The study and teaching of International Relations is at a crossroads within and beyond Australia. The old ingredients of international order settled liberal norms, and the overarching framework of American power are today contested as rising powers seek to create their own place in the global and regional order and as existing powers face a range of internal and external challenges.
The Department of International Relations, the first of its kind in Australia, is a world-leading centre of the study of the challenges, opportunities, and processes that emerge from these momentous changes. Since our foundation in 1949, we have approached the challenge of thinking about global and regional affairs with a combination of academic rigour and ethical awareness. Today, the Department follows in the footsteps of the discipline-leading men and women who have worked here in the past and upon whose inheritance we continue to build. The quality of our academic research has been consistently recognised in various global and national rankings – along with colleagues from across the ANU, we have received a QS ranking for ANU Politics and International Studies discipline as eight in the world and a score of 5 in the most recent ERA. Read further
Professor George Lawson, Head of Department
The Department of International Relations is a world leader in teaching International Relations, whether at the doctoral, masters, or undergraduate level.
