A2020 · Monash University · UG specialist
Bachelor of International Relations
Faculty of Arts
- Minimum ATAR
- 70
- Full time
- 3 years
- Part time
- 6 years
- Credit points
- 144
- Campus
- —
- Mode
- On campus
Overview
The Bachelor of International Relations examines the dynamics of power, governance, conflict, and cooperation at the local, national and global levels. In this course, you will study how national and global political institutions operate, how and why conflict and cooperation occur, and the role that power, political ideas, material resources, civil society, and historical legacies play in shaping the opportunities and the constraints for political actors, institutions, states and the wider structure of the international system. You will be taught how to explain and anticipate political behaviour, analyse the impact of political decisions, and to interpret the complexities and the interdependencies of national and international systems in an interconnected and ever-changing world.
In addition to acquiring disciplinary training and knowledge on international relations, this course offers five elective streams: i) Peace, conflict and security; ii) Policy and governance; iii) Comparative politics; iv) Development, rights and gender; and v) Climate futures. These elective streams are designed to deepen your expertise on those areas of international relations and politics in which you plan to pursue your future career.
The knowledge and the skills acquired through this course will provide you with the ability to interpret, analyse and affect political change in constantly evolving global and national contexts. You will be encouraged to develop your skills of critical and analytical thinking, teamwork, communication, intercultural competence, applied research skills and to use them to address the pressing challenges in international relations.
You will also have the opportunity to enrich your degree by honing your academic and professional skills through a range of flagship rich educational experiences (FREE). For more information on eligibility please see FREE.
First-year units
Level 1 units every student in this course takes or chooses from.
- ATS1056Geopolitical security in the Indo-PacificThis unit will provide you with a wide-ranging introduction to the core geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including great power competition; emerging and middle powers; competing regional and international organisations; d…
- ATS1071Introduction to politicsIn this unit you will be introduced to the essential ideas in the study of politics by applying them to cases and controversies central to public debate and policymaking in a rapidly changing world. The unit will provide you with an underst…
- ATS1873Introduction to international relationsIn this unit you will be introduced to key issues in International Relations (IR), from traditional preoccupations – such as international security, arms control, war and peacebuilding, and political violence and terrorism – to more recent…
- ATS1945Issues in Australian politics and governmentIn this unit you will explore the politics, government and key issues that challenge the Australian liberal democratic state. You will undertake study of the key theoretical issues and debates in Australian politics and governance and inter…
Course structure
Open a major, minor or specialisation to see its units.
Rules for completing this course
The course comprises 144 credit points, of which 96 credit points are international relations studies and 48 credit points are free electives. To satisfy the requirements of the Bachelor of International Relations you must complete 144 credit points as specified in the course requirements including: - a maximum of 60 credit points at Level 1; and - a minimum of 36 credit points at Level 3. Note 1. Units are 6 credit points unless otherwise stated. Note 2. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code.
Part A. Core studies
72 cpCore studies
24 cpYou must complete the following units
Specified elective studies
48 cpYou must complete 48 credit points from the following units, with at least 24 credit points at Level 3. Note: ATS2275 and ATS3275 are study tour units.
- ATS2275The European Union: Challenges, crises and opportunities6 cp
- ATS2298Understanding political violence6 cp
- ATS2319Public policy: Practice and impact6 cp
- ATS2321Political economy6 cp
- ATS2624Global governance6 cp
- ATS2836De-democratisation and contentious politics in 21st century America6 cp
- ATS2951 The politics of discrimination6 cp
- ATS2961Political ideas6 cp
- ATS3183Foreign policy analysis6 cp
- ATS3258Australia’s regional security challenges6 cp
- ATS3275The European Union: Challenges, crises and opportunities6 cp
- ATS3340International security studies6 cp
- ATS2314Comparative politics6 cp
- ATS2856Populism and the crisis of democracy6 cp
- ATS2858Politics of the Middle East and North Africa6 cp
- ATS2938Australian Indigenous Politics6 cp
- ATS2949The politics of sustainability6 cp
- ATS2947Election, parties and voters6 cp
- ATS3024Gender and international relations6 cp
- ATS3180Pacific Indigenous politics6 cp
- ATS3186The global south in international relations6 cp
- ATS3380Right-wing terrorism, extremism and fringe politics6 cp
- ATS3399The politics of identity6 cp
- ATS3660Global nuclear order 6 cp
- ATS3634Indigenous peoples globally6 cp
- ATS3705Knowledge and power in world politics6 cp
- ATS3719Modern political thought6 cp
- ATS3836Victorian parliamentary internship12 cp
- ATS3903Leadership, politics and power6 cp
Part B. Discipline studies
24 cpYou must complete 24 credit points from the following units or from the remaining units from Part A. that you have not yet completed, with at least 12 credit points at Level 3. Units are grouped into areas of interest. You may choose units from one area or across multiple areas to tailor your degree. The same units may appear in multiple areas/parts however each unit can only be credited once toward the degree.
Peace, conflict and security
Policy and governance
- ATS2256The mind, the self and political behaviour6 cp
- ATS2322Gender politics6 cp
- ATS2868Anarchy, property, and the state6 cp
- ATS3222Developing research literacy6 cp
- ATS3950Advocacy for academic freedom: Applied workshop in human rights campaigning6 cp
- ATS3974Nationalism and populism in the European Union6 cp
Comparative politics
- ATS3996Anxieties and apprehensions: Asian and European perspectives6 cp
- ATS2316Comparative disorientations: Circa 1492 6 cp
- ATS3222Developing research literacy6 cp
- ATS3580The modern Middle East6 cp
- ATS3950Advocacy for academic freedom: Applied workshop in human rights campaigning6 cp
- ATS3959Chinese politics and political cultures6 cp
- ATS3994World wars: Asian and European perspectives6 cp
Development, rights and gender
- ATS2378Global inequality and alternatives to development6 cp
- ATS2553Indigenous justice in Australia6 cp
- ATS2625Mobile worlds: Borders, displacement and belonging6 cp
- ATS2628Global inequality and international development 6 cp
- ATS3222Developing research literacy6 cp
- ATS3229Cities, globalisation and sustainability6 cp
- ATS3563Global consumption6 cp
- ATS3916Critical perspectives on human rights6 cp
- ATS3950Advocacy for academic freedom: Applied workshop in human rights campaigning6 cp
Climate futures
- ATS3229Cities, globalisation and sustainability6 cp
- ATS3554Resource evaluation and management6 cp
- ATS2871Environmental ethics6 cp
- ATS3222Developing research literacy6 cp
- ATS2548Climate and environmental policy and management6 cp
- ATS2628Global inequality and international development 6 cp
- ATS3563Global consumption6 cp
- ATS3730Imagining tomorrow, climate change and social futures6 cp
- ATS3950Advocacy for academic freedom: Applied workshop in human rights campaigning6 cp
Part C. Free elective studies
48 cpYou must complete 48 credit points of free elective study. Units not completed in Part B are recommended as they will enable you to further your knowledge in international relations more broadly. Free elective units may be chosen from the faculty or across the University as long as you have the prerequisites and there are no restrictions on admission to the units. The units may be at any level ensuring that the course rules are satisfied for the Bachelor of International Relations. You can enrich your degree by using some of your free electives to take a study tour, field trip or exchange opportunity. You can also use this space to hone your academic and professional skills with an internship or a range of practical units. See Arts enrichment and Intercultural studies list of units to discover the breadth of options available. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code; undergraduate units are those that commence with the numbers 1-3. You may need permission from the owning faculty to enrol in some units taught by other faculties. If you are enrolled in a double degree course, some units required for the other degree are credited as electives towards the international relations degree.