Program Overview

The study of Politics at UEA will help you develop your critical thinking. You’ll be taught by academic staff who are leading researchers and experts in their field: in the most recent Times Higher Education REF Analysis (2021), UEA was ranked 14th overall for research quality in Politics and International Studies. You’ll spend your time with us asking difficult questions, debating the answers with fellow students and expert academics, and formulating your own ideas.

You’ll study political ideas and how politics fundamentally works, and you’ll look at these topics in the context of other countries and regions in the US, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa. You’ll get to grips with the negotiation and bargaining processes of politics. You’ll examine who is involved in political discussions, who wins and who loses, the constraints some face – and the power others possess. And you’ll come to understand why the personal and social are political too, because studying politics is about the role of gender, class and race and their relationship with political processes and outcomes.

Our flexible programme will give you a solid grounding in the key themes of politics and allow you to concentrate on the aspects that interest you most. You might focus on systems of democratic representation, or perhaps security issues. Whatever subject grabs your attention, the course will enable you to gain a sophisticated understanding of how the world works.

You will develop skills such as how to argue persuasively, analyse carefully and make well informed and well-reasoned decisions. You will also learn to challenge received wisdom, and different views, thoughtfully and respectfully. These are important skills for navigating the turbulent and multi-faceted world, serving you well in any number of future careers.

UEA also stages talks from high-profile politicians that you can attend. In the past, guest speakers have included Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), John Bercow (Conservative MP, and Speaker of the House of Commons), Caroline Lucas (Green), Douglas Carswell (formerly of UKIP) and Vince Cable (Liberal Democrats).