International Year One in International Relations

Academic English Skills aims to provide thorough training in the language and related academic skills which will enable international students to best achieve their academic potential at university. Our Academic English programme is validated by UK ENIC, the UK government agency responsible for providing information and expert opinion on qualifications and skills worldwide.

You will develop awareness and competency in a range of language-related academic skills, including the processes of academic writing, effective and extensive reading strategies, effective participation in seminars and delivery of presentations, and listening to and recording information effectively from lectures. You will also develop the accuracy and range of written and spoken language required to use language effectively and appropriately, with clarity and confidence in an academic context.

Alongside your classes, your studies will be supported by an online learning platform, providing you with a range of tasks and activities specifically designed to develop and extend your language and academic skills outside the classroom and to give you more control over your own learning.

This module contributes to the development of research and analysis skills by using and comparing different theoretical frameworks. The module exists to provide you with the capacity to identify multiple theoretical perspectives of viewing the world and apply them to empirical examples. This will broaden your analytical skills which will aid in undertaking other modules.

This module examines why and how the British political system evolved from plutocracy to mass democracy and introduces you to British political history and politics since 1789. Including Research and Activity Portfolio to embed and nurture academic skills, the module is part of the IY1 IR programme.

This module seeks to enable you to reflect critically on political theory and provide you with a foundation in the key ideas and theories that have shaped modern politics. In doing this it aims to go beyond the west in its investigation of key thinkers. It also aims to highlight the continuing relevance of these ideas in the 21^st century with the application of these theories to modern case studies.

The overall aim of the module is to develop your fundamental knowledge of research philosophies and data collection methods, and to give you an opportunity to apply the knowledge to derive a research proposal within your area of study.