Politics/Performance Studies

An interesting, varied and flexible course

The quality of the Department of International Politics teaching was assessed in the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and judged to be in the highest possible category: worth of 'reward and recognition' - more colloquially known as 'excellent'. International Politics at Aberystwyth was the first department of politics or international relations in the UK to be awarded the highest possible grade.

The Aberystwyth Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, recently awarded a 5 in the Research Assessment Exercise is also one of the largest in Britain in terms of staff and student numbers and the only full department of its kind in the University of Wales. We are committed to offering you an integrated scheme of study, combining a wide range of practical work with challenging academic activity.

Performance Studies focuses on the live arts - dance, theatre, performance art, ritual and popular entertainment - and employs performance as an optic through which to examine a variety of representational practices, thereby widening understanding of performance as both a vital artistic practice, and as a means to understand historical, social and cultural processes.

Performance Studies provides an innovative, integrating, interdisciplinary and intercultural perspective on the continuum of human action, from theatre and dance to public ceremonies, virtual performance and the performance of everyday life.

What this course has to offer me

The World's First Department, rated 'Excellent' for teaching and research

The World's First Department

Founded in 1919, we are the world's first university department of international relations, since then we have developed as a centre of international excellence in both research and teaching. With over 30 members of academic staff, 500 undergraduate students and a graduate school of 120, we are also amongst the largest international relations department in the world with resources few can match. Students have the opportunity to study a fascinating subject in a world-class department, taught by academics who are international experts in their fields.

Excellence in Teaching

The quality of the Department's teaching was assessed in the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and judged to be in the highest possible category : worthy of 'reward and recognition' - more colloquially known as 'excellent'. International Politics at Aberystwyth was the first department of politics or international relations in the UK to be awarded the highest possible grade.

Excellence in Research

The excellence of the Department's research was recognised in the most recent national Research Assessment Exercise (1996) when the Department was top-rated 5A. This exercise rates academic departments on a scale of 1 (weakest) to 5 (strongest) based on the research achievements of assessed staff. To achieve a five rating, an area of research has to be excellent, not just nationally but internationally. This makes the Department of International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth one of the top departments in the UK in the area of international relations, and on a par with the best in the world. The Department attaches considerable importance to its research activities, and the high quality of its work is recognised internationally. Research is regarded both as a priority in its own right and as an important element in the quality of teaching. We believe that university students should be taught by specialists who are themselves engaged in pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. Subjects are brought alive when Lecturers are actively involved in their development. In this way the Department's research strength contributes directly to the quality of its teaching. Because of the Department's strength in research this means that students are often being taught by those who wrote the books students are reading!

The opportunity to study subjects that are both exciting and relevant
Politics is one of the single most important things in our lives. Politics touches everything that we do, it conditions everything around us and it forms our understanding of who we are. Politics is about relationships of power. It examines how, where and when that power is exercised, by whom and on whom it is exercised and why power is being exercised in this way. The 'why' question is the most important of all and it lies at the centre of the study of politics.

Here at Aberystwyth students study both the structures of government and the philosophies behind their actions, we look at different approaches to understanding politics and we examine the political impact of those outside 'formal' politics such as social movements, the military, the media and global capital. We can't promise that you will be able to change the world if you take a politics degree, but we are certain that it will change the way you think about the world.

The Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies offers a broad range of practical and academic options.

A wide range of teaching and assessment methods

The Department is amongst the largest departments of international politics in Europe. Despite its size, the Department enjoys an enviable reputation for the accessibility of its staff and for the personal attention which students receive.

Teaching in the Department is done mainly through traditional lectures, supplemented by further discussion and reading for seminar groups.

Each module will normally have two lectures a week plus one seminar group meeting. During the first year, an average module consists of about 20 lectures and 5 seminars and there are about 12-15 students in each seminar group. The precise format of each seminar may vary depending on the nature of the module being studied, but the aim will always be to build on the skills of communication and analysis developed from seminars in the first year. The emphasis will be on participation which may involve the presentation of seminar papers and work in groups.

Modules are normally assessed by a combination of written assignments, seminar presentations and/or examinations, depending on the module.

As well as conventional examinations the department employs a range of different assessment methods which are designed to help students gain the most benefit from their degree. The Department also uses a range of continuous assessment methods including; essays, reviews, commentaries, reports and dissertations. All practical work is assessed on both product and process. No module is assessed more than 70% by conventional examination and many modules are not assessed by conventional examination at all.

One of the Department's unique facilities is the practical semester. During the first semester of the third year students following single honours drama or joint honours drama and performance studies have the opportunity to take an entire semester of practical modules which will require them to be involved in three departmental productions. If you are a joint honours student with drama or performance studies as one of your subjects you will be able to take part in two of the three departmental productions. You may choose from a number of areas including acting, lighting design, sound design, set design, costume design, stage management, theatre in education, theatre administration and directing practice. You may wish to mix your practical experience and combine different areas or you may wish to concentrate in one main area.

A personal tutor system

All students taking degrees in the Department are allocated a Personal Tutor who will be able to advise them on issues affecting their work. Students can seek advice on their overall performance, discussing, for example, their exam technique, their contributions in seminars or their strategies for time management and reading plans. Personal Tutors may also be able to advise students on skills development and careers.

Students may also seek advice if they have personal problems and personal tutors will be able to put them in touch with any of the University agencies for professional advice. Our primary role as a Department is to point people in the direction of appropriate professional welfare advisors we ourselves have only limited expertise in the field. It is, however, important that students with problems feel that they are able to come to discuss these with the Department, especially if they are likely to impact on a student's ability to undertake academic work.

We have also recently reviewed our welfare provision within the Department and also have a Committee tasked with monitoring student welfare issues and overseeing Department welfare policy. This Committee will include student representation from the Department's staff student consultative committee. By concentrating pastoral care into a more specialised group, greater expertise can be acquired and utilised, and a better service provided to students. With better information we can be also more pro-active in dealing with problems.

Placements, study visits and other activities

The Department of International Politics organises regular study trips to the institutions of the European Union and NATO. Every year students have the opportunity to hear the views of visiting speakers invited to Aberystwyth by the student Global Politics Society. Guest speakers are usually academics at other universities, but may also be journalists, activists and politicians. Students play key roles in the writing, editing and production of Interstate, a twice-yearly magazine devoted to topical issues related to international politics. One of the activities most popular with International Politics students is the crisis game which is held each year at Gregynog Hall, a large country mansion owned by the University of Wales. You are given roles to play in teams which represent states or other players in an imaginary scenario set in the future and derived from a real crisis or an international negotiation. You can acquire problem-solving and negotiation skills by participating in this event.

Each year a selected group of International Politics students spend the summer after their second year working as research assistants for Members of Parliament or Welsh Assembly Members. The Department is one of only a few in the UK to offer you such opportunities and a number of past graduates of the scheme have gone on to pursue careers in politics, both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes.

The chance to study abroad

The purpose of the degree in Politics is to look closely at the working and structure of government, to examine how 'ordinary' people can make a difference through participation, but also to explore the ideas which underpin every aspect of power and society. In taking this degree, students will be able to examine a number of different forms of government and the degree will show how particular institutions (such as parliaments, ministries and cabinets) work, revealing the social and economic context which moulds them. Integral to this is the study of concepts, ideologies and assumptions which influence central (though often contested) ideas at the heart of political life, such as freedom, community, equality and rights.

During the degree programme students will study a wide range of countries drawn from the West, the so-called Third World and from the former Soviet region, and they will have the opportunity to study political processes at regional, national and local levels through analysing states, political parties, social movements and citizens themselves.

At Part One students must take the departmental core module Key Concepts and are also strongly advised to take Politics and Governance and Britain and Europe - the Politics of Power. At Part Two students take the departmental core modules Research Methods and Dissertation (third year) and also the core module Political Theory. A wide range of optional modules are available to students in all three years as supplements to these cores.

Film & Television placements, and links with the industry
Although the Film and Television Studies degree at Aberystwyth does not have a formal placement scheme, staff are happy to assist students in obtaining vacation work in the film or television industries. Past and current students have gained experience as researchers and production assistants in a wide range of areas, including light entertainment with Anglia TV, the Natural History Unit of BBC Bristol, Yorkshire Television Drama Department and as art department runners with Claussen Wobke Film Production Company resident in Aberystwyth. The Department is currently in discussion with the BBC to arrange formal placements for students.

The department has strong links with the film and television industries both in Wales and beyond through the involvement of teaching staff with external training and development bodies such as Skillset and Broadcast Training Wales

The Department also holds events in conjunction with other organisations. Recent examples include a training course for television researchers in independent production companies and a one-day writing workshop organised jointly with BBC Wales Drama.

We also believe that it is important for students to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of industry practitioners. Recent guest lecturers have included the scriptwriter Peter Cox (Brookside), Annabel Colley (information researcher on the BBC's Panorama programme) and Colin Thomas (documentary-maker).

The Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies is responsible (in conjunction with the Thomson Broadcasting Foundation) for the broadcast compliance work of the Channel Four Wales, S4C. A team of monitors view all material broadcast on the channel and ensure that programmes adhere to broadcasting guidelines in terms of, inter alia, taste and decency, political balance, portrayal of sex and violence, use of the English language in Welsh-language programmes and product placement. The monitoring group reports on a monthly basis to the S4C Broadcasting Compliance Committee who in turn are responsible to the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority.

We are also fortunate in that the Mercator Media Project forms part of the Department. Mercator is a European Union-funded project which looks at media production and use in minority languages in Europe.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Mature applicants
If you are over 21, you can apply to Aberystwyth as a mature student. We welcome such students because of their high motivation and wide experience.

Welsh Baccalaureate
Aberystwyth welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and fully supports the inclusion of the WBQ Core in the UCAS tariff (120 points).

Vocational qualifications
Vocational qualifications provide a good preparation for entry to related and most non-related degree schemes.

If you are an overseas applicant, we will be pleased to advise you individually on entry qualifications. Our courses are taught in English and you will need to have a good command of the language

Key Skills
The Application of Number at level 3 will be accepted by the Institute of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Rural Sciences as an adequate substitute for GCSE Maths. An A* to C pass in GCSE English or Welsh continues to be an institutional requirement, but in certain cases Key Skills Communication at level 3 will be acceptable in lieu of GCSE English or Welsh. Key Skills at level 3 if offered, will be included in offers and given appropriate weighting in line with the UCAS National Tariff.