Introducing International Relations

Introduction

This free course introduces you to the world of International Relations (IR). It introduces some of the tools scholars of IR use and insight into two important areas of contemporary international relations and the debates they raise. It is an excellent way to begin your exploration of what international relations is all about and to develop a feel for what studying international relations involves.

• In Section 1, you will learn about what International Relations (IR) is and how it seeks to analyse global challenges.
• Section 2 will focus on how IR analyses the interactions between various actors, while addressing key issues and debates to better understand global interactions and dynamics.
• Section 3 will introduce you to the first case study, which explores the competition among great powers for resources and influence in Africa, examining the interplay of actors, issues and debates within this context.
• Section 4 will explore the case of international terrorism and, in a similar way to Section 3, you will gain a basic understanding of the main actors involved and the key issues and debates addressed.
• In Section 5, you will be introduced to key theoretical approaches in IR – realism, liberalism, constructivism and postcolonialism – each offering different ways to analyse and interpret global interactions and their implications.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course D228 Exploring international relations: actors, issues, perspectives [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .