Politics BA Honours

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 in a wider context by providing a grounding in international relations and development studies. In the second year you will deepen your understanding of theoretical approaches, and your critical awareness of conflicting narratives of the state and of governance, particularly since the Cold War, in relation to society and to the international community. In the final year you can tailor your degree to a more 'academic' pathway or a more 'professional' pathway, completing either a traditional academic dissertation or a professionally-oriented research report.
The core of the theory aspect of the programme is a study of equality, justice and citizenship, supplemented by options on radical democracy and advanced readings in political theory.
Teaching and learning includes small group work, problem-based tutorials, review sessions, workshops, symposia, debates, Q&A sessions, document analysis sessions, and structured role-plays.
A wide range of assessments includes essays, exams, policy reports, project work, individual and group presentations, blogs, posters, and debates.
The teaching is offered within the Department of Politics and International Relations. We are in the centre of one of the world’s greatest cities and we use this vibrant, multicultural setting to ensure that our students discover innovative solutions to the problems facing our world. In 2016 the University of Westminster was named the most diverse university in the UK, representing 169 nationalities. As a department we also host the world-renowned Centre for the Study of Democracy. The Centre undertakes research across a range of critical challenges to the theory and practice of politics and international relations. We have an innovative initiative called the Democratic Education Network that facilitates dialogue and the sharing of knowledge between our students, international universities and diasporic communities in London.
Subjects of study
The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course. For more details on course structure and modules, and how you will be taught and assessed, see the full course document.
Year 1 (Credit Level 4)
Subjects of study include:
British Politics
Democracy in Crisis
Dilemmas of International Development
Global Governance and the State
Introduction to International Relations and Global Politics
Political Ideas in Action
The Global Politics of Migration
Years 2 (Credit Levels 5)
Subjects of study include:
Asia, Africa and Latin America; Dynamism and Change in the Global South
Democratic Innovations
Doing Political Research: Project Management in the Social Sciences
Environmental Politics
Governance in Europe: Comparative and Multilevel Perspectives
Internship
Middle East Politics
Politics and Society in 21st Century America
Power and the State
Questioning Rights
Short Burst of Learning in an International Environment
The European Union as a Regional Power
The Politics of Killing
Theorising Politics and International Relations
Year 3 (Credit Level 6)
Subjects of study include:
Advanced Readings in Contemporary Political Theory
American Power in a Multipolar World
Digital Politics
Dissertation or Professional Report
Equality, Justice and Citizenship
Foreign Policy and Diplomacy in a Changing World
Gender and Politics
Humanitarian Intervention
Policy and Practice
Political Psychology
Radical Democracy
Security and the Surveillance State
Social and Political Movements in a Globalising World
Westminster electives
As part of your course you can take elective modules. Electives are an exciting opportunity to widen your experience at university and to gain skills and knowledge that will help make you more employable. Find out about Westminster electives.
Course team
Dr Magdalena Frennhoff-Larsen, Course leader
International Foundation course
We work in partnership with Kaplan International College London to provide Foundation courses for international students who don't meet our Bachelor's degree entry requirements.
Additional costs information