Laboratory:non-western regionalisms. decentring international relations in theory and in practice

This workshop introduces students to the study of regional integration beyond the West from an International Relations theory perspective. It offers a theoretically informed examination of the supranational processes that characterise the development of regional communities beyond the West, with a focus on Asia. These range from the governance of polities and economies to the management of strategic infrastructure to the conduct of commercial and diplomatic business around the world. The module focuses on the institutional development and external impact of regional organisations, such as the Association of South East Asian Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the BRICS and examines how they interact to shape the character of contemporary world politics. Questions of regional integration, comparative regionalism and interregionalism will feature strongly in the module.

1) Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire understanding of the issues pertaining to regionalism beyond the West and gain a firm grasp of the concepts, terminology and theoretical frameworks used in International Relations theory for the study of comparative regionalism. 2) Intellectual skills: students will acquire the ability to think critically about the subject matter and identify and address key problems relevant to it. They will gain awareness of differing interpretations of the material and demonstrate ability to make coherent and independent arguments. 3) Transferable skills: students will develop their information gathering, analytical and writing skills, and will learn how to familiarise themselves with a complex new topic.