Politics and International Relations

Our Politics and International Relations BA Honours provides an integrated approach for understanding the comparative dimensions of politics at the local, regional, national and global level. Your political studies will encompass philosophical, theoretical, institutional and issue-based concerns relating to governance. While international relations shares these interests, it focuses on the regional and global levels of political activity. You will also concentrate on areas such as globalisation, patterns of conflict and co-operation between states, and the shift from 'anarchy' in the global sphere to co-ordination through intergovernmental organisations and non-state actors (such as corporations and groups based in civil society). The course enables you to develop specialist knowledge of important political actors and key trends in international politics, and your critical and analytical skills in the understanding of political problems at both the national and international levels. You will also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development. We make full use of our unique location, and many of our students gain placements through our successful internship programme with members of Parliament, governmental and non-governmental organisations. We also enjoy excellent links with employers, and our graduates go on to develop careers in various sectors, including the Civil Service, NGOs, international organisations such as the EU or UN, policy and research, teaching, journalism, and politics. Our teaching programme is structured to support students' transition to higher education and progression through each academic year. The first-year programme provides an introduction to key concepts and structures of government, and how these impact on political behaviour and decision-making. It also embeds the study of politics and international relations in a wider context by providing a grounding in development studies.