In your third year, you’ll do comprehensive research on a topic of your choice with expert supervision that helps bring together the skills developed on your journey so far. You’ll deepen your knowledge of IR by studying a range of topics including NATO, understanding conspiracies and post-truth politics, the media, environmental politics, the EU, the politics of the USA, the Middle East or Africa. Make your degree your own, choosing modules from across our school that interest you the most.By the end of your final year, you will be making your mark, ready to be a part of the change.
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Different Ways of Knowing: The Anthropology of truth, post-truth and conspiracy (ANT6002)
This module explores the nature of knowledge and truth from a cross-cultural perspective. How do ideas of truth differ culturally, and change over time? How do people produce, guard, and destroy knowledge? After an introduction to phenomenology and ontology, students will be able to engage with different systems of truth and knowledge - from oral history, to scientific debate, to prophecy and conspiracy.
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Modern Japan: Transforming Empire and Identity at the Edge (HIS6012)
This module is an introduction to the major themes of political, social and economic development in Japan, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth century.
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Work Based Learning in Politics or International Relations (PIR6001)
This module provides students with opportunities to gain practical insights into the workings of organisations whose role and function have clear relevance to the focus and subject matter of their undergraduate degree in Politics or International Relations, and to link such insights to their acquired knowledge and understanding of social science theories and concepts. In addition the module will prepare students for the graduate job market and encourage their autonomous engagement in personal development planning.
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NATO after the Cold War and Beyond (PIR6002)
This module proposes to study the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from a theoretical as well policy point of view. The aim is to investigate the relevance of NATO in the 21st century by looking at how NATO survived and developed in the aftermath of the Cold War as it appeared to have lost its original purpose of containing the Soviet Union. By looking at key developments within NATO in the post-Cold War period, this module also looks at the challenges which NATO has faced and overcome but it also critically reflects on the contemporary relevance of NATO.
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Africa in the International System (PIR6003)
This module provides an introduction to African politics, examining the historical, economic and socio-political developments of over fifty states with a strong regional emphasis, and a particular focus on political economy, state-society relations, foreign policy and conflict analysis. The module’s regional focus allows comparison between different approaches to international relations. It also seeks to provide the tools to analyse and understand what is going on in Africa today.
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Europe in the World (PIR6004)
Europe includes the European Union (the world’s major trading bloc and its most integrated regional institution) as well as many states of importance in their own right. This module takes a holistic look at the EU’s role in the world and the link between its economic and political presence. Furthermore it analyses the role of individual European states (inside and outside the EU). Apart from the policies and strategies of European actors vis-à-vis Russia, the US, China and countries in the Middle East and Africa it will also cover these states’ opinions of Europe and the European Union.
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The Politics and International Relations of the Middle East (PIR6005)
The module introduces students to international relations in the Middle East. It equips them with the analytical skills to examine the Arab-Israeli conflict, Gulf conflicts, and the impact of the Arab Spring on regional politics.
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The Politics of the United States (PIR6006)
This module introduces students to the fundamental principles of politics in the United States. While domestic politics are privileged, consideration is given to the foreign policy of the US. Specific emphasis placed on the role of the Constitution and institutions of governance in promoting (or inhibiting) democracy both domestically and abroad.
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Global Environmental Politics (PIR6007MX)
This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the primary causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A range of ideas, critiques, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.
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Voter Behaviour and Effective Election Campaigning (PIR6008MX)
This module undertakes an advanced examination of contemporary trends and developments in theories of electoral behaviour globally; then more specifically the relationship between electoral rules, electoral systems and election outcomes; the evolution of campaign techniques, and the role, mechanics, and accuracy of opinion polls in modern electoral politics. These global understandings are applied directly to the case of British politics.
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Media, State and Society (SOC6001)
The media occupy key arenas whereby various social groups compete with one another to set public, political, commercial and cultural agendas. This module examines the relationship between media, state and society. It covers a number of substantive topic areas such as environmental issues, terrorism, war reporting, gender, crime and violence.