International Relations - School of Political Science and ...

www.uq.edu.au/study 

Graduate Programs in 

International Relations 

> Master of International Studies (International Relations) 

> Graduate Diploma in International Studies (International Relations) 

> Graduate Certificate in International Studies (International Relations) 

School of Political Science and International Studies

International Studies 

(International Relations) 

International Relations (IR) is one of the most exciting 

components of political science. Increasingly, professional 

opportunities are linked to, and pursued within, a shrinking 

and more complex world. Traditional dimensions of IR remain 

central to international peace and prosperity. These include: 

international diplomacy, arms control, alliance politics, 

institutionalism and development studies at both the regional 

and global levels. Newer dimensions of IR however, are also 

moving toward centre-stage, becoming integral components 

of the field. These include international political economics, 

environmental politics, refugee and migration problems, human 

rights and human security. The rapidly expanding and diverse 

array or issue-areas that can be studied under the IR rubric 

establishes the field as a dynamic and important part of our 

daily lives. 

The School of Political Science and International Studies at The 

University of Queensland has a strong and growing research 

and teaching profile in the field of international relations. It has 

close ties with several Commonwealth government agencies 

(including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the 

Department of Defence) as well as with a number of overseas 

institutions and research centres in Asia, Europe and North 

America. 

The programs bring together the sub-disciplines of international 

relations, security studies, diplomacy and political economy. 

These are fields of study that are often offered separately. 

However, in an era of increasing internationalisation of political 

issues and the globalisation of the economy, presenting issues 

in strict separation risks intellectual credibility. By bringing 

together these various issues and streams in cohesively 

constructed programs, the processes of policy formulation 

and implementation will become more apparent to students 

undertaking this field of study. 

Employment Outcomes 

Qualifications in international relations can lead directly to 

employment in a range of positions requiring analytical expertise 

and sound knowledge of global issues. The postgraduate 

qualifications are designed to equip students with capacities 

relevant to careers in such areas as diplomacy, defence, 

journalism, intelligence and a wide variety of both government 

and NGO positions. 

Particular strengths of the program include: 

• Domestic students can balance their study load by 

selecting between one and four courses per semester. 

• You will study with students from a wide range of 

countries, organisations and professions. 

• Teaching is conducted in small groups and most classes 

are held in the evening. 

• Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate satisfies 

the entry requirements for the Graduate Diploma and 

Masters degrees. 

• The degrees (Graduate Certificate, Graduate 

Diploma, and Masters) are articulated so that full credit is 

forwarded towards the next level of qualification. 

• The program incorporates an Internship/Applied Field 

Experience option, for which students can apply. To 

date, students have been placed with the United Nations 

High Commission for Human Rights, the United Nations 

High Commission for Refugees, the Centre for Applied 

Studies in International Negotiation in Geneva, 

International Alert, the Australian Red Cross and many 

other organisations. 

• Teaching staff are recognised as being world class in their 

respective fields. They regularly engage with national 

and international agencies to provide policy advice, 

research, consultancy and training. These agencies 

include Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and 

Trade, various United Nations bodies, think tanks such 

as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and nongovernment 

agencies such as the Medical Association for 

the Prevention of War and Swiss Agency for International 

Development. 

• Staff research has been supported by the Australian 

Research Council, the United States Institute of Peace, 

the Carnegie Foundation, the Japan Foundation, and the 

Humboldt Foundation.

Master of International Studies 


Entry Requirements 

An applicant must hold an approved degree 

or have successfully completed the Graduate 

Diploma in International Studies (International 

Relations). The applicant must also satisfy the 

Executive Dean and Head of School that they 

are suitably qualified for admission. 

Program of Study 

Obtain credit for #24 units (a standard course 

is valued at #2 units) from the following list of 

courses: 

Required courses: 

• Advanced International Studies #4 

Core courses: 

(#10-12 units from the list below): 

• Globalisation, International Political 

Economy & Development #2 

• International Relations of the 

Asia-Pacific #2 

• International Security #2 

• Evolution of the International System #2 

• Foreign Policy, Diplomacy & Statecraft #2 

• Arms Control & Disarmament #2 

Elective courses: 

(#8-10 units from the list below): 

• Conflict Prevention & Resolution #2 

• Ethics & Human Rights #2 

• Contemporary Peacekeeping #2 

• Peacebuilding #2 

• Gender in International Politics & 

Development #2 

• Culture, Conflict & Reconciliation #2 

• Development Administration #2 

• Independent Study #2 

• Specialist Studies in International 

Politics #2 

• Research Report (MIS) #6 

• The Politics of Development Practice #2 

• Research Methods #2 

Students may also be able to undertake an 

internship with an Australian government or nongovernment 

organisation in lieu of an elective. 

In addition to the listed electives, students may 

be able to enrol in selected courses from other 

Schools within the University. Please consult the 

Program Director. These courses may include: 

• International Issues in Community 

Development #2 

• International Dispute Settlement #2 

• International Humanitarian Law #2 

• Mediation #2 

• Tolerance & Conflict in the Contemporary 

Middle East #2 

Graduate Diploma in 





or have successfully completed the Graduate 

Certificate in International Studies (International 

Relations). The applicant must also satisfy the 

Executive Dean and Head of School that they 

are suitably qualified for admission. 



is valued at 2 units) from the following list of 

courses: 









(#4 units from the list below): 

• Conflict Prevention & Resolution #2 

• Ethics & Human Rights #2 

• Contemporary Peacekeeping #2 

• Peacebuilding #2 

• Independent Study #2 

• Specialist Studies in International 

Politics #2 

Graduate Certificate in 





or other post-secondary studies and relevant 

experience may be considered in lieu of a 

completed degree. 



is valued at 2 units) from the following list of 

courses: 




(#4 units from the list below): 







Applications 

The last date for postgraduate coursework 

applications for first semester is 31 January. 

However all prospective applicants are 

encouraged to apply well before that date. 

Applications for second semester should be 

received by the first week in July. 

Australian and New Zealand Students 

Applications forms are available at: 

www.uq.edu.au/study/forms/postgrad/ 

ApplicPostgradCourse.pdf 

International Students 

Application forms are available at: 

www.uq.edu.au/studyforms/international/ 

InternatGradCourseworkAppForm.pdf

Course Descriptions 

Advanced International Studies 

Provides students with a broad introduction to 

international relations and peace studies. This is 

a compulsory course for all students entering the 

program. After engaging the main conceptual 

approaches, such as realism, liberalism, pacifism 

and critical theory, the course addresses a 

range of key contemporary issues, such as the 

role of foreign policy, international institutions, 

sovereignty, inequality, humanitarian challenges, 

conflict resolution and human rights. 

Globalisation, International Political 

Economy and Development 

Examines the economic and political aspects of 

globalisation. The course introduces students to a 

range of theoretical perspectives on international 

political economy, globalisation and development. 

International Relations of the 

Asia-Pacific 

Explores the politics, economics, and international 

relations of the Asia Pacific region at both the intra 

and inter regional levels. Particular attention is 

paid to East Asia and the possibility of hegemonic 

competition between the US, China and Japan. 

The intention of the course is to provide an 

understanding of East-Asia’s post-war development 

and its relations with the US in particular. 

International Security 

Explores the emerging international security order, 

including patterns of conflict, the War on Terror, 

and a range of detailed studies of key issues 

affecting global and regional security. Case study 

teaching features prominently in this course. 

Evolution of the International System 

Examines the evolution of the international system 

from ancient Greece and Rome, through medieval 

and renaissance Europe to the emergence of the 

modern system. Debates the key ideas that these 

developments have evoked. 

Foreign Policy, Diplomacy and Statecraft 

Examines the practice of modern diplomacy. The 

course looks at how foreign and defence ministries 

in key states are responding to the challenges of a 

rapidly evolving international political environment. 

It draws on a number of contemporary diplomatic 

case studies, both routine and crisis, in order 

for students to develop a set of practical skills in 

foreign policy analysis. 

Arms Control and Disarmament 

Addresses the political, strategic and humanitarian 

issues directing arms control and disarmament 

processes. The course examines conventional 

weapons, and weapons of mass destruction 

(nuclear, biological and chemical), and the ways in 

which the international community has sought to 

limit or proscribe these. 

Conflict Prevention and Resolution 

Engages the theoretical underpinnings important 

to the literature and the skills central to the 

practice of conflict resolution; examines processes 

including mediation; introduces the key skills and 

qualities relevant to third party conciliation in a 

variety of conflict scenarios. 

Ethics and Human Rights 

Addresses key ethical dilemmas in world politics. 

The course first investigates traditions of ethics in 

an attempt to demonstrate how we have come to 

think about issues of peace, morality and justice 

in domestic and global politics. The second part 

then engages a range of practical issues, including 

human rights, international law, just war debates, 

humanitarian intervention, war crimes and 

poverty. 

Contemporary Peacekeeping 

Provides an in-depth study of peace operations and 

contains a unique peacekeeping simulation where 

students take on the role of UN peacekeepers, 

civilian staff, and non-governmental organisations 

to implement a peace agreement in a fictional 

country. During the course, students explore the 

historical evolution of peacekeeping, the different 

types of peacekeeping and peacekeeping actors as 

well as a range of contemporary problems such as 

transitional administrations and the use of force. 

Peacebuilding 

Examines key dynamics of peacebuilding theory 

in relation to conflict, international organisations, 

governance and civil society and addresses 

problems of peacebuilding in practice through the 

use of regional case studies, such as Cambodia 

and East Timor. 

Gender in International Politics and 

Development 

Analyses how international trends influence 

women and children in work, families and sexual 

behaviour. The course explores the impact of 

conflict and development on women and analyses 

practical approaches to gender inequality through 

international organisations and development 

agencies. 

Culture, Conflict and Reconciliation 

Examines theories of culture, identity and 

difference. The course explores cultural conflict 

and multiculturalism, collective trauma, politics 

of remembering and forgetting and different 

approaches to reconciliation. 

Development Administration 

Examines the administrative context of development 

in post-colonial states, with particular reference to 

sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and the Pacific. 

The course also looks at internal bureaucratic 

reform and the search for political stability and the 

constraints applied by external actors including the 

UN, WTO, international aid agencies and the World 

Bank. 

Independent Study 

Provides students with an opportunity to study 

areas of special interest within the competence 

of the supervisory staff but not normally available 

within the existing program. 

Research Report (MIS) 

10,000 - 12,000 word research report on a topic 

of the student’s choice, approved by the Program 

Director demonstrating application of research 

methods to that specific topic. 

Research Methods 

An introductory overview of approaches to social 

science research. It will equip students with an 

understanding of research design and the different 

research methodologies required to undertake the 

most common forms of qualitative and quantitative 

data collection and analysis used in social science 

research. 

The Politics of Development Practice 

Focuses on the centrality of governance to 

development practice, both at the macroinstitutional 

level and at the level of civil society. 

It addresses contemporary debates over aid 

conditionality and the focus of international 

agencies on transitions to and deepening of 

democracy in developing countries. 

Specialist Studies in International 

Politics 

This course allows students to study emerging 

issues in the field of political science or international 

studies. Students will be directed to enrol in 

this course where appropriate by their Program 

Director. 

A range of courses may also be taken outside the 

School as electives in the program provided that 

permission is obtained from the Program Director. 

These include: 

International Issues in Community 

Development 

Examines the changing contexts of international 

community development, particularly in relation to 

globalisation, growth of international development 

institutions and organisations, and critiques of the 

development paradigm. 

International Dispute Settlement 

Covers the procedures and institutions used for 

the settlement of international disputes. The 

course focuses on the legal infrastructure available 

to states to settle disputes without recourse to 

physical force, through the use of adjudicatory 

and non-adjudicatory means such as inquiries, 

conciliation, arbitration and international courts. It 

also considers, to a lesser extent, mechanisms that 

allow resolution of disputes between legal persons 

and the state in the international system, and the 

role of non-governmental organisations. 

International Humanitarian Law 

Examines the international legal standards 

governing the conduct of armed conflicts. 

Candidates who complete the course should 

acquire the ability to interpret, apply and critically 

engage with key international rules in this area. 

Tolerance and Conflict in the 

Contemporary Middle East 

Examines cultural and historical factors behind 

episodes of violence plaguing the contemporary 

Middle East. Topics covered include Islamic notions 

of tolerance, treatment of non-Muslims in Islamic 

societies, and the effect of nationalism upon former 

notions of communal organisation. 

Further Information 

For more information on the 

International Studies (International 

Relations) programs, contact: 

School of Political Science 

and International Studies 

The University of Queensland 

Telephone: +61 7 3346 9544 

Facsimile: +61 7 3365 1388 

Email: pols@uq.edu.au 

Website: www.uq.edu.au/polsis 

Oct05 CRICOS Provider Number 00025B

International Relations - School of Political Science and ...

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