Special Consideration & Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Delivery

Lectures: the lecture is scheduled for Wednesday 11-1pm in 14SCO T3 Lecture Theatre (classrooms sometimes change after publication of this unit guide, so please double check the timetable). The lecture will be recorded and available for viewing later via ilearn/echo360.

Internal students are expected to attend tutorials (on a Wednesday afternoon) each week commencing in Week 2. However, if you are unwell please do not attend class. The tutorial topics follow one week behind the lectures.

External students are expected to engage in the discussion board commencing in Week 2. Your grade for the class demonstration activity reflects your contributions to dicsussion. The tutorial topics follow one week behind the lectures.

Required resources:

In addition to readings that can be accessed through Leganto there is one required text for this unit:

Lawson, Stephanie. (2015). Theories of International Relations: Contending Approaches to World Politics. Polity Press: Cambridge. 

The library has a copy of this text (including online access). However, we recommend that you either purchase a copy ahead of semester, or else make sure you complete readings a day or two ahead of class as there may be times when the textbook is not immediately accessible. All other required unit readings will all be available on leganto.

Unit Schedule

Week 1 - Wednesday 25 Feb - Introduction  Lecturer: Jon Symons

Introduction: Can theory help us to understand world politics - especially at moments of rupture in international order? How do theories of IR relate to contempoary issues such as climate change, great power competition, artificial intelligence or the rise of far-right ideologies? More generally we ask, whose interests does theory serve? In what context and for what purpose was the discipline of International Relations established? What are the political implications of these origins for the work practitioners of international politics do today?

No tutorials this week. Tutorials commence Week 2.

Week 2 - Wednesday 4 March - Lecture: Classical realism.  

The tutorial schedule follows the lecture schedule by one week. You are expected to complete and submit annotations on each weeks' readings by the Tuesday evening prior to the tutorial each Wednesday. If you would like feedback on your week 2 reading annotation on classical realism you must submit your notes to ilearn prior to 11.55pm Tuesday 10 March. 

Week 3 - Wednesday 11 March - Lecture: Liberal international theory  Tutorial topic: classical realism You should nominate which essay question you will address this week via the iLearn discussion forum. You are welcome to switch to another question if you change your mind but we want you to start thinking about the essay questions early in the semster.

Week 4 -  Wednesday 18 March - Lecture: Structural theory: Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberal Institutionalism and Neo-classical Realism  

Tutorial topic: Liberal international theory.

**Census date is 20 March 2026. This is the last date you can withdraw from a unit with academic or financial penalty. If you are struggling with the unit please contact  Jon (Jonathan.symons@mq.edu.au) or withdraw prior to this date**

Week 5 - Wednesday 25 March - Marxism and World Systems Theory 

Tutorial topic: Structural theory  - Graded tutorial notes and demonstration activity #1 will be held in the week 5 tutorial based on Week 4 materials (Students must choose to submit notes for one of the 5 'class demonstration' weeks. Students submitting notes and leading class on structural theories and to the US's changing role must submit notes to turnitin by 11.55pm Thursday 26th March).

Week 6 - Wednesday 1 April - Constructivism & the role of ideas in world politics  

Tutorial topic: Marxism and World System Theory. - Graded tutorial activity #2 (Students submitting World System Theory notes and leading class this week must submit notes to turnitin by 11.55pm Thursday 2 April).

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MID SEMESTER BREAK: 6 to 19 April 2026

Week 7 - Wednesday 22 April - Lecture: Critical Constructivism and Critical Theory (Lecturer Umut Ozguc)

Tutorial topic: Constructivism and the role of ideas. - Graded tutorial activity #3 (Students submitting notes and leading class on Constructivism must submit notes to turnitin by 11.55pm Thursday 23 April).

**Reading Annotation notes due Tuesday 21 April 11.55pm.**

Week 8 - Wednesday 29 April- Lecture: Feminist theories of world politics 

Tutorial topic: Critical constructivism and Critical theory

Week 9 - Wednesday 6 May - Lecture: Indigenous Critiques of IR & Green Theory 

Tutorial topics; Feminist theory - Graded tutorial activity #4 on week 8 (Students leading class on Feminst theory must submit notes to turnitin by 11.55pm Thursday 7th May).

Week 10 - Wednesday 13 May - Postcolonial Theory & Non-Western Approaches to World Politics.

Tutorial topics; Indigneous critiques of IR

Week 11 - Wednesday 20 May - Middle Power Theory

Tutorial topics: Postcolonial theory - Graded tutorial activity #5 on week 10 (Students leading class on Postcolonial theory must submit notes to turnitin by 11.55pm Thursday 21th May).

Week 12: Wednesday 27 May Reading week - Note no lecture. Lecture replaced by an optional, zoom essay workshop.

Tutorial: Middle Power Theory

**Essay due 11.55pm Thursday 28 May.**

Week 13  - Wednesday 3 June May. Conclusion - IR's contribution to contemporary challenges. 

Small-group presentations of your essay argument this week. If you can’t make class you will need to present online or schedule a one-on-one presentation to your lecturer.