About the School
International Relations is a distinct discipline which draws on diplomatic history, political theory, political economy, political science and international law to provide its own theoretical perspectives to explain conflict and co-operation in the modern world.
This enables students to assess developments in the international system and specific geographical regions. They explore issues such as the origins of war and peace, the making of foreign policy, trade regimes, international terrorism, military alliances, and the interaction of political and economic development.
Students also analyse the ways in which states relate to other international actors, and develop normative theories that relate the world as it is to the world as it might be.
Teaching
There are currently over thirty members of staff who participate in the teaching of courses leading to single or joint honours degrees in International Relations, postgraduate teaching and supervision.
Research
Our research is focused around three broad themes:
- One central theme, for both the field and the School, has always been how we should understand and think about conflict, peace and security. At St Andrews, this includes research on political violence and terrorism, international security, conflict between (and within) state and non-state actors, institutional responses to conflict, post-war reconstruction, normative theories of war and peace, human rights, regional tensions, the social construction of conflict, and the political economy of peace and violence.
- A second central theme has been how we should understand the evolving character of global and supra-national institutions. This encompasses work on formal international institutions (eg. the UN, regional associations), on regimes (environment, non-proliferation, on ideas about and practices of global order (the rise of great powers, the possibilities of global constitutionalism and global justice), and the interface between international relations and international law.
- A third theme is the interpenetration of civil societies and international relations, encompassing work on religion and politics, debates around trauma and memorialisation, work on the ways in which ‘hidden actors’ are represented and understood in international relations (eg. children), ideas and practices revolving around human rights politics, and the politics of resistance in the global south.
In addition we have major strengths in area studies which help to ground our research into these broad thematic areas. Some of this activity is carried out under the umbrella of our various research centres, some within other collaborative contexts both within and outside the university, and some by individual researchers
History of the School
IR has been taught at the University since 1978. A joint degree programme was initiated in the early 1980's invoving four lecturers working as an IR unit within the Department of Economics. A separate department was created in 1990, after the appointment of the first Professor Paul Wilkinson, becoming a School in its own right in 2003.
The School, which was located on the top floor of United College, in St Salvator's quadrangle for many years, moved to the new, purpose-built Arts building in September 2006.
