The course aims to ground students in the central legal, theoretical and practical aspects of diplomacy. It does this within a context of a more general understanding of International Relations. It also prepares students for research – both research that they may do for their dissertation, but also research that they may undertake in their future academic or professional work. In international politics, the primary day-to-day means of contact between states is through the institution of diplomacy. A rich legal tradition of how this diplomacy is governed has evolved, and the practices of diplomacy by states continue to change and shape the patterns of world politics around us. So one important way to understand international politics is to examine the practices of diplomats and the contexts within which they operate.