IR439      Half Unit
Diplomacy

This information is for the 2014/15 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Iver Neumann CLM 6.06

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in Global Politics, MSc in History of International Relations, MSc in International Affairs (LSE and Peking University), MSc in International Political Economy, MSc in International Political Economy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in International Political Economy (Research), MSc in International Relations, MSc in International Relations (LSE and Sciences Po) and MSc in International Relations Theory. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

The aims of the course are to provide intellectual challenge to academically able students by engaging with difficult and demanding material concerning diplomacy; to provide a basis for the further study of diplomacy, or to provide to students from other academic disciplines with sufficient knowledge of International Relations to enable them to conceptualise the study of diplomacy from the point of view of their own disciplines; to provide a historical and sociological background for eventual careers in diplomatic services or international organizations; and to provide a framework to assist concerned citizens to think about issues which will be of increasing importance in the 21st century. The objectives of the course are to promote a critical engagement with a wide range of literature, and to display this engagement via the development of a succinct writing style and the ability to present complex arguments orally.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 30 hours of seminars in the MT.

Formative coursework

Two 2,000-word essays and one simulated speech-writing session.

Indicative reading

Anderson, M[atthew] S[mith] (1993) The Rise of Modern Diplomacy 1450-1919.

London: Longman.

Berridge, Geoffrey R. (1995) Diplomacy. Theory and Practice. London: Prentice Hall.

Hamilton, Keith, and Richard Langhorne (1995) The Practice of Diplomacy: Its Evolution, Theory and Administration. London: Routledge.

Jönsson, Christer and Martin Hall (2005) Essence of Diplomacy. London: Palgrave.

Kissinger, Henry (2004) Diplomacy New York, NY: Simon & Schuster (idiosyncratically, this book is on statesman/statewomanship rather than on diplomacy).

Kissinger, Henry (1957) A World Restored. Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problem of Peace, 1815-22 Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Nicolson, Harold ([1939] 1963) Diplomacy, third ed., London: Oxford University Press (probably the most influential book on diplomacy ever written).

Satow, Sir Ernest (first ed. 1917) Satow’s Guide to Diplomatic Practice edited by Lord Gore-Booth. London: Longman (a handbook for the working diplomat; any of the seven editions will do).

Watson, Adam ([1982] 1984) Diplomacy: The Dialogue between States. London: Methuen (has the added interest of being written by a diplomat-scholar)

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.

Key facts

Department: International Relations

Total students 2013/14: 21

Average class size 2013/14: 10

Controlled access 2013/14: No

Lecture capture used 2013/14: Yes (LT)

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication