Politics and International Relations (with Foundation Year) - BA(Hons)

Foundation year (Year 0)

You will study the following modules:

• Academic Skills for Social Sciences
• Exploring the Social World and the Problems of Crime
• From Plato to Nato
• People and Social Science

You will study the Foundation Year alongside students from our other Social Science courses, and so you may be able to transfer to a course in one of these areas at the end of the Foundation Year.

The normal expectation is that you must pass all Year 0 modules before progressing to Year 1.

Year 1

• Politics Beyond the Nation State
• Foreign Policy
• Ethics and Power
• Politics of Crisis and Change
• Critical Thinking

Year 2

• Theories of Politics and International Relations
• Nature and Use of Research
• Developing Self and Society
• Two optional modules from the list below:

Optional modules

• Comparative Politics
• US Foreign Policy: From Cold War to Terror War
• Global Political Economy
• Human Rights and the International Order
• The Politics of European Integration
• International Development

Final year

• Social Sciences Project and Placement Module
• Three optional modules from the list below:

Optional modules

• Ethical Issues in Politics
• Politics of Latin American Underdevelopment
• Policy-making in Britain
• Europe in the World
• Theories of Justice
• Global Governance
• The Politics of Climate Change
• Theories and Practices of Securitisation

This structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

All modules are taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lectures consist of a broad survey of a subject delivered by a lecturer. Seminars are discussion groups consisting of a tutor and approximately 20 students. They are highly interactive. The tutor facilitates a discussion in which students engage in debates and questioning. We use a range of innovative methods, such as on-line tutorials and simulation games to complement our teaching approaches and offer learning through practice

Independent study is an essential part of your course and primarily consists of reading and learning around the subject from published sources such as books, articles, official documents and websites.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Find out more about our academic staff, their teaching expertise and research interests.

Politics and International Relations students can expect at least 12 hours contact time per week across the year. This is supplemented by regular meetings with a personal academic tutor, special guest speaker and research events, and peer-assisted learning - whereby our best second and third year students provide module specific teaching support to first year students.

All staff members also hold weekly office hours when you can discuss your work or your progress more generally. Whenever possible, staff will also see students beyond their office hours and strive to respond promptly to e-mails. The teaching ethos across the course is informal, supportive and welcoming.

Most modules are assessed by a mix of coursework and end-of-year exams. Assessment includes essays, seminar presentations, timed assignments, case studies, literature reviews, oral presentations, simulation games, dissertation and formal unseen examinations.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.