International Relations Case Study
10 weeks · 0 milestones
Analyse a real diplomatic, conflict, or cooperation case using a specific named IR theory (realism, liberalism, constructivism, or equivalent). Draw on primary sources throughout (UN documents, treaty texts, official government statements). Proof is the case study plus a Q&A with an IR practitioner or someone with a postgraduate IR qualification who challenges your theoretical framing — specifically, what a different IR theory would conclude about the same case and why. Your written response engaging with that challenge is a required part of the proof.
Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Select a real international case — a diplomatic dispute, a conflict, an international agreement, or a multilateral institution's decision — from recent international history (post-2000). Apply two or more IR theories (realism, liberalism, constructivism, or critical theory) to explain the actors' behaviour, the outcome, and why it unfolded as it did. Document the case with primary or credible secondary sources. Each theory must produce its own account — not a description of what happened narrated through two different vocabularies.
Proof required
IR case analysis document (700+ words) identifying the case with cited sources, applying two IR theories to produce distinct explanatory accounts, documenting where the theories converge and diverge, and explaining which account better fits the evidence and why.
What gets checked
- Case is from real international history with cited sources — not invented
- Both IR theories produce distinct explanatory accounts of the actors' behaviour and the outcome
- The comparative assessment explains which account better fits the evidence with specific reasoning