Course coordinator
Dr Martin Weber
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
This course is designed to interrogate the theoretical underpinnings of practices of explanation and understanding in International Relations (IR), and to provide learners with the means to formulate and use theories and theorems in their own investigations at an advanced level. We take a problem-driven approach to investigate, evaluate and reconstruct different theoretical approaches, and to unpacking their respective limits and potentials. Our focus is hence on `theories as practices', as significant elements for building compelling political analyses.
We endeavour to interrogate the theoretical underpinnings of practices of explanation and understanding in International Relations (IR), and to ﾠlearnﾠto formulate and use theories and theoremsﾠat an advanced level. We take a problem-driven approach to investigate, evaluate and reconstruct different theoretical approaches, and to unpack ﾠtheir respective limits and potentials. Our focus is hence on `theories as practices' as significant elements for building compelling political analyses, and on questions of how to approach theoretical thinking and design.ﾠ
Having completed this course, you should be able to competently interrogate and engage with contemporary debates in IR theory and beyond, and select, modify and deploy theoretical designs and arguments in the context of conducting your research.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course is designed for learners with good to advanced basic knowledge in social and political thought, and preferably a working knowledge of basic International Relations Theory. It is a good idea to read extensively across theory sections of IR textbooks prior to the beginning of classes (recommendations can be obtained by e-mailing the course convenor).
Students in the 32 Credit Masters (non-cognate discipline background) should complete their Part A coursesﾠbeforeﾠenrolling in POLS7251.
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
POLS7002
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
POLS7250
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Martin Weber
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course comprises 12 Seminars starting from Week 1.ﾠ
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide a comprehensive engagement with the conduct, problems, and significance of theoretical thinking and theory-design in International Relations (IR).
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Have an advanced understanding of the importance of theoretical thinking and design in IR research
LO2.
Be able to identify and interrogate both tacit and explicit theoretical commitments in IR research schemes
LO3.
Creatively and successfully build and defend theoretical frameworks for your own research endeavours
LO4.
Understand and negotiate the 'theory-dependence' of all knowledge critically, an be able to communicate the implications of this both to general audiences and in academic settings
LO5.
Have an advanced understanding of the relationship between theories and practices, and be able to successfully unpack and interrogate this
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/ Demonstration |
Encyclopedia Entry 1 (650-900 words)
|
20% |
4/04/2025 2:30 pm |
| Practical/ Demonstration |
Encyclopedia Entry 2 (650-900 words)
|
20% |
2/05/2025 2:30 pm |
| Essay/ Critique |
Long Essay (4000 words)
|
60% |
30/05/2025 2:30 pm |
Assessment details
Encyclopedia Entry 1 (650-900 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
4/04/2025 2:30 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L05
Task description
Choosing a concept from an approved list (accessible on Blackboard), you will write a draft entry (650-900 words) for a fictitious encyclopedia outlining the concept's meaning, significance and contested nature.
A more discursive task-description is available on the Blackboard Site for the course.
This task challenges you to produce a concise, clear and circumspect analytical text explaining the meaning, implications, and potential disagreements around a concept central to theoretical thought in IR.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. This policy extends to, and includes the use of write-assist software (e.g. Grammarly, or similar tools) and of translation-software; neither are permitted.
Submission guidelines
Please submit your Entry via the designated Turnitin Portal under the 'Assessment'-tab on Blackboard for POLS7251.
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Encyclopedia Entry 2 (650-900 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
2/05/2025 2:30 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L05
Task description
Choosing a concept from an approved list (accessible on Blackboard), you will write a draft entry (650-900 words) for a fictitious encyclopedia outlining the concept's meaning, significance and contested nature.
A more discursive task-description is available on the Blackboard Site for the course.
This task challenges you to produce a concise, clear and circumspect analytical text explaining the meaning, implications, and potential disagreements around a concept central to theoretical thought in IR.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. This policy extends to, and includes the use of write-assist software (e.g. Grammarly, or similar tools) and of translation-software; neither are permitted.
Submission guidelines
Please submit your Entry via the designated Turnitin Portal under the 'Assessment'-tab on Blackboard for POLS7251.
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Long Essay (4000 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:30 pm
- Other conditions
- Student specific.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
You will write an essay (4000 words; excluding bibliography) on a topic either chosen from the list of approved essay titles (Blackboard, published in Week 5), or arranged in consultation with course teaching staff.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Please submit via the designated Turnitin Portal under the 'Assessment'-tab on Blackboard for POLS7251.
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does notﾠaddress the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠaddresses the question poorly and showsﾠvery little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay andﾠemploys some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flowﾠappears throughout the assignment. The studentﾠaddresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However,ﾠfalls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument andﾠemploys an adequate research base to support the argument. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The studentﾠanswers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠprovides suitable evidence to support an argument andﾠemploys a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic andﾠprovides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic andﾠsucceeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument andﾠachieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be awarded on the following basis:
1.ﾠFailﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 – 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Students should note:
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Seminar |
What is Theory, and what is it for? (Seminar 1) In this session, we set out and discuss the plans for this course, before turning to some fundamental questions about the nature and purposes of theoretical thought and inquiry. Working from examples, we explore some of the challenges faced by any attempt at social and political inquiry, and consider and discuss the implications this has for developing compelling analyses of social and political problems. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Reading/Preparation Week - No seminar this week Reading/Preparation Week (Lecturer absent). |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Seminar |
Theories of Politics (Seminar 2) In our second session, we consider the question "what is politics". Although this question may inspire quick and easy answers and definitions, it becomes clear very quickly that these are in interesting ways unstable and misleading, although they may disclose aspects of what is 'political' adequately. Our task is to take this problem seriously, and consider how we can negotiate it for the purpose of analysis and an improved understanding of world affairs. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Seminar |
IR as a Social Science. (Seminar 3) In this seminar, we consider the 'science' question, how it has to be negotiated in the 'social sciences' generally, and in IR specifically. In the first part of the seminar, we will work out together what implications the 'science' label has for explaining and understanding IR. What does it mean to pursue 'rigorous analysis' in the social sciences? What can we hope to explain, and what must we understand? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Seminar |
History and International Relations (Seminar 4)It appears to be common-sensical to expect history to teach us lessons about the present, and about what may be possible in future. We work from this assumption, and how it turns up in our daily lives in order to identify how and why it may become problematic. How does 'the past' speak to us, and who is 'us'? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Seminar |
Theory is always for someone.... ... and for some purpose." Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Seminar |
The faces of Realism (seminar 6) Realist thought in IR is often presented with the air of self-evidence around its basic premises. As geopolitical tensions have heated up again, Realists confidently pronounce on the merits of their approaches. What are the premises? Why are there nevertheless different 'versions' of Realism? What does it mean to have to negotiate between them? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Seminar |
Who and what is Liberal thought in IR for? (Seminar 7) Liberal approaches to IR have generally been regarded to be concerned with explicating, explaining and promoting the resources for cooperation under conditions of ﾑanarchyﾒ, and for seeking to develop accounts of the institutional constraining of power-political ambitions. We produce a working definition of liberalism and 'liberal order thinking'. In the second part of the session, we draw on a text about the 'crisis of the liberal world order' to consider limitations, and the question of whether plausible or desirable alternatives are subsumed or sidelined in the context of liberal thought. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK No seminar this week |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Seminar |
Who and what is Marxist thought in IR for? (Seminar 8) Though never really developed in terms of a central theory of IR, Marxist thought has influenced the formation of disciplinary debates from the early days, and has done so in a wide range of different idioms. Rather than surveying the latter, we reconstruct in todayﾒs session some of the distinct premises of Marxist thought, and trace through what these mean for the use and deployment of critical concepts in IR theorizing. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Seminar |
Constructivism: Grand Synthesis, or the end of IR theory/ (Seminar 9) It is both tempting and expedient today to identify one's research as ﾑconstructivistﾒ. In this session, we look at constructivism in IR in two ways: On the one hand, as a cogent approach to expanding the range of explanatory variables and interpretive devices, directed at facilitating a principled methodological and theoretical pluralism in the study of IR; and, on the other hand, as a discourse used to include and exclude particular social and political analytics, and hence to ﾑdisciplineﾒ theorizing. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Seminar |
Postcolonial/Decolonial thought. (Seminar 10) There is a whole world of sophisticated theoretical inquiry and analysis that has only ever achieved a marginal presence in the context of disciplinary IR. In this session, we explore the profound challenges posited by ﾓthinking from the (presumed) marginsﾔ. What would it mean for IR scholars to learn lessons from ways of thinking and practicing politics differently? Why, for instance, did territorial conflict play no role in over 65,000 years of Aboriginal Australian history, and what does this imply for assumed certainties over human inclinations and capacities to develop institutions? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Seminar |
Your Topic For this session, we will focus on a topic previously decided on jointly, and on readings to complement it. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Seminar |
The Challenge of Theorizing World Politics. (Seminar 12) Todayﾒs session is essentially an argument. Based on the lessons we have been able to draw from the course, it is fair to posit the question of how fit the discipline of International Relations is in terms of its theoretical inventories to deal with contemporary world political problems. A range of tasks come into view, for which much more thorough, but also much more inclusive and sophisticated theoretical work will be needed. Based on what we have learnt so far, we venture into outlining some possibilities for moving ﾑtheory, theorizing, and our analysesﾒ forward. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.