Politics and International Relations BSc

The three-year curriculum delivers both structured training in political science and the opportunity for you to focus on the questions that interest you most. Year 1 begins by investigating some of the great political challenges in the world today. You will also explore some of the main subfields of politics, including international relations, comparative politics, public policy and political philosophy. You will also have access to a number of ‘hot topics’ modules which tackle some of the most pressing social and policy problems we are facing globally.

Across Year 1 you will also develop your writing skills and learn about the use and misuse of data in politics.

The second year deepens your substantive knowledge. You will choose modules from a wide variety of options offered by the department. You will also delve deeply into the main methods in political science, learning the skills to undertake a wide array of research in your mandatory quantitative and qualitative research modules. Additionally, you will engage with practitioners from the world of politics and policy.

Finally, in Year 3, you are free to concentrate on the particular subfields, issues, and methods that interest you most, choosing several options from the full array of intermediate (level 5) and advanced (level 6) undergraduate modules offered by the department (and, subject to approval, offered by external departments).