MA International Public Policy and Public Management

Course Code DNT2LL44201
Attendance Part Time
Award Degree of Master of Arts

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Why Choose Us
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Course Profile
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Overview

Student in Seminar This innovative MA combines the study of how policy is made at both national and international levels. Students consider the impact of international organisations, including the EU, on national governments, and develop an advanced understanding of the main theories applied in the study of public policy and public management. Political science is the core discipline, but students can usually choose modules from other disciplines, including business and management, environmental sciences, international development and law.

WHY STUDY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AT UEA?

In PSI, we pride ourselves on providing top quality teaching. Independent monitors have given us top marks for our teaching and we have consistently scored highly in student surveys too. We offer research-led teaching which means that your lecturers will be able to give the most up-to-date, cutting edge information on your subject of study. We think you will find it a stimulating environment to study. Many students come from Britain, of course, but others come from all over the world. It will only help in your studies to meet and learn from people from all sorts of different cultures.

COURSES, CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

The MA lasts twelve months for full-time students and two years for those studying part-time. You will have seminars and lectures during the first two semesters and then over the summer you will work on your dissertation which is handed in at the start of September.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Over the course of the MA, you will develop a variety of transferable skills. These include debating, giving oral presentations, team work, project work and essay writing. All students also take a module called Methods of Social Enquiry which is specifically designed to help you improve your research skills. This will enable you to write a better dissertation, but it will also be useful if you decide to take up a career in research.

DISSERTATION

The dissertation is a very important part of the MA. Students choose their own topic and are allocated an individual supervisor who gives advice on all aspects of writing and researching a dissertation. The School also organises a Postgraduate Day when all postgraduates, including MA and PhD students, meet together and discuss their research. There is a session set aside for MA students to discuss their dissertation proposals. A guest speaker also gives a talk on the subject of his or her research and there is still time to socialise over a free buffet lunch.

COURSE ASSESSMENTS

Assessment is based on a mix of dissertation, essays, research papers, performance in seminars, tests and formal examinations.

BRUSSELS TRIP

Most years, a trip to Brussels is organised for MA students. The trip includes two or three nights in a city centre hotel at a subsidised rate. We visit the EU and NATO and there are opportunities to ask officials and military people questions on their work. It is also a chance to meet graduates from UEA who are now working in or near Brussels.

POST-GRADUATE ONLINE JOURNAL

At their own initiative, MA students recently set up an e-journal, called Irrational, which publishes the work of students. It can be found at the PSI website: www.irrationalmagazine.org

CAREERS

It is difficult at the moment to find good jobs, but it is always good to have an extra qualification, and an MA is a good way of making yourself look a bit different from the rest. The career centre at the University is an excellent resource, and it helps us put on special days for students studying Politics when people working in the field come and discuss their jobs and how they got into them. Recent graduates from our MA programmes have taken up jobs in a wide variety of fields, including: business, teaching, policy research, government, pressure groups and international organisations.

Course Organiser

Prof Hussein Kassim

Course Brochure

View Course Brochure

Why Choose Us?

The School of Political, Social and International Studies offers a wide range of MA degrees. They all aim to combine an emphasis on student choice with professional training in research skills, but vary in the emphasis they place on the latter. Several of the MA programmes have Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC) recognition. This means that they meet national criteria for the training of social scientists. These skills are very valuable to a wide range of careers.

The MA degrees are led by a team of enthusiastic teachers. We offer a distinctive set of MA programmes that reflect UEA's long-standing tradition of research-led, interdisciplinary teaching.

Our MA students in Media and Cultural Politics were recently given the opportunity to attend a day long seminar with the leading critical theorist Stuart Hall. As part of the Issues in Media and Cultural Politics core module, we took our students to the 'Soundings' day long research seminar held at Marx House in London. Professor Stuart Hall provided the keynote address in which he described how modern capitalism has colonised public life, and provided a critical reflection upon the extent to which there was any opportunity for symbolic meaning to generate an alternative culture and politics. There was a lively discussion by many of the participants which gave our MA students the opportunity to engage with significant figures in the world of media and cultural politics at first hand.

Career Destinations for our MA and Diploma Students

The careers that our students follow after gaining one of our MAs or Diplomas vary greatly, but typical careers include: further postgraduate research in universities or other more policy-oriented domestic or international institutions, the media, diplomacy, international marketing and business. The 2005 EU Studies Guide featured the experience of two former MA students on "Why choosing the right degree could land you the perfect job".

Catch the latest debates and issues in the field of international relations at www.irrationalmagazine.wordpress.com/. Latest essays range from refugee repatriation to rape as a weapon in war. Irrational is edited by post-graduate students at UEA in PSI and Development Studies.

Year 1
Year 2

Year 1

Compulsory Study (60 credits)

Students will select 60 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
European Union: Power, Politics and Policy This module studies the integration process in Europe. It introduces the evolution of political and economic co-operation. The main political actors and their roles are identified and the workings of the European Union as a polity assessed in the light of relevant theoretical discourses and interpretations. more...	PSIIM003	20	Semester 1
Public Management: Theories and Change This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public management, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of developments in public management in a variety of settings. Students who successfully complete this module will be able to demonstrate: a critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public management and organisational behaviour; familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public management; substantive knowledge of the theory and practice of the new public management; a critical understanding of public management reform in the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and familiarity with debates concerning the operation and impact of international organisations, including the EU, on public management at the national level. more...	PSIPM021	20	Semester 1
Public Policy: Theory and Analysis This module enables students to develop advanced understanding of the main theories, models and concepts used in the study of public policy, the main debates in the field, and substantive knowledge of public policy in a variety of settings. Students successfully completing the module will be able to demonstrate: - critical understanding of the main theoretical approaches used in the study of public policy - familiarity with the main debates in the scholarly literature on public policy - advanced knowledge of public policy and policy processes in a variety of national settings - familiarity with the main theories and debates relating to the operation and impact of international organisations, including the European Union, on domestic policy and policy-making processes. more...	PSIPM023	20	Semester 1

Option A Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Advanced Topics in Competition Law and Economics Using the link between the Law School and the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy (CCP), this module utilises the cutting-edge research which is going on in the CCP. The module is convened by a law faculty member of the CCP and the convenor attends all the seminars, but the module involves the other law faculty members of the CCP as well as CCP research associates, post-docs and research students. The module is research-led, based around a number of recent research papers either by CCP members or others and interdisciplinary. The topics change year by year, depending on who on the faculty are involved and the interests of the students. Three or four different topics within competition law and economics are chosen for the semester. Each topic opens with an introductory lecture ' by a faculty member who gives a thorough overview of the subject and the current state of research in that area, along with potential research avenues - followed by a general discussion of these issues in class. For the remaining seminars on that subject, there are two types of presentations for each subject: a CCP member presents a piece of his/her research to and a student presents a piece of research by a CCP member with the author in the audience. The second type of presentation is to be preceded by the author explaining the background to the paper, eg the choice of that particular subject, the choice of that particular methodology, etc. Both types of presentations are to be followed by a discussion of the paper in the class. Each student on the module presents a research paper, thereby determining the number of papers presented by a CCP member. The module will be open to research students who will be encouraged to participate. more...	LAW-M616	20	Semester 2
Climate Change Policy for Development This module aims to develop critical knowledge of the contextual and policy components of climate change (CC) and development issues. Teaching is mainly through weekly lectures and workshops, supplemented by seminars and video presentations. Topics include: the international negotiations on climate change; the North-South politics of climate change; carbon markets (Voluntary and compliance based); World Bank finance for energy and climate change; adaptation and vulnerability; gender and climate change; sector and region specific analysis of climate impacts. more...	DEV-M093	20	Semester 1
Climate Change: Physical Science Basis Climate change and variability have played a major role in shaping human history and the prospect of a warming world as a result of human activities (global warming) presents society with an increasing challenge over the coming decades. This module covers the science of climate change and our current understanding of anthropogenic effects on climate. It provides details about the approaches, methods and techniques for understanding the history of climate change and for developing climate projections for the next 100 years, supporting further study of the scientific or policy aspects of the subject in either an academic or applied context. Co-taught with ENV-3A49. TO TAKE THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY TAKEN ENV-3A48, ENV-3A49 OR EQUIVALENT. more...	ENV-MA49	20	Semester 1
Competition Law in the Global Economy This module examines the challenges of competition law enforcement in the international context. Key themes include: (1) Jurisdictional issues: the extraterritorial application of national competition laws, bilateral co-operation, harmonisation and soft-multilateralism, international law and the WTO; (2) Comparative insights: the manifestation of competition policy issues across a number of important national jurisdictions; (3) Advanced case studies: looking in detail at competition cases where a number of jurisdictions have been involved and where competition policy has intersected with other national and international policy agendas (in particular, trade and development policy). more...	LAW-M604	20	Semester 2
Gender Difference and Social Policy This module explores relations between social policies (defined broadly) and various forms of identity and difference. It focuses on the experiences of developing countries and pays particular attention to gender issues, although other aspects of diversity (such as ethnicity, disability and age) are also addressed explicitly. The module has both theoretical and more practical components, including sessions on gender planning and mainstreaming analysis. This module has a limit of 40 students. more...	DEV-M066	20	Semester 2
International Competition Law Competition laws have been adopted in around 120 countries around the world over the last thirty years, and have become of great significance to international firms wishing to successfully merge or avoid costly punishment for anti-competitive conduct. This module is designed to allow an understanding of the core concepts of competition and the substantive law and procedure of competition law, in particular of the European Union, but also of other jurisdictions as relevant. Seminars will be built around the legal provisions and case law on each topic. Classes will investigate the means by which competition laws tackle such problems as cartels and anti-competitive agreements among undertakings, monopolies and the abuse of dominant positions, vertical agreements, merger control and state aid. Broader issues ' such as remedies and enforcement strategies and wider questions of policy and regulatory design ' will also be reviewed. more...	LAW-M647	20	Semester 1
International Organisations and Public Policy The module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the role of international organisations and their impact on public policy and public management at the domestic and international levels. Students will discuss critically the theories, models and concepts used in the analysis of international cooperation, competing perspectives in international politics and demonstrate the role they play in public policy and public management. The UN, NATO, IMF, WTO, World Bank and EU will be examined and why sovereign states decide to establish these and other international organisations. Their role in security, trade, finance, gender and environmental policy will be considered and the factors which determine their design and evolution. The extent to which their operation reflects underlying power and interest will be evaluated and the extent to which they have democratic legitimacy. more...	PSIIM006	20	Semester 2
International Relations Theory This module will give students an essential grounding in International Relations theory, that is, the different ways we understand and predict international politics. The module is structured around the positivist/post-positivist divide and starts with classical realism and neo-realism, and liberalism and neo-liberalism. It then explores constructivism before turning to more critical theories like post-colonialism, feminism and gender studies, and Marxism. By the end of the module you will design your own IR theory. The module will be taught predominantly using lectures and seminars but will make use, where appropriate, of film and documentaries in order to explore different theoretical schools, both thematically and empirically. more...	PSIIM011	20	Semester 1
Politics and Public Affairs This module enables students to develop an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest, advocacy groups and others to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics. more...	PSIPM034	20	Semester 2
Regulation This module provides a foundation in the theory and practice of economic regulation, incorporating economic, business, legal and political science perspectives. The module is a research-led programme based on the research undertaken in the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy and assumes no previous studies of economics. more...	PSIPM028	20	Semester 2
Russian Foreign Policy The module considers how far Russian foreign policy has changed since the end of the Cold War. It studies the internal and external determinants of foreign policy, looks at key policy issues and examines relations between Russia and other states and regions. more...	PSIIM008	20	Semester 2
Theory of Competitive Markets Theory of Competitive Markets covers the theory and reality of how markets with small numbers of firms function. Students will develop an appreciation of the effects the action of one firm can have on consumers and other firms, and how competition law and its enforcement responds to this. This is invaluable for those intending to work in competition law, whether in legal practice or beyond. more...	LAW-M660	20	Semester 2
Understanding Global Environmental Change This module provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the analysis and understanding of issues of environmental change, and of the relationships between environment and development. Students will have a critical understanding of social constructions of cause and effect relationships in environment and development issues, including a critical understanding of scientific assessments. They will be able to link these understandings to topics encountered in other courses, and to develop their own perspectives on environment and development issues. In particular they should understand the somewhat different perspectives in `less developed countries' on environment and development issues. The course consists of weekly workshops and seminar sessions, which include videos and discussions oriented around core issues and readings. Assessment is based on coursework and written examination. more...	DEV-M051	20	Semester 1
You may also pick any of the modules that begin with: PSIIM005

Year 2

Compulsory Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Psi Dissertation For all MA students registered in PSI except those on the MA, Media, Society and Culture. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person. more...	PSI-M50X	40	Semester 2

Option A Study (60 credits)

Students will select 60 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Advanced Topics in Competition Law and Economics Using the link between the Law School and the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy (CCP), this module utilises the cutting-edge research which is going on in the CCP. The module is convened by a law faculty member of the CCP and the convenor attends all the seminars, but the module involves the other law faculty members of the CCP as well as CCP research associates, post-docs and research students. The module is research-led, based around a number of recent research papers either by CCP members or others and interdisciplinary. The topics change year by year, depending on who on the faculty are involved and the interests of the students. Three or four different topics within competition law and economics are chosen for the semester. Each topic opens with an introductory lecture ' by a faculty member who gives a thorough overview of the subject and the current state of research in that area, along with potential research avenues - followed by a general discussion of these issues in class. For the remaining seminars on that subject, there are two types of presentations for each subject: a CCP member presents a piece of his/her research to and a student presents a piece of research by a CCP member with the author in the audience. The second type of presentation is to be preceded by the author explaining the background to the paper, eg the choice of that particular subject, the choice of that particular methodology, etc. Both types of presentations are to be followed by a discussion of the paper in the class. Each student on the module presents a research paper, thereby determining the number of papers presented by a CCP member. The module will be open to research students who will be encouraged to participate. more...	LAW-M616	20	Semester 2
Climate Change Policy for Development This module aims to develop critical knowledge of the contextual and policy components of climate change (CC) and development issues. Teaching is mainly through weekly lectures and workshops, supplemented by seminars and video presentations. Topics include: the international negotiations on climate change; the North-South politics of climate change; carbon markets (Voluntary and compliance based); World Bank finance for energy and climate change; adaptation and vulnerability; gender and climate change; sector and region specific analysis of climate impacts. more...	DEV-M093	20	Semester 1
Climate Change: Physical Science Basis Climate change and variability have played a major role in shaping human history and the prospect of a warming world as a result of human activities (global warming) presents society with an increasing challenge over the coming decades. This module covers the science of climate change and our current understanding of anthropogenic effects on climate. It provides details about the approaches, methods and techniques for understanding the history of climate change and for developing climate projections for the next 100 years, supporting further study of the scientific or policy aspects of the subject in either an academic or applied context. Co-taught with ENV-3A49. TO TAKE THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY TAKEN ENV-3A48, ENV-3A49 OR EQUIVALENT. more...	ENV-MA49	20	Semester 1
Competition Law in the Global Economy This module examines the challenges of competition law enforcement in the international context. Key themes include: (1) Jurisdictional issues: the extraterritorial application of national competition laws, bilateral co-operation, harmonisation and soft-multilateralism, international law and the WTO; (2) Comparative insights: the manifestation of competition policy issues across a number of important national jurisdictions; (3) Advanced case studies: looking in detail at competition cases where a number of jurisdictions have been involved and where competition policy has intersected with other national and international policy agendas (in particular, trade and development policy). more...	LAW-M604	20	Semester 2
Gender Difference and Social Policy This module explores relations between social policies (defined broadly) and various forms of identity and difference. It focuses on the experiences of developing countries and pays particular attention to gender issues, although other aspects of diversity (such as ethnicity, disability and age) are also addressed explicitly. The module has both theoretical and more practical components, including sessions on gender planning and mainstreaming analysis. This module has a limit of 40 students. more...	DEV-M066	20	Semester 2
International Competition Law Competition laws have been adopted in around 120 countries around the world over the last thirty years, and have become of great significance to international firms wishing to successfully merge or avoid costly punishment for anti-competitive conduct. This module is designed to allow an understanding of the core concepts of competition and the substantive law and procedure of competition law, in particular of the European Union, but also of other jurisdictions as relevant. Seminars will be built around the legal provisions and case law on each topic. Classes will investigate the means by which competition laws tackle such problems as cartels and anti-competitive agreements among undertakings, monopolies and the abuse of dominant positions, vertical agreements, merger control and state aid. Broader issues ' such as remedies and enforcement strategies and wider questions of policy and regulatory design ' will also be reviewed. more...	LAW-M647	20	Semester 1
International Organisations and Public Policy The module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the role of international organisations and their impact on public policy and public management at the domestic and international levels. Students will discuss critically the theories, models and concepts used in the analysis of international cooperation, competing perspectives in international politics and demonstrate the role they play in public policy and public management. The UN, NATO, IMF, WTO, World Bank and EU will be examined and why sovereign states decide to establish these and other international organisations. Their role in security, trade, finance, gender and environmental policy will be considered and the factors which determine their design and evolution. The extent to which their operation reflects underlying power and interest will be evaluated and the extent to which they have democratic legitimacy. more...	PSIIM006	20	Semester 2
International Relations Theory This module will give students an essential grounding in International Relations theory, that is, the different ways we understand and predict international politics. The module is structured around the positivist/post-positivist divide and starts with classical realism and neo-realism, and liberalism and neo-liberalism. It then explores constructivism before turning to more critical theories like post-colonialism, feminism and gender studies, and Marxism. By the end of the module you will design your own IR theory. The module will be taught predominantly using lectures and seminars but will make use, where appropriate, of film and documentaries in order to explore different theoretical schools, both thematically and empirically. more...	PSIIM011	20	Semester 1
Politics and Public Affairs This module enables students to develop an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest, advocacy groups and others to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics. more...	PSIPM034	20	Semester 2
Regulation This module provides a foundation in the theory and practice of economic regulation, incorporating economic, business, legal and political science perspectives. The module is a research-led programme based on the research undertaken in the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy and assumes no previous studies of economics. more...	PSIPM028	20	Semester 2
Russian Foreign Policy The module considers how far Russian foreign policy has changed since the end of the Cold War. It studies the internal and external determinants of foreign policy, looks at key policy issues and examines relations between Russia and other states and regions. more...	PSIIM008	20	Semester 2
Theory of Competitive Markets Theory of Competitive Markets covers the theory and reality of how markets with small numbers of firms function. Students will develop an appreciation of the effects the action of one firm can have on consumers and other firms, and how competition law and its enforcement responds to this. This is invaluable for those intending to work in competition law, whether in legal practice or beyond. more...	LAW-M660	20	Semester 2
Understanding Global Environmental Change This module provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the analysis and understanding of issues of environmental change, and of the relationships between environment and development. Students will have a critical understanding of social constructions of cause and effect relationships in environment and development issues, including a critical understanding of scientific assessments. They will be able to link these understandings to topics encountered in other courses, and to develop their own perspectives on environment and development issues. In particular they should understand the somewhat different perspectives in `less developed countries' on environment and development issues. The course consists of weekly workshops and seminar sessions, which include videos and discussions oriented around core issues and readings. Assessment is based on coursework and written examination. more...	DEV-M051	20	Semester 1
You may also pick any of the modules that begin with: PSIIM005

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

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Political, Social and International Studies Courses

Political, Social and International Studies