Politics is designed for students who want an understanding of the issues dominating our lives: from the war in Afghanistan, to the European Union, to whether we will receive a pension when we reach retirement age.
Politics follows two basic themes: Political Systems, which includes such things as government, political parties and interest groups; and Political Thought, which introduces you to the basic ideas, movements and language through which politics are enacted. Politics will familiarise you with political systems and government in Europe – East as well as West – and beyond. During your studies you will gain an understanding of the various political ideas and ideologies which have informed them.
It is assumed that you have not previously studied Politics. The main requirement is that you have an enthusiasm for understanding how the world works and a preparedness to engage in discussions around key issues facing society. The first-year modules are designed to introduce you to basic political concepts and approaches. This will allow you to support your opinions with appropriate concepts and methods of investigation.
Because Politics deals with fundamental issues affecting society globally, it makes an ideal combination with International Relations to create an exciting, stimulating and relevant degree programme.
This course is part of our Joint Honours programme so you will be able to take part in our exchange semester where you'll have the exciting opportunity to study at an American, Australian or European university.
Location
BA (Hons) Politics and International Relations will be taught at the City site from October 2012.
Any questions?
General course enquiries
Email us
Admissions enquiries
Telephone: +44(0)115 848 4200
Please note the following information for applicants
What will I study?
Year One
- Political Ideologies
- Power and Politics in the UK
Year Two
- From Lenin to Castro: Communism in the 20th Century
- Contemporary European Politics
- The Politics of European Integration
- Great Political Thinkers: From Plato to Rawls
- Identity, Class and Nation
Year Three
- Russian Politics and Society
- Power and Politics in the European Union
- German Democracy and Dictatorships
- Hyperpower Politics: The USA
- Solidarity, Cosmopolitanism and Global Citizenship
- The Politics of Everyday Life
- Dissertation
Find out more about our BA (Hons) International Relations Joint Honours course.
The first year is normally divided equally between the two joint honours subjects and a third drawn from a wide range of subjects within the School (including the University Language Course). This enables greater flexibility in course selection. At the end of year one, students have the opportunity to select between an equally weighted joint honours course and a more specialised pathway.
How will I learn?
We use a range of assessment methods including essays, class tests, examinations, presentations and project work. By using different methods we ensure your learning experience is varied and gives you transferable skills that you can put into practice for years to come.
Your future career
Studying Politics promotes skills much in demand among employers, such as the capacity to analyse complex problems in a variety of contexts and to write in a structured and coherent fashion. Successful completion of the course also suggests to employers that you have a good knowledge of current affairs and global issues.
Recent politics graduates have gone onto a variety of roles, their job titles include: conservation assistant, democracy and education officer, local government officer, policy adviser, recruitment consultant and sales manager.
Although this course does not offer a formal placement, all of our courses are vocationally focused and will help you to develop a broad range of transferable skills.
You can apply for this course through the UCAS website.
Find out more about applying for an undergraduate course at NTU.
