BSc (Hons) International Relations with Politics

Year 1

In your first year, you’ll investigate daily headlines and topical news, discovering the international systems and political ideas that shape them. Explore the main concepts and theories of British and European politics, and study contemporary issues, current affairs and major political events in context. You’ll cover topics including international institutions and regimes, sovereignty to global governance and contemporary international relations as well as gain vital research techniques.

Core modules

• GOV1000PP One Planet? Society and Sustainability

• IRL100 Imagining World Order

• IRL102 International Relations Since 1945

• PIR100 Discovering World Politics

• PIR101 Democracy and Democratization

• POL101 Comparative Democracies

Year 2

In your second year, you’ll immerse yourself in international political economy, investigate leading theories and analyse global systems. Explore the concepts of national and human security, and develop your knowledge of politics with topics including Britain and the EU, modern liberal democracies, political analysis and strategy and public policy. You can also choose to visit the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada or the USA with our international student exchange programme.

Core modules

• IRL200 Understanding Global Politics

• IRL201 International Security Studies

• IRL202 The Third World

• PIR200 International Political Economy

• POL201 Democracy and Globalization: Citizens and the Modern State

• POL204 Politics of European Integration

Final year

In your third year, you’ll undertake a comprehensive piece of research under expert supervision. You’ll also deepen your knowledge of international relations by studying a range of modules, including foreign policy, global environmental politics, refugee studies, the EU, politics of the Middle East and globalisation and health. Politics options include British politics, Third World politics, comparative politics, public choice, local government, electoral behaviour and sub-state nationalism.

Core modules

• PIR300 Dissertation and PDP Review

Optional modules

• IRL302 NATO after the Cold War and Beyond

• LCG300A Research Traineeship

• LCG300B Research Traineeship

• PIR304US Foreign Policy Since 1945

• PIR305 The Politics of the United States

• PIR306 Environmental Political Economy

• PIR307 Europe in the World

• PIR310 Work Based Learning in Politics or International Relations

• PIR311 Global Governance and the United Nations

• PIR312 The Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

• POL301 Campaigns, Voting, Elections and British Politics

• SOC3538 Philosophy of Social Science

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.