Politics and International Relations with Foundation Year

Explore topics from the the past, present and future, as you question the nature of humanity and society from a local and international perspective.

Study diverse subjects from across humanities, social sciences, language and linguistics on this Liberal Arts foundation year. This course will give you both the skills you need to succeed in your degree, and an opportunity to go beyond your chosen subject and explore other specialisms.

This interdisciplinary foundation year you can to develop skills and knowledge both within and beyond the degree you will progress onto. The course allows you to explore different aspects of your own subject area, as well as a wider framework of contexts, approaches and crossovers with other subjects.

The foundation year provides a welcoming and encouraging environment in which you can first encounter those key questions and challenges that will later inform your undergraduate study. This is the course for you if are excited about getting into higher education but don't want to dive straight into an undergraduate degree. This might be because you have been out of education for a while, you do not yet have the entry requirements for the course you want to do, or you just do not feel ready yet.

When you study on this course we will introduce you to the major historical and contemporary figures, institutions, events, and processes behind national and international politics. You will also learn to analyse these processes using the theories and concepts that form the basis of these academic subjects, and engaging with the latest research in these areas. While you will also learn about regional and national politics, in choosing to combine Politics with International Relations you will take a largely global perspective.

Some of the topics you will investigate include:

Democracy and authoritarianism
Political parties
Political economy
International security
International organisation and the future of global cooperation
How states interact with each other, and the changing role of the state
How states respond to inequality, global health and threats to national security
Through this you will learn to explain the historical drivers of social change, analyse the current political landscape, and respond to the challenges which will shape our political future.

There are many ways you can take your learning beyond the classroom, including opportunities to:

Take part in local, national and international field trips
Undertake a work experience project
Study abroad in your second year
Hear from visiting speakers with many different specialist areas of expertise
Attend conferences, seminars, workshops and events