The course content is made up of a variety of subject area strands that can be studied across all three years of the programme. At every level, there are modules relating to each strand. After taking the compulsory modules in the first year, you can choose to study across a range of strands, or specialise in particular strands. Below is a list of the strands :
American Politics: The United States is hugely influential both as a global power and as a political beacon. This strand assesses the nature of the American polity exploring across the three years the role of America’s political institutions, key issues facing the American political system and the role and function of the media in fashioning American government policy.
Comparative Politics: The relationship between different polities is a key area of modern political science research. This strand engages with this by assessing in a comparative frame: different countries, their political systems and the actors engaging with the political systems. Comparisons across countries and/or across time are used to explore the differences and similarities between the systems to answer questions on who gets what, when and how in terms of allocation of resources within and between polities.
International Relations/World Politics: The architecture and operation of the global international order is a key pillar of the modern world. This strand assesses the nature of that system, how it came into being and where it is going. This will include assessing the nature of the global political order and its key institutions and players, major theories that allow one to understand this and key contemporary issues such as foreign policy, conflict and peace, both generally and in specific geographical regions, e.g. the Middle East, Africa or Asia.
Methodology and Research Skills: This strand will help you develop the tools for sustained research in political science. This will include research design, qualitative methods, such as interview techniques, as well as quantitative analysis of, for example, polling data. There will be an opportunity to take this to an advanced level and develop key transferable research skills.
Political Ideology and Theory: This strand explores political thought across the ages from ancient times to the present. You will begin with a broad survey of major ideas in political theory, before being able to look in greater depth at particular ideologies, e.g. liberalism,Marxism, fascism and particular concepts such as multiculturalism and equality.
Optional modules are indicative and available subject to numbers.