Social and Global Justice – (M.A.)

Some of the issues at the core of the course include the following:

* Is globalisation new? What does it entail in terms of identity and culture? Are we becoming global citizens?
* What is `global civil society´ and how well equipped is it to confront global institutions with new political demands?
* What are the prospects for current attempts to resist globalisation? Are these attempts necessarily `anti-capitalist´? Is there a compelling case for another kind of globalisation?
* How have theorists looked at the concept of Justice over time and in different contexts?
* What are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to `global justice´?
* What is the character of social movements opposed to globalisation? How successful are their attempts to engage and mobilise citizens?
* How well has the UK coped with the demands of integration into the global political economy? Has it maintained a fair deal for its own citizens?
* How well equipped are different theoretical perspectives to explore the nature of international politics - feminism, post structuralism, neo-realism, Marxism?
* Should NGOs be regarded as agents in the pursuit of equality and fairness, or as an obstacle to their realisation?
* What is the impact of `development´ on marginalised or oppressed groups, such as women and children?
* What is the relationship between `democratisation´ and self-governance? Is democratisation a cover for western imperialism?
* What are the causes and consequences of global environmental problems? Can they be addressed via a concern for environmental justice?
* Are `just wars´ really just? Can humanitarian intervention ever be justified?

A feature of the teaching on the MA is the openness to different approaches and methods in the study of contested concepts such as justice and globalisation. The many module options available in the School and beyond encourage you to broaden your understanding of how theory and practice are interlinked, to see how definitions of the just are pursued by social movements and enter the field of `governance´.

The availability of different perspectives to the key problems of our time will encourage you to develop a critical and engaged stance towards the positions of both those who affirm `globalisation´ and those who contest it.

A feature of the MA is that it is problem-driven, contemporary and applied to the analysis of key features of politics at a variety of levels from sub national to global. This is an MA for those who want to study the world as it is - not the world as it was.

You will also be encouraged to take options from outside the School in related areas such as Sociology (politics of migration, consumption, global citizenship), Law (human rights, international criminal law, critical legal theory) and Economics, home to the Leverhulme Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP). The School also has close relations with the School of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies, which offers modules in all aspects of contemporary theory - in particular postmodernism, post structuralism and post-colonial theory.
This course requires you to take core modules in:

* Globalisation and its Discontents
* Justice Beyond Borders: Theories of International and Intergenerational Justice

In addition, you will study a further 80 credits´ worth of optional modules. As an example, these might include modules in the following areas:

* Globalisation, Citizenship and Identity
* War, Peace and Terror
* Theories and Concepts in International Relations
* Non-Governmental Organisations
* International Politics of War Crimes
* Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution
* International Human Rights
* Globalisation, Governance and Public Policy
* Gender and International Development Policy
* International Political Economy
* Global Development

Please note that modules may change in order to keep abreast of political and academic developments.

Your studies will culminate in the research and writing of a 15,000-word dissertation. You will register your dissertation on a subject of your choice and will be allocated with an appropriate Research Supervisor to oversee your progress.