Intelligence Analysis

This module will give you an understanding of how intelligence - a vital component of international relations and national security - is gathered, analysed and protected by contemporary nation-states through relevant agencies.

This module introduces students to key political concepts and ideologies and uses them in the study of international politics and the history of international relations. Concepts such as state, power, politics, nation, sovereignty and rights; and ideologies such as conservatism and liberalism; are used in everyday speech but they are complex ideas with contested meanings, yet central to analysis in security, politics and international relations. The module examines these ideas and applies them to significant developments in international politics such as the attempts to construct lasting arrangements for peace in the wake of major conflicts.

In this module you will examine intelligence at a global level, assessing the tools, tactics, and targets of foreign intelligence agencies.

You will continue your studies in international history by exploring the Cold War in Europe and Asia, decolonisation, European integration, the superpower relationship and the rise of China and Japan. You will also study the impact of US foreign policy and the global 'war on terror'.

In this module you will develop technical-practical skills to prepare you for a wide range of politics and history related careers. You will develop skills in writing, research, and presentations, and earn a wide range of industry-recognised certificates to bolster your CV.

In this module, developed through feedback from intelligence professionals, you will learn technical-practical skills tailored specifically for Intelligence Analysis. This includes gaining experience with Access, Excel, and other tools and technologies that will give you a necessary edge in pursuing an intelligence career. 

You will investigate the impact of the law upon the activities of intelligence and security agencies, particularly as it applies in the UK.

This module aims to develop an informed and critical assessment of the nature of open-source intelligence, and an understanding of its history.

We have a partnership with Grey Dynamics, a Private Intelligence firm based out of London with analysts, researchers, and investigators worldwide. They will be providing four guest lectures for this module.

This module will give you a theoretical understanding of the nature of intelligence analysis.

This module focuses a key question for contemporary politics: does the current rise of authoritarianism across the world mean that democracy as we know it is under threat? We try to answer this question by looking at the core concepts of democratic backsliding / autocratisation and democratic resilience, and by discussing a wide range of case studies, which include: the relationship between populism and democracy; the rise of the far right; transnational repression (how autocrats seek to repress dissidents abroad); autocratic diffusion (do authoritarian leaders learn from each other?); the rise of ‘anti-gender’ movements’; the role of disinformation and misinformation in autocratisation; and case studies of democratic resilience (the extent to which state and non-state actors are able to counteract the current wave of autocratisation). 

This module provides students with the analytical tools to understand contemporary security issues within the context of international relations. At this module we will examine the main security challenges facing states, their institutions and societies today and discuss the nature and extent of threats posed to states and non-state actors. We will also try assess the responses states and institutions have adopted in the face of threats to security and will be encourage to think about developing our own approaches to dealing with security issues.

This module examines the British intelligence community from the birth of the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) in 1909 through to the 1994 Intelligence Services Act, exploring its activities primarily within the context of British domestic policy, while considering the links between the worlds of intelligence and politics. The module considers the reaction of the intelligence community to the Russian revolution, and its subsequent battle against the Soviet Union and Communism from the inter-war years through to the end of the Cold War.

This module will begin by exploring thematic issues such as how foreign policy is made in the United States, the American ‘style’ of diplomacy, and the influence of ideology. It will then provide students with the chance to examine historical topics such as the rise of the national security state after 1945, crises such as those over Berlin and Cuba, the involvement of the CIA in US foreign policy including covert involvement abroad, US military intervention in Korea and Vietnam, ‘Nixinger’ and the rise and fall of détente, the ‘Second Cold War’, post-Cold War challenges to American global interests, and the ‘war on terror’.

The module provides a comprehensive introduction to Chinese foreign policy since 1949 in terms of its history, traditions and characteristics; examines the key economic, diplomatic, security and geopolitical issues so as to identify and explain Chinese foreign policy goals and their implementation; explores the sources of conflict, competition and cooperation in Chinese foreign policy behaviours, assessing competing theoretical explanations in International Relations for key events and policies. Moreover, the module investigates the implications of China’s rise for the distribution of power at the international and regional levels as well as for global governance.

This module allows you to develop an informed and critical understanding of the practices, effects and limitations of contemporary covert action.  

You’ll look at the history of covert action, and examine its influence on international relations throughout the Cold War and the 'War on Terror'.

This module provides the opportunity to learn or develop a language with the University-wide language programme.

A 12,000 word dissertation on a research topic of your own choosing under the guidance of a dedicated supervisor.

This module will introduce students to the ethical dimension of intelligence activities, with particular reference to UK and US experiences.

The aim of this module is to evaluate the means, motives, and limits of Counterintelligence in democratic states

This will give you the chance to consider cyber warfare’s role as both an intelligence challenge and an opportunity.

This module offers an introduction into the Arab Israeli conflict since the beginning of the 20th century by examining the main events and actors that have helped shape its course. You will also undertake a computer-based simulation where you can decide on issues of war and peace from the perspectives of the Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian President.

In this module, you will explore the significance of corporate espionage in Western democratic states, and assess the effectiveness of defensive policy on defending private enterprise.

This module assesses the growing influence of internet on democracy and politics. The study of the internet is placed in context of the evolution of media technologies over past thirty years. In doing so, you examine whether the internet: is stimulating more global protest movements and also new form of terrorism; is a liberation technology potential undermining the power of authoritarian regimes; or alternatively is a tool for increased surveillance and control; is changing the nature of lections and election campaigning. These issues are explored through case studies such as: the rise of Corbyn in the Labour Party and the role played social media or, how the rise of so-called fake news is impacting on political debate.

This module provides the opportunity to learn or develop a language with the University-wide language programme.