Politics

Course detail Description

The interaction of people, ideas and institutions is central to shaping the outcomes of political processes and government decision-making at global, national, regional and local levels. Our Politics BA/BSc will develop your knowledge and understanding of the relationship between government and society and explore questions of political order and decision making.

Sitting within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, the Department of Political Economy has an interdisciplinary, social science ethos, fostering a stimulating intellectual environment that has attracted leading scholars. Our research-led curriculum encourages critical analysis and debate on contemporary international political and policy issues.

We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will provide support and guidance for your studies.

Contact time: In a typical week you can expect to receive approximately eight hours of taught lectures and six hours of seminars and group tutorials.

We will assess your progress and attainment on all the modules you take on both the BA and BSc degrees through a range of techniques including written examinations, coursework, assessed essays and presentations. You may also benefit from some informal assessment during individual modules to help steer your studies and enhance your learning.

Politics BA/BSc is taught primarily at our Strand Campus, putting you close to all the facilities offered by the university and within easy reach of the cultural attractions of the Southbank and Covent Garden. The library and computing facilities are readily accessible together with the opportunity to use the University of London library at Senate House.

• Political Economy BA/BSc
• Philosophy, Politics & Economics
• Politics, Philosophy & Law LLB
• Economics BSc
• European Politics BA

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Structure

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3

Year 1

Courses are divided into modules. Each year you will normally take modules totalling 120 credits.

You are required to take the following modules:

• Fundamentals of Politics Research (15 credits)
• World Politics Since 1945 (30 credits)
• Comparing Political Systems (30 credits)
• Introduction to Political Theory (30 credits)
• Statistics for Political Science (15 credits)

There are no optional modules for this course in Year 1, however you can take an assessed 15 credit language module in addition to your 120 credits.

Year 2 Required Modules

After year 1, you will choose whether to read for the BA or the BSc. You are required to take the following module:

• Research Methods for Politics (15 credits)

If you choose Politics BSc, you will also be required to take these modules:

• Game Theory & Strategic Decision-Making (15 credits)
• Statistics for Political Science II (15 credits)

In addition, you are required to take sufficient credits to bring your total for the year to 120 from a range of typical modules, which may typically include:

• Political Economy: Approaches, Concepts & Issues (15 credits)
• The International Politics of Energy (15 credits)
• Contemporary Issues in Political Theory (15 credits)
• Political Change in Europe (15 credits)
• The Political Theory of Capitalism(15 credits)
• Post-Colonial Thoery (15 credits)
• Issues in International Politics (15 credits)
• Ethics, Economics & Environmental Protection (15 credits)
• The Economics of Politics (15 credits)
• Extended Essay (15 credits)

All students can take an assessed 15 credit language module in addition to their 120 credits.

As a second-year student you also have the option to study abroad with one of our partner institutions for the second semester of the year. These currently include:

• Hong Kong University (Faculty of Economics & Business)
• National University of Singapore
• 3 Campus Programme (students attend Keio, Yonsei and HKU)
• University of North Carolina
• Georgetown University
• Sciences Po, Paris (you would require basic French language for this option although a significant number of English-language taught modules are now available) – this option is not appropriate for BSc students because the required economics modules are not guaranteed.
• University of California – this option is not appropriate for BSc students because the required economics modules are not guaranteed.

Year 3 Required Modules

There are no required modules in Year 3.

You are required to take sufficient credits to bring your total for the year to 120 from a range of optional modules, which may typically include:

• Dissertation (30 credits)
• Democracy & Its Critics (15 credits)
• Comparative Political Theory (15 credits)
• Culture, Identity & Justice (15 credits)
• Advanced Topics in Political Theory (15 credits)
• The Economics of Crime (15 credits)
• Topics in Development Economics (15 credits)
• Behavioural Political Economy (15 credits)
• Liberalism(15 credits)
• Global Power Europe (15 credits)
• International Institutions, Global Governance and World Order (15 credits)

In your third year you are allowed to take up to 60 credits in modules offered by other departments across King’s College London.