Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM144: The West, Civilisations and World Order

This module descriptor refers to the 2024/5 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

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

Part I: The Transatlantic Relation and the West

  1. Introduction
  2. What and Who’s ‘West’?
  3. Transatlantic Relations: History and Theory
  4. Transatlantic Security Relations and NATO
  5. The West and Civilizational Analysis

Part II: The West and World Order

  1. The West and (Liberal) World Order
  2. Western-Centrism in International Relations
  3. Human Rights: Universal Norms or Western Standard of Civilization?
  4. The Future of the West and World Order: Rising Powers and Authoritarianism
  5. The Future of the West and World Order: Populism and the Far-Right
  6. Final Seminar and Reflections

Learning and Teaching

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
222780

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities2211 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, discussion, reflection and simulations
Guided independent study278Reading (150 hours), preparation for seminar and presentations (50 hours), essay writing (78 hours).

Online Resources

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