Program Overview

Our Politics and International Studies with Criminology course covers all the core areas of the discipline and offers a range of options focusing on theories and ideologies and the study of the politics of international nations and organisations. It also includes the study of politics and political issues at the international level, as well as the study of themes such as the growing importance of 'identities' to political action. We have reviewed and revised the Course, introducing new modules including Populism, African Politics, Work Based Learning and Politics and the Politics of Deeply Divided Societies. Students will have an opportunity to cover the key areas of the discipline, including: the nature of power; the meaning and relevance of political ideologies; the interrelationships between domestic and international politics; the challenges posed by new social movements and global developments; the meaning and application of political theories. The course has been commended in internal and external review for its well-structured and relevant curriculum, which is underpinned by the original research and scholarship undertaken by staff teaching on the course. Our research has a well-established record of impressive achievements through:- first, the authorship of books and articles of acknowledged international excellence, second, demonstrable practical impacts on the policy-making process, and, third, winning against strong competition the support of prestigious sources of external funding including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy. Our research influences our teaching through the content of the curriculum, and through developing research awareness and literacy among our students. This is crucial since it helps students understand that research and scholarship is the basis of their university experience – other people’s research and their own research collectively make up the scholarship which defines a university. Additionally, our students gain the skills and ability to carry out independent research, to assess the merits of competing theories and explanations, to work as part of a team, and to effectively engage in policy debate with sensitivity to the views of others – all skills that are highly attractive to employers. Members of the team are actively engaged in research and scholarship, and in addition have collaborated with colleagues in the UK and Irish Political Studies Association to develop appropriate and innovative methodologies for developing students' independent learning capacities.