Politics and International Relations MPol

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 MPol 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.

Depending on your programme you can also take up to 30 credits each year in another subject, for instance a language or business module, to develop career-related skills or just widen your intellectual horizons.

Please note that modules offered are subject to change, depending on staff availability, timetabling, and demand.

Year 1

Core 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. You’ll gain an understanding of the key concepts and theories used within the discipline and be able to choose from a wide variety of optional modules.

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL1019Power and Democracy 15 POL1017Globalization of World Politics 15

Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits POL1001BState of Britain15 POL1006State and Society15 POL1025Classical Political Thought15 POL1026Early Modern Political Thought15 POL1018Facing the Challenges of World Politics in the Twenty-First Century 15 POL1020Politics in Europe 15 POL1023Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East15 POL1905Employability0 Year 2

Building on the first year, you will examine the various forms of politics through history and in thought. You will examine questions of the political including the various forms of government, the nature of public policy and administration, of war and peace, and of resource scarcity and distribution. The core modules in stage 2 will develop your understanding of the theory and practice of political analysis and international relations.

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL2060Public Policy and Administration15 POL2020Contemporary Theories of World Politics 15 Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits POL2026Political Analysis: Behaviour, Institutions, Ideas15 POL2027The Politics of the World Economy15 POL2038International Relations, War and Peace in the Middle East 15 POL2046The Economics of Politics 15 POL2047American Politics15 POL2050Political Philosophy 15 POL2057Security Studies 15 POL2059Political Thought of Modernity15 POL2068Global Justice and Transnational Democracy15 POL2070Quantitative methods in political science15 POL2071Experimental Research in the Social Sciences15 POL2072Race Ethnicity and Politics15 SSI2002Data Analysis in the Workplace15 Year 3

You will be assigned a dissertation supervisor and engage in the early stages of research design, which includes establishing research proposal and undertaking a literature review in preparation for the dissertation in stage four. In addition,students take options in research-led specialist modules taught by faculty.

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL2070Quantitative methods in political science 15 Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits POL3069Globalisation and the Politics of Resistance 30 POL3070Electoral Politics 30 POL3074The Politics of Climate Change30 POL3120War and Public Opinion30 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 POL3136Political Psychology30 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 POL3180Latin American Parties, Politics and Elections30 POL3184Politics of Semi-democratic and Authoritarian Countries30 POL3186BGender, Militarization and Resistance 30 POL3187Sub-National and Local Governance: A Practice Approach30 Year 4 (MPol only)

You’ll undertake a dissertation on a topic of personal interest supervised by a member of academic staff along with three Masters-level optional modules taken from a diverse range of topics such as global security, the politics of climate change, the politics of the global agri-food system, the media in Europe and the dialectic and its critics. Successful completion of this stage of the programme will convert your studies into a Masters of Politics and International Relations degree.

Compulsory modules CodeModuleCredits POL3040Dissertation30