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Concepts and theories in international relations
What role do concepts and theories play in the study of International Relations? And what are the key features of each theory? Through a series of narrated mind maps and activities you will be introduced to the purpose and features of concepts and theories in the study of International Relations.
This free OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course D322 International relations: people, power and change – making IR theory accessible to everyone. You can find out more about The Open University courses and qualifications, tuition fees and funding options by visiting our online prospectus.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand the difference between concepts and theories of International Relations, and how they are used
- appreciate the difference between positivist and post-positivist approaches to International Relations
- have a good overview of a range of influential theories of International Relations
- recognise the key tenets, concepts, principles and theorists associated with the following International Relations theories: realism, Marxism, postcolonialism, constructivism, liberalism, ecofeminism, and poststructuralism
- critically analyse some of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different theories of International Relations.
First Published: 11/03/2026
Updated: 11/03/2026
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