Welcome from the Head
Thank you for visiting our website. We are excited about the programmes we offer here at the School of International Studies (IS). With two BA degrees, two MA degrees, and a PhD degree, we believe we offer here some of the best training that can be found anywhere in China in international relations and world history, comparable to the best programmes in the world.
A marriage of the University of Nottingham United Kingdom’s School of History and School of Politics and International Relations, IS brings political scientists, IR specialists and historians, together with specialists in anthropology, security studies, development, area studies and other fields to comprise this discipline of international studies and the School that bears its name. We have a decidedly British approach to international relations, paired with strengths in international and transnational history. With 13 academic staff members from nine different countries, IS is the most international School at UNNC and possibly all of China. We have the expertise to train you for the future you envision.
It’s an exciting time to be in China, and the learning experience we offer students is shaped very much by the optimism and dynamism that is contemporary China. The rise of China forms the backdrop for our programmes, and we hope to continue to rise right alongside China. We’d be pleased if you’d join us in whatever capacity you are able. If there is anything we can do to answer your questions or help you in any way, do not hesitate to ask.
Dr David Kiwuwa
Head of the School of
International Studies
About the School of International Studies
Our School is truly international, with staff representing nine different nationalities. Each of us speaks at least one foreign language, most of us two. Our staff has their academic backgrounds primarily in political science, international relations, and history, but also contemporary Chinese studies, geography, and diplomacy, among others. This diversity finds its unity in our shared goals of educating the future citizens of this world and of promoting excellence in teaching and research in international studies. We love to challenge our students and to introduce them to new ways of thinking about our world, pushing them to move beyond conventional wisdom.
In our research we are interested in questions such as why war occurs in some international conflicts yet is avoided in others, how culture impacts international affairs, ways in which we come to understand historical events and how these understandings impact contemporary international affairs, how newly emerging environmental issues impact individual lives and the foreign policies of states, and the ways in which globalisation has transformed our lives and our environment, to name a few. In today’s world, international factors play an increasingly important role in all our lives, making international studies more important than ever.
With two different BA degrees, two different MA degrees, and a PhD degree, we welcome students from all disciplines and experiential horizons to undertake undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies in the School of International Studies. The most important traits we like to see in our students are an ardent desire to understand the multidimensional world we live in and the ambition to participate in making it a better place for all of us. We believe that the education we offer will not only transform individual students’ lives, but has the potential to help transform our world as well.
What is International Studies?
The only constant in today’s globalised and highly inter-connected world is CHANGE. Our future leaders need to be equipped with an international mind-set to cope with fast-changing challenges of the new world. Through an inter-disciplinary framework, and utilising the British-style of higher education, the School of International Studies at UNNC provides that global perspective. It brings together scholars, practitioners, and opinion-makers to share ideas and expertise, and offers students opportunities to choose modules from disciplines of international relations, politics, history, geography, area studies, development studies, and security studies. With a young research and teaching faculty from all over the world, the School of International Studies has established and maintains a student-led and student-centred learning environment that is supported by innovative and creative teaching approaches.
What advantages are there in studying International Studies?
International Studies provides skills and perspectives essential to our globalised world. At UNNC International Studies is rooted in the disciplines of international relations and history, so students will spend time mastering the study of international relations, history and politics, as well as research methods and theory, and can focus on China, other countries or regions, and aspects of the international state system. Globally-relevant knowledge is linked to local contexts, and training in vital life skills such as critical thinking, analysis, writing, and public speaking is provided. How the dynamics of international politics shape the global environment, prosperity, security, and ideas like legitimacy, morality, justice, and sovereignty are also central to International Studies at UNNC. Our students are encouraged to find their own individual path by focussing on a discipline and/or area of study and by selecting from a range of core and optional modules. Many of our students have secured careers with Forbes Global 500 corporations, such as Deloitte Consulting and the Bank of China. International Studies can also lead to postgraduate studies in leading global universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.