Course Catalogue

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This course will examine the politics of borders from a critical, interdisciplinary and historical perspective. It will examine how the politics of borders manifests itself in a range of issue-areas, including but not limited to debates about territory, migration, sovereignty, economy, security, nationalism, indigenous struggles against extractive industries and social movements against borders, climate change and imperialism and empire.

Seminar: two hours per week, for 10 weeks x 2

Entry to Honours Politics or International Relations requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over Politics 2A and Politics 2B as a first attempt.

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· Essay 2500 words (60%)

· Seminar group presentation (20%) and individual written version of the presentation (500 words) (10%)

· Seminar participation (10%)

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aim of this course is to provide students with the conceptual vocabulary and empirical knowledge to critically analyse the politics of borders. Using interdisciplinary insights from International Relations, Critical Border Studies, Migration Studies and Political Geography, the course seeks to equip participants with a conceptual toolkit to analyse borders, and understand the dynamics of their production, maintenance, extension, contestation and dissolution in key issues of global politics, such as territory, sovereignty, security, the economy, climate change, nationalism and colonialism.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Critically analyse the politics of borders in a range of issue-areas

■ Apply concepts and theories to current debates about borders in politics, International Relations and related disciplines

■ Demonstrate a historical understanding of the causes and consequences of borders in key global challenges

■ Synthesise theoretical and conceptual debates in the study of borders

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.