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Study information

Applied Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Module titleApplied Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
Module codePOLM111
Academic year2025/6
Credits30
Module staff

Professor John Heathershaw (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

8

Number students taking module (anticipated)

20

Module description

The module introduces you to the practice of diplomacy and foreign policy.  We focus on actors and the issues and questions they face.  Seminars with diplomats, parliamentary staff, policy advisors and other professionals will introduce you to how decisions are made, and how actions are taken.  We will study the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, parliament, a think tank and/or charity, business, and an international organization.  The module will culminate with a three-day field trip in London to visit these institutions and take part in workshops and seminars.  Assessments will take the form of a book review of a memoir or other book by a practitioner and a concluding policy brief written from the perspective of a given actor.  

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to teach you the skills to engage in foreign policy research and diplomatic practice.  You will learn how to contribute to foreign policy decision making in a variety of practical contexts. Sessions will focus on actors and issues.  These may include but are not limited to: “How is British foreign policy informed by research”, “How to negotiate at an international organization”, “How do thinktanks, activists, and/or journalists influence policy”, “(How) does business make foreign policy” and “How does parliament scrutinise foreign policy”.  Each of these questions will be asked in the context of a particular contemporary policy issue with respect to – for example – war, climate change, or the economy.  Naturally, these issue cases will differ from year to year depending on world events. After learning about the actors and hearing from the practitioners, you will experience them in practice and meet practitioners during the field trip.  You will take part in a group presentation to practitioners and engage in discussion with these practitioners at their institutions.  You will compose a policy brief for one of the actors you have studied and observed on a contemporary issue.  The skills you will exercise are those required by potential employers, examples of which we will meet online in class and in person on the field trip.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge and understanding of the institutional and political context of an actor or organization working in foreign policy
  • 2. Research, write and present a policy analysis in a form which is suitable for an actor or organization working in foreign policy

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 3. Exercise informed judgement concerning the differences between the public face of policy and how policy is produced in practice
  • 4. Demonstrate the ability to understand the effect of an organization’s institutional and political contexts on its policies and programmes

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 5. Conduct independent research on a policy issue
  • 6. Summarise a complex issue in speech or writing for a specialist audience

Syllabus plan

The syllabus will include five academic workshops each focused on a particular foreign policy actor, a predeparture briefing before the field trip to prepare students for the experience and the required assessments, and the field trip itself.  The foreign policy actors studied include: governments (especially the UK Foreign Common and Development Office), international organizations, parliament, civil society and business.  In each session, we will also look at an issue such as international law, human rights, climate change, war & conflict resolution, and the economy.  Each session will include engagement with a practitioner, a practical exercise such as brief writing or negotiation skills, and an academic component which draws attention to how the political and institutional context affects policy processes and outcomes. The field trip will take place over three days and will involve visiting foreign policy actors.  The module is designed to combine in-class and in-field learning with the students meeting with practitioners in both contexts.  The exact composition of governmental and non-governmental actors with whom we engage will change from year to year depending on student interests and the availability of practitioners.  

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
402600

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities145 x practice-focused seminars; 2 x predeparture workshop / debrief
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities135 x field trip sessions at relevant institutions
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities13Field trip informal activities: Receptions, dinners, visits to institutions
Guided Independent Study260Reading, other research and study, completion of assignments, travel + communications

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Book review300 words1,2,3,4,6Oral / in-class

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
80020

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Policy Brief804,000 words1-6Written ELE
Group Presentation2010 minutes1,2,3,4,6Oral and Written (non-ELE)

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Policy BriefPolicy Brief (80%)1-6RWA
Group PresentationBook review (1,000 words) (20%)1,3,4,6RWA

Re-assessment notes

The 1,000 word book review is a brief analysis of a text written by a diplomat, journalist, business person, activist or other person working in foreign policy. Students may choose from the list of texts provided on the course webpage by the convenor or propose an alternative text to the course leader.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

  • Adler, E., and V. Pouliot (Eds.) (2011) International Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Adler, Emanuel, Niklas Bremberg, Maïka Sondarjee. 2024. “Communities of Practice in World Politics: Advancing a Research Agenda.” Global Studies Quarterly 4(1), https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksad070.
  • Berridge, G. R. (2010) Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 4th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Bull, H. (2002) The Anarchical Society: A Study of Order in World Politics, 3rd ed. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Constantinou, Costas M., and James Der Derian, eds. 2010. Sustainable Diplomacies. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 
  • Costantinou C., P. Sharp, and P. Kerr (2016) The Sage Handbook of Diplomacy. London: Sage Publications.
  • Der Derian, James. 1987. On Diplomacy: A Genealogy of Western Estrangement. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Kerr, P., and G. Wiseman (Eds.) (2013) Diplomacy in a Globalizing World: Theories and Practices. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Sending, Ole Jacob, Vincent Pouliot, and Iver B. Neumann, eds. 2015. Diplomacy and the Making of World Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Key words search

Foreign policy, diplomacy, practice, institutions, decision-making, field trip

Credit value30
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

7

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

12/05/2025