All our courses are designed around key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

In this course, you’ll discuss international relations and global crises with our expert academics and your fellow students. You’ll analyze contemporary international issues in-depth – critically examining the discipline of international relations itself, to unpack the relationship between theory and practice.

The teaching and design of the modules you’ll study are both informed by our team’s ongoing research and expertise. We use consistent block-teaching times, helping you plan your commitments outside of university.

You learn through

• Interactive workshops
• Lectures and seminars
• Independent study
• Personal supervision
• Practical activities and group work
• Special guest lectures

Throughout the course you’ll learn critical and practical skills, helping you make sense of the complexities and contradictions of world politics. Core modules cover the origins of international relations, key events, issues, and crises of the past and present.

You’ll learn why we should seek to decolonize and decentre how knowledge about international relations is produced and reproduced. These modules provide a solid foundation so you can fulfill your potential, whether you’re new or returning to the discipline of international relations.

You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly-skilled, graduate-level employment through several key areas. These include

• access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic, and career development
• access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars, and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
• dedicated one-to-one supervision support with your dissertation research project

Applied learning

Live projects

Your research will be applied to real-world issues within international relations. You’ll develop practical expertise such as non-violent communication, mediation, and conflict resolution skills. You’ll also be able to focus on producing policy documents, portfolios, and conference organization.

Networking opportunities

You’ll be part of an active community in the Politics Subject Group – as well as the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, and the wider university. In the Politics Subject Group, we conduct research projects and publish academic books and articles in areas such as

• charity and community work
• the politics of the European Union and NATO
• the politics of welfare, terrorism, and counterterrorism
• the political theory of new social movements
• war and security studies

Throughout the course, you'll interact with academics and specialists in your field. The course features several special events with guest speakers – including the Sociology and Politics Seminar Series, which attracts researchers working on a range of social, political, and international issues.

Modules

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

Final year

Compulsory modules

• Communities In Crisis: 15 credits
• Decolonising And Decentering International Relations: 30 credits
• Dissertation: 45 credits
• European (Dis)Integration: 15 credits
• Gender And Sexualities In Global Context: 15 credits
• International Relations In Theory And Practice: 30 credits
• Parties And Politics In 21St Century Britain: Crisis Or Convergence?: 15 credits
• Peacemaking Communication: 15 credits
• Research Methods: 15 credits
• Seminar Series/Conference Organisation: 15 credits
• Terrorism: Violent Threat And Security Response: 15 credits
• The Rise And Fall Of The Welfare State In International Society: 15 credits
• Western Political Theory In/And Crisis: 15 credits

This course prepares you for a career in

• Non-governmental organizations
• International organizations
• The voluntary sector
• The civil service
• Parliamentary or political research
• International development
• Political think tanks
• Teaching
• A wide range of graduate schemes across different professions with an international focus
• Further academic study, such as PhD research