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KarlSchembri
Schembri
M.A. in
Humanitarian Action
The M.A. in Humanitarian Action approaches
humanitarian and development action from both
a practical and an analytical perspective. Students
develop the necessary knowledge and skills to critically
analyse humanitarian action, and work effectively in
the humanitarian and development field. Candidates
for the M.A. in Humanitarian Action will gain an
understanding of:
• The variety of humanitarian and more long-term
responses to crises across the globe
• How such responses are shaped and what
consequences they have
• The institutional and legal framework for
humanitarian action
• Medical and public health aspects of humanitarian
action
• Problems and challenges with contemporary
humanitarian action
• In-depth knowledge of several sub-fields of
humanitarian and development cooperation
(depending on the student’s choice of
specialisation)
Research: M.A. M.Phil. and Ph.Ds.
The Department runs a programme for students who wish
to pursue research work at a Masters and Doctoral level.
Proposals are accepted when they are related to the main
areas of research expertise within the Department.
Department of International Relations
Career prospects
The programme is intended for individuals working
in, or aspiring to work in, humanitarian agencies,
multilateral aid institutions, NGOs and private
foundations, government agencies, large corporations
with in-house development-related work, and research
centres focusing on humanitarian and development
cooperation.
Delivery
The M.A. can be followed both part and full time.
Teaching staff is a mix of in-house experts and
experienced guest lecturers. All teaching is in English.
Professional development in the humanitarian field
The Department offers selected individual courses
from the M.A. in Humanitarian Action (above) as
stand-alone units for professionals wishing to develop
their skills in fields such as media and humanitarianism,
the legal framework for humanitarian action, security
and ethics in humanitarian action, and the medical and
public health aspects of humanitarianism. For more
information, contact the department.
The Department of International Relations
has students from over 15 countries, and
has a large number of Erasmus agreements
which facilitate student exchange with other
universities Europe-wide.
Programmes offered:
• B.A. Honours
• B.A. General
• M.A. preparatory programme
• M.A. and Ph.D. by research
• M.A. in Humanitarian Action (taught course)
More information:
www.um.edu.mt/arts/int-relations
Information for international students:
www.um.edu.mt/int-eu
While there is a special focus on the Mediterranean,
Europe, and the EU in the context of the island’s
regional needs and politics of neighbourhood, the
course also offers credits within the global context.
These include courses on the USA, Russia, China,
Japan, Pakistan, India and the African continent.
Undergraduate Studies
(B.A. Gen and Hons)
The B.A. International Relations course helps students
to understand the world from a multidisciplinary
perspective.
The course components are:
• Theory of International Relations
• International History
• International Politics
• Political Economy
• Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
• War, Conflict and Security Studies
• New Issues in International Relations
including Media, Culture, Gender, Religion and
Environment
• International Law
• Research Methodology
The Department offers over 50 taught credits with
the majority of them on offer on alternate years.
All Honours students also write a substantial
dissertation based on original research under
one-to-one guided supervision. Students are also
encouraged to develop a more hands on approach in
the department’s radio programme, assisting in the
department’s research projects, taking on an internship
or taking part in the international simulations that
are frequently offered. Students have various
opportunities to study overseas. Apart from Erasmus,
the department funds two students to participate in
a summer programme on small states hosted by the
Small States Institute, University of Iceland. It has also
organised familiarisation visits to EU institutions and
NATO in Brussels and to the ICC in The Hague.
Members of Staff have PhDs from: the London School of
Economics; Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands;
Goldsmiths College, London; Graduate Institute of
International and Development Studies, Geneva and the
University of Bradford
Short course in
Political Report Writing
The Case of Malta on the Domestic and International
Scene
This course is aimed at assisting individuals who work in
Embassies in Malta and need to put together accurate
daily reports on current local politics and Malta’s
continuous foreign policy initiatives.
The module consists of nine two hour sessions:
1
The current history of Malta since EU
membership
2
The Maltese Political System
3
The inner workings of Malta’s Civil Service
4
Malta’s Foreign Policy
5
Utilising the Maltese Media for political
reportage
6
Immunities, Privileges, protocol and consular
7
Trade issues and the Maltese Economy
8/9 Skills in report writing for diplomatic use