Crack the First Semester of Masters in International Studies With Ease
A simple academic guide to Christ University MA International Studies, International Relations and Area Studies course semester 1
Welcome to Masters in International Studies Programme. The programme is aimed at providing you with a cross-disciplined understanding of International Relations, Area Studies, Economics, International Law, Politics, and a lot more.
For a student joining the course and listening to the domain-related terminologies for the first time and understanding, it can be challenging at first, despite you taking up this course voluntarily. Even if you are from the same background or domain, you might need a slight revision or brush up with them.
As usual, the majority of the class will not have an academic background. So, fear not; it will be fine by the end of the first semester. This is only a starting problem.
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What is the purpose of the article?
Most students are clueless about what they are studying ever since they start college life. Some of them lose interest soon, or some gradually.
The major reason is like lack of guidance/mentorship. Knowing why and what you study these subjects up to an extent can reduce your burden. It is the only student who knows the problem they face. Students must themselves come forward to help each other. Seniors do have an important role to play in guiding and assisting juniors.
Apart from rote learning, getting the right materials can push up your grades and reduce effort, also, with pandemics affecting and plaguing the education system as well as your studies.
This is not the first time I am preparing such an article. Personally, there was no one to help me when I was in that position; therefore, I have decided to fill in that void. Moreover, I believe I can give a student’s perspective of the course rather than what you will get from teachers or tutors.
Semester 1 is crucial, just like any other course. It is decided to be a bit hectic and tough as it is the stage of onboarding you to the course, as well as making you capable for upcoming semesters. It is also something new for you, like new institutions, subjects, teachers, and classmates.
Let us now look deep into Semester 1. As you have already known and understood the basics of the subjects, the syllabus will not be covered much; rather, we will cover the need for studying the subject, the relevance of the subject to your overall programme, some interesting applications, and last but not the least some tips.
Generic Aspects of The Programme and Subjects
As this is a masters programme, the course is vast, rigorous, hectic and needs a lot of time to be devoted from the side of the learner. Irrespective of how it was in the UG, there won’t be any spoon-feeding or oversimplification by the teachers.
Professors in class will give a basic overview of the subject, but not necessarily the professor will go in-depth, and the rest will have to be taken care of by the student. No one is going to come behind you to learn, complete the activities, assessments, etc. Everything has to be self-driven.
Reading and writing are the two essential skills needed for you to ace the course. Irrespective of the knowledge or understanding you have of the subject, you are expected to read and dive in the depth of what was taught in the class. All the subjects are theoretical in nature, and hence there is no escaping from both typing and writing.
Most papers in the semesters and across the course will be highly subjective in nature. This does not mean you can compromise on the facts or the contents. Your opinion or understanding will have to be substantiated with arguments and facts, irrespective of your stance. If a question or activity demands facts, there is no escape. Each subject, especially in the first semester, has its own uniqueness and distinct way of dealing with it. The way in which you learn one will not work with the other.
Being in master's, that too in social sciences will require extra effort. Scoring will not be easy and liberal. Writing must be comprehensive and analytical and must include critical thinking. This way, you can make the most out of the course and stand apart from the others. IR as the author of the article would like to say, is all about connecting the dots.
Keeping yourselves updated with current events through news and extra reading is the only way for you to stand out. Assignments, in general, are aimed at helping you go beyond the textbooks and also to help you to reach a greater goal of equipping you for research and academic writing, which will aid you in your research paper.
This semester you will have five core papers and one foreign language paper. In addition to that, you have additional academic discipline-related programmes.
Political Theory
It is one of the most important subjects in the entire course and can act as a fundamental for understanding domestic politics of various countries and international politics as well as introduce you to some important terminologies, concepts and thinkers in Political Science.
As you know, IR is a subdomain under political science, and understanding Political Theory is essential for pursuing IR as a career. Everyone claims political theory as being too abstract, but IR as a subject can’t ignore it.
The entire syllabus covers generics and specifics of various political science concepts which you have heard and must be familiar with. From the point of view of an academician, you must analyse and apply these while looking into various issues. Political theory is a mix of political thought and philosophy which makes the subject quite abstract, makes you think and can make you feel lost.
From a syllabus point of view, the Nature, Scope, and Significance of Political Theory come first and from there, students lose track. The best way to crack this portion is to start with any easy-to-read textbook first and then move to a standard textbook, instead of directly reading a standard book which can complicate the subject. You can also listen to a few videos and online lectures and then revert back to the subject as well.
Concepts like liberty, power, justice etc., are quite commonly referred to in the domain. Hence it is easy for you to grasp the concepts. Reading about these topics from any online source and then reading the book will help you understand and apply those concepts.
Political ideologies are the most important for your future subjects as well as your career. Thus, understand them well and try to retain whatever you have learnt. JNU entrance books and online lectures will be available in plenty that explains these topics from an academic perspective. Do refer to them.
Specific political theories mentioned in the syllabus are highly academic in nature. So, it would be less available in the public domain. You can rather refer to online writings, websites etc., before going through academic literature.
Generic tips
Look for some contemporary examples and try to connect the theory with the issue. This will help you understand the concept better. When you learn, note down the points concisely and while in the exam, expand the points and let the words flow on the paper. This subject will help you in the third semester when you will be dealing with Comparative Politics.
Principles Of International Economics
It is very interesting but would be out of the domain for most of the students. International Economics gives a strong background for students of IR to understand the economics behind politics, various economic issues at the international level and how it is handled.
As a precursor to the subject, basic Economics concepts will be taught for the benefit of the students who lack background as well.
Get grips with data analysis and data collection. One needs good data to derive conclusions from international events. You must learn where you can find them when you work on understanding comparative advantage, economic security problems, and other macroeconomic problems that shape the global economy.
Compared to other subjects, this paper is quite objective; hence you will be learning a lot of concrete facts, figures, and diagrams as such. The most difficult area for the students usually is the application-type questions and the numerical areas in the subject, which include basic coordinate geometry, lines, curves etc.
At the end, this course will equip you to explore the economic dimensions of various issues and understand why countries take certain paths on international issues like trade, foreign exchange, what industry they should focus on more etc.
I used to wonder why I was made to study economics as a student of IR, but after I learnt it I am so happy and contented to help me understand issues better as well as totally add a new dimension in seeing international conflicts and common economic issues as simple as trade and how countries make their choices.
First and foremost, you will deal with basic macro and microeconomic issues backed by a lot of mathematical derivations, formulas, and graphs. Topics like PPC, Demand-Supply, Equilibrium etc. as well as Cost, Revenue, Economies of scale etc., which are fundamental to economics, are all based on both theory and mathematics. The best way to learn them is to understand, write, draw, and learn. Do not try to memorise without understanding it; otherwise, it will be hard for you to apply it in exams.
Next on the list is trade theories which you have no other choice but to understand and learn directly. They require both graphs as well as a long theoretical explanation. Hence give equal weightage to both the contents. Primarily you will be dealing with three trade theories which you have to internalise it as your basic economic lesson. Learning by drawing tables and taking examples is essential when you justify the theories.
Trade policies of countries are from where International Economics enters its core area, which is theoretical and justifies the various path taken by countries to either liberalise or protect. A good theoretical understanding of the concept, backed by facts, is needed. Referring to books, writings, and online blogs should help you crack it easily.
Balance of Payments (BOP) is a very important topic in Economics and International Economics. A 360-degree understanding of the same is essential, and this is a frequently asked area. There are tons of online materials which are available which will help you learn it very easily. Graphs for BOP are also important. Understanding BOP well will make your job easy when you learn BOP disequilibrium, Exchange rates and a lot more.
Macroeconomic concepts like National Income, Inflation, Unemployment, and Fiscal and monetary policy is basically more conceptual. Hence it is more to do with understanding and applying the concepts directly. Having a good understanding of current affairs and general knowledge will also help you understand and apply this area better.
Generic Tips
Overall, it is an easy-to-moderate subject with some starting problems. This is a scoring subject if the concepts, theories, and facts are clear. Work on case studies because that helps, and most economic events have similarities with past problems. During exams, whichever question has need of a graph, draw one without fail. Refer to textbooks mentioned in the syllabus as a reference. As this is a generic subject, there are tons of materials, questions, and content available. Having basic critical thinking and general awareness will help you ace this subject. This subject forms your bedrock for International Political Economy next semester.
International Relations Theory
Perhaps it is the most important paper in the entire course and, hereby, which you will require in all the subsequent IR and Area Studies subjects from here on. Just like Political Theory, it is a mix of philosophy and concepts. This subject justifies the behaviour of states and introduces you to various ideologies, approaches, and IR thinkers, which is very important, as well as how to analyse various contemporary issues as an IR academician. IR Theory of this Semester is followed by Problems of IR in the third semester.
First is mere basics- what is IR, power, war, etc., which you can have an easy run through and definitions needed in this domain. Second, you will be introduced to IR thinkers and their theories that shaped the domain, namely Immanuel Kant, Hugo Grotius, Thucydides etc.
The third is the most important, which consists of core IR theories- liberalism, realism, marxism; thinkers, approaches, and perspectives. It looks and sounds hard at first but try to follow it up from writings, videos, and online lectures. This will be the most important and useful area for the entire course.
New and contemporary IR theories (constructivism, feminism etc.) require an extra mile understanding and is a very good area for you to work on if you are interested. Another important emerging area in the field are non-traditional and new approach theories which have a lot of scopes when we talk about climate change, AI, cyber war, etc.
Generic Tips
In a short note, this subject is somewhere between easy and moderate. Preparation is like how you do it for Political Theory. Most theories and topics are easy to understand. Similarly, connecting whatever you learn with contemporary examples makes your jobs easy.
For exams, while you write answers, make sure you include examples as well while elaborating on a theory which will fetch you a lot of marks. Both start-friendly and standard books like Baylis and Smith will be ideal for your preparation as well as for a good understanding of the subject.
Just remember that this is a very important subject for your entire course and will help you have great research and academic-based career ahead. This is a course you must excel in because it’s like the communication medium for your academic and professional lives.
World History
Does history have any relevance to International Relations other than giving you the idea of various happenings of the past? The answer is Yes. Other than analysing the past, World History is aimed at giving you an idea of how international relations as we know them today emerged and developed. Moreover, history helps to understand the importance of the past, which you can connect to the present and explain the complexities of the day.
The subject under World History is the history of the world, that too in the modern period, ie, the 19th and 20th centuries. Unlike in School, where the focus was on Indian history, this subject opens the door to world history and understanding the world in a very different way.
First and the most important is to learn about Europe. The birthplace of various ideologies and theories as we know them today, like liberalism, nationalism, mercantilism, romanticism, marxism etc. All these topics need deeper study in a historical context.
Second, you will learn about Africa, its history and colonialism. Also, you will learn more about Scramble for Africa, which is a very important event in the history of Africa that was involved by the Western powers.
After which, you learn about Asian History- China, Ottoman Empire, and Meiji Japan. Last but not least, know about the Superpower- America, it is formation, nationalism, civil war and involvement of European powers.
Generic Tips
If you are not social science or a humanities student, do a Khan academy course on world history. For visual learning, always refer to google arts and culture. Do not get tensed with dates; the specific is useless in most cases because historical lessons are derived from broader generalisations of the past. Practising essay writing in the Purdue Writing lab to be able to write long and crisp answers. Most of the questions will be application based from what was taught in the class. Overall the subject is moderate to tough.
This subject is different from other subjects. You are presented with a lot of facts in the syllabus and materials. What requires from your side is critical thinking and an analytical mind to frame essays and answers and give a new IR-based perspective to the subject. If you do not understand any particular topic, then check it out on any online resource, then come back to standard books. Similarly, follow books which ask by your teachers only as it will be more easily available and ready to use.
Indian Foreign Policy
Unlike other subjects, this one is very interesting, has less history and has more to do with contemporary scenarios. Hence your general awareness, GK, following the news etc. As the name suggests, this subject covers India’s Foreign Policy starting from Independence till the present. The paper additionally aims to look into various pillars and aspects of Foreign Policy in general. This will be useful when you learn about the foreign policy of other countries from next semester onwards.
The subject starts with Policy foundations and how Indian Foreign Policy evolved through these seven decades as per various domestic and international changes. Next, you will look in-depth into how foreign policy is made in India, the agencies, institutions involved etc.
In the subsequent lessons, you will learn about India’s policy with neighbours, world powers, and regional powers. Similarly, India’s economic, defence and nuclear policies. The last topic is about 21st-century issues and policies.
This subject is filled with facts, figures and a few applications of IR theories. Thus, you can learn various topics under this subject from different places and thus, you need to read a lot of content from both outside the syllabus.
Generic Tips
This subject is very easy as it is something which is dealt with day-to-day activities and something which you encounter in the news often. Everything depends on how well you can reproduce the facts and articulate it on paper. The MEA website is a very important website for you to check facts, India’s views, and stance on various issues. Identify the key problems from the levels of analysis approach by David Singer. Oxford handbook is very useful for understanding various subtopics.
Foreign Languages
As per the university, you will compulsory have to study one foreign language for two semesters. There are two options French and Chinese. So why is foreign language helpful for you in this course? As IR students, it is good to learn anyone foreign language, something other than English. China and France are two non-English speaking powerful nations.
Similarly, both languages are widely used outside China and France, respectively. As growing power China is taking centre stage in IR, understanding China would also require understanding Chinese. France is one of the most powerful countries in Europe; French is spoken in a lot African countries, is one of the official languages of the Olympics, and also has a rich history longer than the English language. Hence both are very important languages as far as IR is concerned.
French
Bonjour! French is a common language, with a lot of words used in English and vice versa. Even for writing, you don’t have to study the language from scratch.
To understand and learn, you can take the help of Youtube videos and practice both oral and written language. There are a lot of practice exercises which are available to test and improve your language. Most important, you cannot escape from not learning it, so try to make the best use of it. Follow the syllabus and text, and in the end, that’s what matters the most.
Chinese
Nihao! Chinese is the gateway to understanding a billion-plus population whose time has come to assert, grow, and rise.
To learn Chinese easily and effectively, ● Watch Chinese Dramas. ● Watch Donghua ● Read Novels ● Join Hello talk and make Chinese friends. ● Lastly, practice makes language learning fun.
Current Affairs
It is one of the most interesting parts of the first year where you will be specifically covering one or two countries, and hence you will be an expert in that country’s politics and policies.
Acknowledgements
Most importantly, welcome to this course, I hope your first semester will indeed be fruitful and help you in the subsequent semesters. Other than academics, there is a lot happening in the college so don’t forget to involve yourselves in other activities. I would love to thank my ex-classmate and brainy genius Suresh Gehlot, for helping me out in framing certain tips and his take on why a particular subject is relevant for you.
I wish you all the best for this semester. Thank you for taking the time to read. I Hope you found this small article helpful and useful. Let me know if there is any suggestions, improvements or anything special to cover. I will be preparing similar material for upcoming semesters as well.
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