Introducing the Key Powers and Regions: A World Tour of Global Politics (L2009)

15 credits, Level 4

Autumn teaching

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? What’s the background to the current conflict in the Middle East? What threats and challenges does the rise of Donald Trump pose to the rest of the world?

On this module, you’ll embark on an introductory tour of some major powers and key regions in global politics. You’ll focus on a different part of the world each week and talk about the big news events currently taking place there. You’ll learn about the historical background that made these powers and regions what they are today.

You’ll explore:

• South Asia
• the Horn of Africa
• China
• the Middle East
• Brazil
• the United States
• Russia
• the European Union.

By the end, you’ll have a broad base of knowledge that will set you up for more in-depth study.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses:

• International Relations BA
• International Relations with a Language BA