Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2109: International Organisations in a Contested World Order

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

We will study key theoretical approaches to international organizations and institutions: the neo-neo debate, functionalism, constructivism, international practice theory, and critical approaches drawing on both postcolonial and neo-Marxist thought.
We will identify the main dynamics favouring or threatening international institutions and organizations, as well as those driving their transformations.
We will present the challenges faced by international organizations in today’s – and tomorrow’s – international politics.
We will present a series of important international organizations, highlight their structures and working dynamics, and analyse them through the lenses of the theories and challenges previously discussed.

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	22	11 x 2hr in-class lectures and discussions
Guided independent study	40	Weekly reading and preparation for lectures and in-class discussions
Guided independent study	88	Preparation of the case-study and exam

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Websites of the international organizations analyzed in the module.
Websites and blogs on international relations, such as TheoryTalks.
Documentaries and podcasts on the international organizations analyzed in the module.