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Border Politics: Contemporary Perspectives on Sovereignty, Mobility & Citizenship - POL00018H

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  • Department: Politics and International Relations
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module examines the political, social and cultural construction of 'the border', viewing it as a site for interrogating practices relating to citizenship, security, and sovereignty. The course will discuss a range of key theoretical approaches, drawing on critical international relations, border studies and international political sociology. Students will engage with current research and empirical case studies from Europe, US and the UK, and will be encouraged to think critically about the way the border continues to shape political inclusion and exclusion in a borderless globalising world.

Module learning outcomes

By completing this module, students will have:

  • Developed their capacity to understand and critically evaluate key theoretical approaches to borders in politics and international relations;
  • A robust knowledge of empirical cases of border interactions from current interdisciplinary research;
  • Developed their ability to select and engage with a range of literatures and sources covered in the module to formulate academically-informed views on contemporary border practices and politics;
  • Developed their skills of written and spoken argument within a small group setting.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor's feedback and guidance hours.

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 20 working days after submission; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor's regular feedback and guidance hours.

Indicative reading

Agnew, John (2003) Geopolitics: Re-visioning World Politics. London: Routledge.

Albert, M., Jacobson, D. and Lapid, Y. (eds) (2001) Identities, Borders, Orders. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Salter, M (2003) Rights of Passage: the Passport in International Relations. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.

Sassen, Saskia (1999) Guests and Aliens. New York: Free Press.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.