Politics and International Relations BSc (Exeter)

Programme structure

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

The BSc Politics and International Relations degree programme is made up of compulsory (core) and optional modules, which are worth 15 or 30 credits each. Full-time undergraduate students need to complete modules worth a total of 120 credits each year.

Year 1

Core modules provide ‌training in the scientific study of social science and integrate the use ‌of cutting-edge quantitative methods, explanatory theory and techniques of political research with the study of substantive issues. You’ll also gain an understanding of the key concepts and theories used within the discipline The modules provide a foundation in political science and international relations. You’ll learn about key moments in the historical development of the international political system and learn about some of the most pressing issues in world politics.

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL1041Data Analysis in Social Science 15 POL1008Introduction to Social Data 15 Optional modules CodeOptional modulesCredits POL1019Power and Democracy 15 POL1001BState of Britain15 POL1018Facing the Challenges of World Politics in the Twenty-First Century 15 POL1017Globalization of World Politics 15 POL1026Early Modern Political Thought15 POL1020Politics in Europe 15 Year 2

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL2077Quantitative Data Analysis in Social Science II15 Optional modules

15 of the 105 credits you will select must be taken from the Q-Step modules indicated below.

CodeQ-Step ModulesCredits POL2071Experimental Research in the Social Sciences15 POL2046The Economics of Politics 15 SOC2091Immigration in Western Societies15 SOC2092Introduction to Terrorism Studies15 POL2081Thinking about Race: Perspectives from the Biological and Social Sciences 15 SSI2002Data Analysis in the Workplace.
Those interested in applying for a work placement must take this module.15

CodeOther optional modulesCredits POL2060Public Policy and Administration15 POL2070Quantitative methods in political science15 POL2020Contemporary Theories of World Politics 15 POL2026Political Analysis: Behaviour, Institutions, Ideas15 POL2038International Relations, War and Peace in the Middle East 15 POL2047American Politics15 POL2050Political Philosophy 15 POL2020Contemporary Theories of World Politics 15 POL2059Political Thought of Modernity15 POL2027The Politics of the World Economy15 POL2060Public Policy and Administration 15 POL2057Security Studies 15 POL2062Comparative Politics: Approaches and Concepts 15 POL2068Global Justice and Transnational Democracy15 POL2072Race Ethnicity and Politics15 Year 3

You will undertake a compulsory research project. This will entail guided research – as an individual or in a group – drawing on your training in research design and methods as well as your increased understanding of the important debates within politics. You’ll also be able to tailor your degree to your own interests by choosing from a long list of optional modules.

CodeModuleCredits POL3040Dissertation 30 Optional modules

30 of the 90 credits you will select must be taken from the Q-Step modules indicated below.

CodeQ-Step ModulesCredits SOC3094 Statistical Methods for Social Data 15 SOC3091 Immigration in Western Societies 15 SOC2092 Introduction to Terrorism Studies 15 POL3180Latin American Parties, Politics and Elections30 POL3120War and Public Opinion30 POL3136Political Psychology30 POL3077Global Environmental Politics and Policy30 POL3079Money and Policymaking in the United States 30

CodeOther optional modulesCredits POL3069Globalisation and the Politics of Resistance 30 POL3070Electoral Politics 30 POL3074The Politics of Climate Change30 POL3123Strategy in the Twenty-First Century: From Idea to Practice30 POL3124Anarchism and World Ordering30 POL3125The History and Political Development of Iraq15 POL3126Ethno-Politics: Theoretical Considerations and Case Studies15 POL3127EU Democracy Promotion in the Middle East and North Africa30 POL3128Armed Islamist Movements: Jihadism and Beyond15 POL3129Politics and Reform in the Gulf15 POL3148Human Rights and the Political 30 POL3153Justice, Democracy and Civil Society.30 POL3156Central Asian Politics 30 POL3166Comparing Western Democracies: Parties, Elites, Institutions30 POL3168War and its Aftermath: Interventions and Contemporary Conflict30 POL3170Marxism and Post-Structuralism 30 POL3174International Security and US Foreign Policy 30 POL3175Nationalisms in the Middle East15 POL3177The Refugee Crisis in the Modern World30 POL3179City Politics: Power, Policy and Conflict30 POL3184Politics of Semi-democratic and Authoritarian Countries30 POL3186BGender, Militarization and Resistance 30 POL3187Sub-National and Local Governance: A Practice Approach30