Course details
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Aims
This course aims to:
- understand how major 20th-century events shaped the international system we know today
- gain insight into the evolution of global governance and key international institutions
- learn to analyse international events using practitioner-informed frameworks and critical thinking tools
Course content
The 20th century reshaped the way nations relate to one another. In just a few decades, empires crumbled, ideologies clashed and two world wars changed the global balance of power. This course gives you the tools to understand how those historic shocks continue to shape today’s international system from the formation of the United Nations to today’s global conflicts and cooperation.
Across five days, you’ll explore key turning points in international relations: the causes and consequences of World Wars, the tensions and strategies of the Cold War, the struggles of decolonisation, and the rise of global governance. Each topic is approached through a practical lens using frameworks that practitioners rely on to make sense of global risks and decisions.
You’ll engage with real-world case studies like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the creation of the United Nations. Sessions blend short, focused lectures with interactive workshops where you’ll test your ideas through debate, crisis simulations, and group exercises. By the end of the course, you’ll have sharpened your analytical thinking and gained a clearer understanding of how global politics works and where it might be heading.
No previous study of international relations is needed, just your curiosity and an open mind. Whether you're preparing for university, working in policy or public service, or simply fascinated by world affairs, this course will equip you with lasting insights. Expect lively discussions, new perspectives, and practical skills you can carry into future study or work.
What to expect on this course
This immersive, in-person course at the University of Cambridge offers a rich mix of lectures, case studies, debates, and group work. You’ll be learning alongside curious peers in small, discussion-focused sessions. Sessions are designed to help you understand big ideas through real-world applications and to give you tools you can use beyond the classroom.
Dr Ashraf brings a practitioner’s insight into world affairs. Expect lively, inclusive sessions that welcome different perspectives and emphasise clarity, critical thinking, and the connection between theory and practice.
Course sessions
From Empires to Nations: The First Global Disruption
Lecture: The World Before World War I – imperial rivalries, industrial power, and international norms.
Framework: Introduction to balance-of-power theory and realist thought.
Case Study: The July Crisis and the outbreak of war in 1914.
Activity: Crisis simulation – Re-enacting 1914 diplomatic negotiations.
Outcome: Explore how misperceptions and alliances escalated local conflicts globally.
The World at War and the Fragile Peace
Lecture: Total war and its consequences – new ideologies, economic turmoil, and changing power hierarchies.
Framework: Liberal internationalism and the rise/fall of the League of Nations.
Case Study: Treaty of Versailles – peace or prelude to another war?
Activity: Structured debate – Could the Second World War have been prevented?
Outcome: Examine causation, responsibility, and institutional failure.
Cold War Realities: Conflict, Deterrence, and Détente
Lecture: Ideological standoff – the US, USSR, and the bipolar world.
Framework: Nuclear deterrence, spheres of influence, and proxy warfare.
Case Study: The Cuban Missile Crisis – brinkmanship and diplomacy.
Activity: Red-teaming exercise – advising US or Soviet leadership in 1962.
Outcome: Evaluate strategy under uncertainty using practitioner tools.
Liberation and Order: Decolonisation and Global Institutions
Lecture: The end of empires – from colonial rule to independent states.
Framework: Normative shifts and institutional responses (UN, Bretton Woods, Non-AlignedMovement).
Case Study: India and Ghana – two paths to post-colonial leadership.
Activity: Mapping global institutions – roles, reach, and representation.
Outcome: Reflect on institutional equity and emerging global south voices.
From Cold War to Globalisation: Continuity and Change
Lecture: The Cold War’s end and the promise of a new world order.
Framework: Globalisation, interdependence, and the liberal international order.
Case Study: The Gulf War and the United Nations in the 1990s.
Activity: Group exercise – Design a policy response to a contemporary crisis (e.g. cyber war, humanitarian intervention).
Outcome: Apply course concepts to modern dilemmas, building actionable understanding.
Learning outcomes
As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:
- trace the major transitions in 20th-century international relations
- critically evaluate causes and consequences of global conflict and cooperation
- apply frameworks to understand contemporary international challenges
Required reading
Baylis, J, Smith, S, and Owens, P, The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations (8th ed.) (Oxford University Press 2020)
→ An essential overview of theories and key events.
Keylor, W R, The Twentieth-Century World and Beyond: An International History Since 1900 (5th ed.) (Oxford University Press 2011)
→ Clear, structured history of the century's global dynamics.