FSS:IREb2019 British Foreign Policy 1714- - Course Information

IREb2019 British Foreign Policy 1714-2015

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

PhDr. Vladimír Černý, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

PhDr. Vladimír Černý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies

Prerequisites (in Czech)

! IRE219 British Foreign Policy 1714- && !NOW( IRE219 British Foreign Policy 1714- )

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 35 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/35, only registered: 0/35

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 15 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

The aim of this course is to make students familiar with the evolution of British foreign policy from the Hanoverian succession to the British throne in 1714 till the end of the conservative-liberal democrat coalition government in 2015. This course looks at the history of British foreign policy from a global point of view. It examines the evolution of British foreign policy over time, as well as the nature of Great Power rivalry. Key themes include formulation of national diplomatic strategies, policy coordination, alliance politics, and diplomatic vs. military considerations.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to explain the evolution of British foreign policy. During the course, they will gain the ability to analyze main historical, political, military and socio-economic processes that affected the changes of British foreign policy during the past three hundred years. Students will also gain the opportunity to practise working with professional literature during the preparation of their paper.

Syllabus

• 1) An Introduction to the Topic. Primary and Secondary Sources
• 2) The Making of Modern Britain
• 3) The Hanoverian Dimension in British Foreign Policy
• 4) The Achievement of Global Power
• 5) Britain and the Concert of Europe
• 6) Victorian Foreign Policy: The Apogee of Empire
• 7) Imperial Rivalry and the Road to the First World War
• 8) The Impact of World War I on Britain
• 9) British Diplomacy between the Wars
• 10) Britain and World War II
• 11) British Policy and the Cold War
• 12) Britain and European Integration since 1945
• 13) Post-Cold War Britain

Literature

required literature
• EDMUNDS, Timothy, Jamie GASKARTH and Robin PORTER. British foreign policy and the national interest: identity, strategy and security. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. ISBN 978-1-137-39234-3. info
• GARNETT, Mark, Simon MABON and Robert SMITH. British foreign policy since 1945. First published. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018, viii, 357. ISBN 9781138821293. info
• On the fringes of diplomacyinfluences on British foreign policy, 1800-1945. Edited by John Fisher - Antony Best. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2011, xiv, 306 p. ISBN 9781409401209. info
• SELDON, Antony: The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. ISBN 978-1-316-51532-7. 2022.
• SELDON, Anthony - FINN, Mike: The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. ISBN 978-1107440180.

recommended literature
• British foreign and security policy : historical legacies and current challenges. Edited by Kai Oppermann. Augsburg: Wißner, 2012, 231 stran. ISBN 9783896398666. info
• America or Europe?British foreign policy, 1739-63. Edited by Jeremy Black. Bristol, Pa.: UCL Press, 1998, x, 220 p. ISBN 1857281853. info
• Conservatism and British foreign policy, 1820-1920the Derbys and their world. Edited by Geoffrey Hicks. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011, xii, 234 p. ISBN 9780754696582. info
• MANGOLD, Peter. Success and failure in british foreign policy : evaluating the record, 1900-2000. 1st pub. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001, viii, 243. ISBN 0333804481. info
• MULLIGAN, William - SIMMS, Brendan: The Primacy of Foreign Policy in British History, 1660-2000. Basingstoke – New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. ISBN 978-0230574724.
• Parliament and foreign policy in the eighteenth century. Edited by Jeremy Black. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004, xiii, 261. ISBN 0521833310. info
• PRIOR, Robin: Conquer we Must. A Military History of Britain 1914-1945. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2022. ISBN 978-0-300-26898-0.
• ROSE, Andreas: Between Empire and Continent: British Foreign Policy before the First World War. New York - Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2019. ISBN 978-1-78533-578-5.
• SIROTA, Brent S. - MACINNES, Allan I.: The Hanoverian Succession in Great Britain and its Empire. Woodbridge: The boydell Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-78327-449-9.

Teaching methods

The course is carried out by the combination of lectures and seminars. Emphasis is put on active participation. Part of the class are presentations by students which aim to improve students' work with literature and their presentation skills.

Assessment methods

Term Paper:
Students are expected to write the term paper on a topic supportive of course objectives. Topics should be discussed in advance with the teacher. The term paper shall contain 10-15 pages plus footnotes and list of references. It should include substantive details and knowledge about the subject and clear and coherent structure. The aim of the paper is to compile existing secondary literature, consult some primary sources wherever possible and to write a concise descriptive paper that demonstrates author’s knowledge of basic skills in academic writing. The student can get up to 10 points for the term paper.
The grading scale is as follows: A 10 points, B 9 points, C 8 points, D 7 points, E 6 points, F 5 and fewer points.
Oral Presentation:
Part of the evaluation is students' oral presentation (ideally 10–15 minutes long), aiming to improve their work with literature and presentation skills. Students are intended to provide brief information on selected important personalities from the history of British foreign policy. Each week there will be two or three presentations in class. The student can get up to 10 points from this task
Mid-term Test:
Every student will write a test on the topics and literature discussed so far in the middle of the semester (Monday, April 4, 2022). The student can get up to 10 points from this task.
Content of the Test:
The final written test will be composed of seven open questions (one per 6 points, six per 4 points). It may ask about all major topics and issues that have been covered in the course. The student can get up to 30 points from this task. The grading scale: A 28-30 points, B 25-27 points, C 22-24 points, D 19-21 points, E 16-18 points, F 15 and less points.

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.

Teacher's information

Final Grading:

“A” grade 57 – 60 points “B” grade 53 – 56 points “C” grade 49 – 52 points “D” grade 45 – 48 points “E” grade 41 – 44 points “F” grade less than 40 points. For more details about course requirements see the Syllabus in IS (Study materials > Course-Related Instructions).

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/IREb2019