Politics and International Relations (Including Year Abroad)

Why don’t democratic countries go to war with each other? Why don’t young people vote? Who should pay for climate change? Why do oil-rich states have worse human rights records? These are the kinds of questions addressed in our BA Politics & International Relations.

Based in one of the most prestigious government departments in Europe, this course enables you to learn how politics works within countries and between countries. We provide a thorough grounding in all major areas of political science and international relations and widen your awareness of the world system, while training you in the research and critical thinking skills that are prized by employers.

With this course you can explore a very wide range of topic areas, including:

- Human rights and global justice

- Elections, referendums and the psychology of voters

- Civil war and international peacekeeping

- The politics of natural disasters

- Protest, revolution and democracy

- Aid, trade and development

Studying Politics & International Relations at Essex will train you to question everything with confidence, to support opinions with strong evidence and have the courage to challenge others. We encourage you to be daring and bold, and to support your thinking with the broadest range of facts and ideas.

Our Department of Government has an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We are rated top in the UK for research (REF 2014), and have consistently been the highest-rated politics department in the country since national assessments began. We are also ranked 7th in the UK for Politics and International Studies in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.