This course is available on the MSc in International Affairs (LSE and Peking University), MSc in International Relations, MSc in International Relations (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in International Relations (Research), MSc in Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics) and MSc in Theory and History of International Relations. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

How to apply: All students must include a brief written statement of no more than 200 words explaining why they wish to take the course and how it will benefit their goals.

Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025.You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025.

This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access) and demand is typically very high. While applications from outside students will be considered, priority will be given to IR students on the programmes specified in the availability section of this course guide. Offers to students from other programmes will be subject to remaining availability.

Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) is a sub-discipline of International Relations (IR) which focuses on individual decisions. FPA stands apart from mainstream IR approaches with its emphasis on the importance of particular individuals, groups, and organisations in foreign policy decision-making. FPA priorities ‘middle-range theories’ between broad IR theories and narrow case studies. The course covers these main theoretical approaches in FPA, such as leaders’ psychological makeup, groupthink, bureaucratic politics, and the role of public opinion in foreign policy formulation. The course then applies these theories to contemporary case studies, including the foreign policies of China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As such, the course aims to advance students’ understanding of contemporary international politics.  

LSE is currently evaluating the use of edit tracking tools for AI-resilient assessment. This course might use edit tracking tools for assessments.

10 hours of lectures and 13.5 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

Essay (1,500 words) in AT

Mock Exam in WT

Students will be expected to produce one 1,500 word essay for their seminar leader in AT and will sit one mock exam in WT.

The formative provides students with an opportunity to write essays which engage critically with key readings on course topics, and to receive constructive feedback to support their preparation for the summative assessments.

• Brummer, K. and Oppermann, K. (2024) Foreign Policy Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Morin, Jean-Frédéric, and Jonathan Paquin, Foreign Policy Analysis: A Toolbox, (Springer, 2018).

• Valerie Hudson and Benjamin Day, Foreign Policy Analysis: Classic and Contemporary Theory (Rowman & Littlefield, London, 2019).
 

Exam (60%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

Essay (40%, 2000 words) in January.