Module manager: Dr Laura Considine
Email: l.considine@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module will focus on the place of nuclear weapons in global politics. It will examine the ways in which nuclear weapons have impacted central issues in International Relations such as state power and conflict, the role of international institutions and the potential of transnational activism. This will be accomplished through a study of core concepts such as deterrence, disarmament and nuclear security and terrorism, plus an analysis of case studies and contemporary issues of nuclear politics. The module will examine how the development of a weapon capable of global mass destruction has shaped global politics and society and how humanity has reacted to ‘the bomb’.
During the module students will critically engage with questions such as: Why do states want nuclear weapons? Should some states be allowed to have them? Does nuclear deterrence work and what happens if it fails? Is nuclear disarmament desirable or possible? And, importantly, how do nuclear weapons link to other core concepts and issues of international politics?
On completing the module students will be able to critically analyse contemporary issues of nuclear weapons politics and global nuclear governance and will be able to locate current issues within a historical context and relate them to core concepts. Students will also be able to engage with different theoretical approaches to nuclear weapons, including strategic, feminist and postcolonial approaches, as well gaining knowledge about the place of nuclear weapons in popular culture and society.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Critically analyse and compare the core concepts, theories and debates that structure our knowledge of the role of nuclear weapons in global politics.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the political history of nuclear weapons from 1940s to present and evaluate their place in international political structures.
3. Reflect critically on the key actors, institutions and controversies in the contemporary politics of nuclear weapons.
4. Evaluate and choose between generic and subject specific intellectual concepts in order to evaluate empirical material and case studies on nuclear weapons.
5. Critically reflect on the conceptual and empirical links between the politics of nuclear weapons and wider international issues and concepts.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1.Identify and retrieve relevant academic and policy sources using digital databases and online platforms.
2. Communicate complex information, ideas, and solutions clearly and effectively in written format.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will need to read extensively from the module reading list to gain the necessary knowledge to understand the topics, debates and concepts studied and to prepare for the seminar discussions. This entails careful and reflective reading, note-taking, summarising, preparation for class discussion, and developing a sense of a field of literature in addition to engagement with individual readings.
Students are also encouraged to use their initiative and skills of discernment in finding additional material relevant to the course topics and are encouraged to read across disciplines and approaches to the topic.
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for the summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | - | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team