Politics & International Relations

The Politics and International Relations degree brings together the broader study of politics and political ideas with the question of how states interact with each other on the global stage. It evaluates the key questions related to transnational issues such as globalization and the environment and the actors engaged in them.

Politics and International Relations is a very dynamic subject, which places a special emphasis on the international and global dimension of politics. In an ever changing world, new challenges are constantly arising – from terrorism and security to climate change and pandemics – and we therefore seek to engage with live issues in the world as they evolve and change over time. We actively encourage debate and discussion amongst our students, encouraging a stronger awareness and appreciation of different points of view.

In doing so, we explore the key ideas, institutions and issues that can help us to understand politics in an international, national and local context. You will be taught by staff who are experts in their field, who will teach you to engage with political research and develop the capacity to be an independent, critically-minded scholar and equip you with transferable skills to take into the world of work.

And study does not just take place in the classroom and the library. We also organise fieldtrips to relevant local, regional and national institutions as well as organising events with guest speakers and practitioners (conditions permitting). Recent visits have included a trips to the UK Parliament, to Brussels, Berlin along with visits and talks from key experts, academics and campaigners.

There are also opportunities available to study abroad as part of our exchange programme and to visit overseas development projects as part of the University’s Global Hope initiative.