M.A. in International Relations, Security & Strategy

Curriculum

This degree programme has been carefully curated for the online model and for a global audience. The program requires earning 60 credits by completing two kinds of courses: Core and Electives. The program is structured across four terms within one year. However, working professionals who require additional time have the option to extend their studies for up to two more years.

Term 1:

(Core courses, 5 credits each)

• International Relations Theory

• Diplomatic Practices

• Intelligence, War and Weapons

Term 2:

(Core courses, 5 credits each)

• Foreign Policies of Great, Middle and Small Powers

• Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Unconventional Threats

• Maritime Security and Naval Strategy

Term 3:

(Core courses, 5 credits each)

• Intelligence Analysis and Risk Assessment

• Law and Ethics in International Relations

• Negotiating and Resolving International Conflicts

Term 4:

Students will have the option to undertake only one of the following two distinct pathways to earn 15 credits in their final term:

1. Pathway I (Dissertation track)

   • Dissertation – 12 Credits

   • Research Methodology, Ethics, and Academic Writing Course - 3 Credits

2. Pathway II (Non-dissertation track)

   Students have the option to choose any THREE courses (Total 15 credits) which can include ONE cross elective out of the cross elective list of courses .

   • Elective (5 credits each)

     • Domestic Politics and their Impact on Foreign Policy

     • Nuclear, Space and Cyber Security

     • Climate Change, Migration and Human Security

     • Military Conflict and Deterrence in the 21st Century

     • The China-US New Cold War and the Indo-Pacific

     • Multilateral Institutions and Global Security

     • India’s Rise in World Affairs

   • Cross Elective (5 credits each)

     • International Organisations and Policy Regimes

     • Qualitative Analysis and Survey Design

     • Statistical Methods and Data Analysis

     • Development Economics

     • Democratic Governance

Course Workload & Pedagogy

1. A total of 12 courses over 4 terms covered in 12 months

2. All courses (Core and Electives) are worth 5 credits each

3. 75 hours of learning engagement time (i.e., student time spent on lecture videos, essential readings, live interactive sessions, discussion, and graded and ungraded assessments)

   • 16 hours of pre-recorded videos (approximately 2 hours of video content per module/week. These 2 hours are divided into multiple videos of 8-10 minutes each for every lesson of the week.)

   • 20 hours of reading (one article or book chapter per week),

   • 15 hours of graded and non-graded assessments

   • 15 hours of live sessions.

   • 9 hours of discussions at the end of a module/week through office hours/discussion prompts

4. The dissertation, worth 12 credits, spans the entire final term. Students opting for the dissertation will also need to complete a 3-credit Research Methodology, Ethics, and Academic Writing course during this period. In this period, students will focus on developing their dissertation thesis under the guidance of their assigned faculty mentor.

Assessment

• This degree program has designed its assessment with a view to promote academic rigour, upholding existing standards followed on campus at O.P. Jindal Global University and promoting the development of collaborative learning with a specific focus on the development of research and critical thinking skills in our students. All assessments have been designed to promote learner engagement and student success in the online model.  

• Student performance shall be assessed in relation to program and course learning outcomes. The criteria for assessment of course learning outcomes have been clearly delineated in the faculty-graded assessment of each course with a detailed rubric that lays down expectations from the student in line with desired learning outcomes.  

• Assessment shall be both formative and summative. The purpose of formative assessment is to provide feedback to students on their work to enhance their learning and to help them achieve the course's intended learning outcomes. The purpose of summative assessment is to allocate appropriate grades. 

Description of Core Courses

• International Relations Theory and Praxis: It investigates the existing practices of international politics and relations during and after the Cold War and the issue of whether problems of praxis (individual and collective choices) can be subjected to 'theoretical treatment'. 

• Diplomatic Practice: This course aims to impart practical knowledge of how diplomacy is conducted and practised by States defending their respective national interests. The role of Embassies/High Commissions is looked at along with the immunities and privileges available to diplomats and diplomatic premises. After surveying political, economic, cultural, diaspora, and para diplomacy, the impact of the internet and social media on diplomatic practice is examined in some detail.

• Intelligence, War, and Weapons: This course will discuss the fundamentals of intelligence gathering and will examine how warfare is conducted, the importance of weapons, and the strategies which have been employed in different wars. It will examine ancient and medieval era wars and have case studies of contemporary wars. It will look into different weapon systems and what is the role and utility of new systems in defining new templates for wars.

• Foreign Policies of Great, Middle, and Small Powers: This course will discuss the foreign policies of various countries classified by size and comprehensive power. The course aims to develop students' ability to compare and contrast the strategies of superpowers or great powers vis-à-vis weaker countries. It will train students to approach key events counterfactually and counter-intuitively, and thereby help students develop a thorough understanding of policy-making processes, causes, and consequences. 

• Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Unconventional Threats: This course will discuss the debate about terrorism and examine how it is different from political violence. It will delve into the reasons for the rise in terrorism and the problems in joint coordinated action against terrorism. The terrorist outfits active in Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, Europe, and Africa will be analysed in detail, and students will learn about the activities and resource and cadre mobilisation of these groups. 

• Maritime Security and Naval Strategy: This course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the entire range of prevailing maritime threats and challenges of the 21st century, with a special focus on the Indo-Pacific region. The curriculum includes an overview of international maritime law, covering the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and various IMO conventions related to maritime safety and security. The course will also cover a study of naval strategy and the contemporary role of world navies. 

• Intelligence Analysis and Risk Assessment: This course will help you develop an understanding of the world of intelligence and the precipitous paradigm of risk assessment. While delving into the mechanics, nuts, and bolts of intelligence analysis in any domain, this course will help you gain an insight into the intellectual and emotional challenges involved. The structure of the course is based on the conviction that intelligence analysis is essential to any functional domain of humanity. The course establishes a fine balance between theoretical and illustrative content combined with iconic case studies.  

• Law and Ethics in International Relations - When we talk about International Relations, we speak of power, interests, and cost-benefit analysis of states and state actors. This course will introduce students to the major theoretical and applied dimensions of normative theories and international ethics by engaging them in critical debates surrounding complex moral questions of the contemporary world. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students will examine multiple ethical dilemmas of the 21st century in the context of debates about drone warfare, terrorism, torture, humanitarian interventions, climate change, etc., to evaluate current international practices through a moral prism.

• Negotiating and Resolving International Conflicts - The study of international conflicts is highly problematic due to three reasons: the multi-causality of the conflict, the problem of consequences ranging from micro to macro level, and the lack of accurate knowledge about the motivations of the parties in the conflict. This course gives the student an overview of various theories that explain the processes of negotiations, peacebuilding, and conflict transformation. It will enable the student to rethink the efficacy of theories in light of case studies of conflict resolution from around the world, offer practical exercises of peace design, and develop tools to assess government and civil society actions in contexts of internal and inter-state armed conflict.