Linguistics and International Relations

This module introduces you to some of the foundational concepts and theoretical approaches that are employed in the discipline of international relations. Applying concepts and theories to the world around us is something we do all the time, but quite often we are not even aware that we're doing it. Among other things, this module will encourage you to reflect on your own use of theory and give you the tools to critically unpick and unpack the underlying assumptions of dominant approaches in the study of international relations.

This module introduces students to fundamental concepts, current approaches and basic tools for the analysis of spoken and written discourse. 

This module explores some of the key historical events in modern history, in relation to the key debates that have dominated the study of international relations. We will explore the political implications of which historical events are deemed relevant to international relations and how this shapes the way we look at the world. The module will help students to identify significant continuities and changes in international relations over time.

Global inequality is one of the largest challenges facing our world today. Approaches to understanding the roots of inequality and how to address inequality are both varied and controversial. We’ll explore these approaches in depth and talk about movements aimed at addressing some of the greatest challenges facing our world today.

This module will introduce you to different political processes and institutions, and will review the key research methods appropriate to comparative politics. The course will help you to identify appropriate approaches to data interpretation and presentation, and provide an opportunity to develop your own case study.  

This module introduces students to the study of sound in linguistics. It explores key concepts in phonetics and phonology, and provides students with the analytic skills required to begin to identify, label, and analyse speech sounds.

This module introduces students to the relationship between language, society and  identity in relation to factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, power and policies.

The module introduces students to the field of modern linguistics. It will demonstrate new ways of studying language by highlighting the supremacy of Syntax in sentence-generation. In seminars students will explore different approaches to the study of language, underpinned by the theories taught in this module.

This module will help you to develop an understanding of research methods in politics. The module will discuss both the limitations and advantages of quantitative and qualitative analysis for political research.

This module will examine the development of international relations theory throughout the twentieth century. The module will look at the historically dominant traditions of realism, liberalism and Marxism and then explore contemporary critical theories such as feminism, postcolonialism, poststructuralism and social constructivism. The module will focus on key debates between theories and connections, to the historical development of the field of international relations.

This module introduces students to fundamental concepts, current approaches and basic tools for quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research in (applied) linguistics.

This module introduces the fundamental concepts of systemic functional grammar. It equips students with tools to analyse language and focuses on the functions of grammatical structures in context.

The module introduces students to the grammars that sustain language as a system. It will focus on the rules that generate language and will give prominence to Syntax while drawing comparison with Semantics. Students will study and analyse Noam Chomsky's grammars and the rules therein with the aim of assessing their feasibility in English and elsewhere. 

This module builds on initial knowledge of sociolinguistic variation - the study of the ways in which language varies and changes in communities of speakers, as well as within the speech of individuals. It introduces concepts and theories related to the patterns (social and linguistic) behind language variation, and allows students to reflect on their own experiences in light of these ideas. The module equips students with the necessary tools for analysing spoken language and interpreting what they find in line with topics covered on the module.

This module will teach you how to design and propose a research project, evaluating questions of ethics, funding, impact, research relevance and methodologies. The module also has integrated placement and work experience opportunities. The module has a bespoke structure designed to incorporate tailored bracketed awards linked to politics, international relations, political communication, and public policy.

The module consists of a series of case studies informed by current research interests and findings of the politics and public policy teams. The case studies have a special focus on questions related to theory and/or methods in politics, IR, and Public Policy.