palgreave, 2005).
Daniel Philpott, Revolutions of Sovereignty: How Ideas Shaped Modern International Relations (Princeton, 2001).
Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, The Politics of Secularism in International Relations (Princeton, 2007).
Jeff Haynes, An Introduction to International Relations and Relgiion (Longman, 2007).
Douglas Johnson and Cynthia Sampson, Foreword by Jimmy Carter (ed.) Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft (Oxford, 1994).

Programme availability:

PL30745 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Economics
  • UHES-AFB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics (Year 3)
  • UHES-AAB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-AKB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UHES-ACB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Combined Placement and Study Abroad (Year 4)
Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • UHPL-AYB13 : BA(Hons) French and Politics with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB12 : BA(Hons) German and Politics with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB16 : BA(Hons) Italian ab initio and Politics with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AYB17 : BA(Hons) Spanish and Politics with Year Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AFB30 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations (Year 3)
  • UHPL-AAB30 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AKB30 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AFB10 : BSc(Hons) Politics with Economics (Year 3)
  • UHPL-AAB10 : BSc(Hons) Politics with Economics with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHPL-AKB10 : BSc(Hons) Politics with Economics with Year long work placement (Year 4)
Department of Social & Policy Sciences
  • UHSP-AFB21 : BSc(Hons) International Development with Economics (Year 3)
  • UHSP-AKB21 : BSc(Hons) International Development with Economics with Year long work placement (Year 4)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2022/23 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2023/24 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2022/23.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.