Politics MSc

The Politics MSc is aimed at students who wish to expand their knowledge of politics by engaging with historical, theoretical and empirical issues of global relevance. The course enable students to combine thorough training in the study of politics, international relations and human rights with examination of a wide range of significant case studies in order to gain a holistic understanding of political ideas, phenomena and processes.

The course will be taught by a group of staff members from the Politics, International Relations and Human Rights Department, who are active researchers in a range of areas from political theory and political philosophy, international relations, international conflict, genocide studies, to area studies covering Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.

A distinctive aspect of this course is its diversity of choices, enabling students to tailor their studies according to specific areas of interest. For example, it provides options for closer focus on issues such as politics in the context of international relations, on conflict and violence, on political economy or on the relationship between politics and human rights.

The course builds on the existing MSc programmes and aims to prepare students for a range of careers in government institutions, public policy, international governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as providing a thorough foundation PhD research. 

What will you study?

The course has three stages, each of which is designed to deepen your knowledge of politics, whilst also placing this subject within wider social and economic contexts.

The first stage provides a comprehensive introduction into state and global politics, while being supported through the study of research skills and methods. It also offers the opportunity to pursue a more specialised direction in the field of politics, by choosing from theories of international relations, political economy and conflict theory and analysis.

In the second stage you will be able to pursue your interest in more depth by selecting from a wide range of options, aided by tutorial-led specialist topics.

In stage three you will build on what you have learnt and apply your skills in a piece of original research of 12,000–15,000 words.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Core modules

• From State to Global Politics
• Research Skills and Dissertation or Project Proposal

Optional modules

• Archives, Records and the Historian
• Conflict Theory and Analysis
• Contemporary Issues in Conflict and Security
• Environmental Politics: Movements and Ideas
• Europe in the Contemporary World
• Globalisation and the International Economy
• Human Rights Actors and Activities
• International Political Economy
• Managing and Resolving International Conflict
• Media, Public Policy and International Politics
• Nationalism and Modernity
• Political Communication, Advocacy and Campaigning
• Political Marketing: Methods, Prospects and Consequences
• Strategies for Achieving Human Rights
• Terrorism, Political Violence and Human Rights
• Theories of International Relations
• Contemporary European Protest Movements
• Crimes of the Powerful
• Gender and Politics
• Human Rights and Political Violence
• Marxist Political Thought
• Paradigms in Political Economy
• The Politics of Conflict: Nationalism and Violence
• The Politics of Mass Murder
• The Politics of Nationalism in the Contemporary Middle East
• Themes in Latin American Politics
• US Foreign Policy in an Age of Terror
• Dissertation
• Practical Project

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