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International Relations: International Studies

Master

This one-year Master of Arts in International Relations, specialisation International Studies offered by the Faculty of the Humanities of Leiden University, discusses the pivotal theoretical and practical issues in international politics today, thereby providing students with the contextual knowledge and the analytical abilities to study and comprehend the diversity and the complexities of our rapidly changing world. International Studies takes a special interest in the encounter, the interactions between global and national ideas, cultures, and policies.

The programme consists of one core course in each semester as well as a preparatory class on writing a thesis (thesis seminar) and the writing of the thesis itself. The remaining 20 EC can be acquired by choosing electives or an internship.

Courses

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

FIRST SEMESTER
Corpus I, Core Course: Ideas and Beliefs in International Relations, major Concepts across Time and Space. 10
Thesis Seminar (International Relations) First Semester 10
MA Thesis (International Studies) 10

Kies 10 ec uit de volgende:
Image, Empire, Ideology: Colonialism and Its Fields of Vision in South Asia 5
Literature Seminar Colonial and Global History: Globalization and Empire 10
Literature Seminar Maritime History 10
Literature Seminar Migration and Integration 10
Economic Development and Social Change in Southeast Asia 10
Introduction to Asian Studies 5
Modern China: Political Participation in China 10
Nation, State and Security in Post-war Japanese Political Thought 10
Interculturality 1: Key Concepts 10
Theories and Methods of Middle East and Islamic Studies 10
Global Christianity: the Middle East (1800-present) 5.0/10.0
Comparative Religion: Themes and Topics in the Study of Religion 5/10
BRIC: emerging powers and changing global relations 10
Democratizing Histories: Asia and the world 5.0/10.0
A History of the United Nations 10

SECOND SEMESTER
Corpus II, Core Course: Areas and Policies 10
Thesis Seminar (International Relations) Second Semester 10
MA Thesis (International Studies) 10

Kies 10 ec uit de volgende:
A History of Twentieth Century International Relations 10
Literature Seminar Migration and Integration 10
Political Economy of Southeast Asia 5
Connecting Dreams: Europe in Africa, Africa in Europe 10
The Rise and Fall of American Empire 10
Arts and Culture in Area Studies: Culture and Conquest: the impact of the Mongols and their descendants 10
Interculturality 2: The Global Imagination 10
Sharia in the West 5/10
Russian Politics & International Relations 10
Identity and Security in East Asia 10
Latin American Foreign Policy 10.00
Internship MA International Studies 10

Meer info

Objectives
Structure
Contact information

Objectives

International Studies discusses the pivotal theoretical and practical issues in international politics today, thereby providing students with the contextual knowledge and the analytical abilities to study and comprehend the diversity and the complexities of our rapidly changing world. International Studies takes a special interest in the encounter, the interactions between global and national ideas, cultures, and policies.

Structure

The programme consists of two semesters, each consisting of 30 EC. In the first semester students follow three courses of 10 EC each. In the second semester students take two more 10 EC-courses and write their Thesis (10 EC).

In the first semester all students take the course ‘Corpus I, Core Course’ (10 EC). This course discusses the theoretical and the empirical dimensions of critical political and social concepts, ideas and beliefs in the spatial and temporal context of current global politics.
In addition to this common course, students take the Thesis Seminar (10 EC) and choose one course from a list of electives (10 EC).

In the second semester all students take the course ‘Corpus II, Core Course’ (10 EC). This second core course seeks to challenge this ‘Western bias’ in International Relations by critically exploring a range of contemporary issues across a number of areas or regions from the vantage point of ‘non-Western’ theoretical positions. In so doing, this core course challenges students to cultivate a truly international mindset that is culturally aware and can generate more effective policy in the future.
Furthermore, students choose one course from a list of electives (10 EC) and write their Thesis (10 EC).

For students starting in the Spring Semester the programme looks slightly different:
In the first semester, students take ‘Corpus II, Core Course’; the Thesis Seminar and they choose one elective.
In the second semester, students take ‘Corpus I, Core Course’, they choose one elective and write their Thesis.

Contact information

For more information, contact the Co-ordinator of Studies