BA Jt Hons UCAS Code
Would you like to explore contemporary political issues, alongside the pressing philosophical debates of our day?
Our BA Politics and Philosophy degree gives you the chance to explore new ideas, challenge what you think you know and engage with the political and ethical issues that define modern life.
You’ll develop a deep understanding of current affairs while sharpening skills such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning and effective problem solving.
Would you like to explore contemporary political issues, alongside the pressing philosophical debates of our day?
Our BA Politics and Philosophy degree gives you the chance to explore new ideas, challenge what you think you know and engage with the political and ethical issues that define modern life.
You’ll develop a deep understanding of current affairs while sharpening skills such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning and effective problem solving.
In politics, you will study core areas such as comparative politics, political theory and global security, examining how power operates and how decisions are made on the local, national and international stages.
In philosophy, you will learn to apply rigorous thought to contemporary issues, from justice and human rights to technology, identity and global responsibility.
Beyond the classroom, you will be part of a lively and ambitious student community. Join societies such as the Politics Society, Debate Society and United Nations Society to make friends, attend trips and build valuable skills for your CV.
You will also have opportunities to hear from influential external speakers, giving you rare insights into global security, diplomacy and policy making. Previous guests have included Sir John Sawers, former Chief of MI6, and Major General Tim Cross.
By combining politics with philosophy, you will gain a broad, adaptable skills set that opens doors across the private, public and charitable sectors. Graduates from our school have gone on to become parliamentary assistants, councillors, civil servants, researchers, policy analysts and consultants. Many now work at leading organisations including AON, the BBC, Citibank, the Civil Service, the House of Commons and UNISON.
This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.
We're in the top 20 in the UK for both Politics and Philosophy (Complete University Guide 2026).
Politics and international relations graduates earned a median salary of £39,400 five years after graduation (LEO data from 2022/23 tax year, published in 2025).
Teaching is primarily by lecture and seminar. In lectures, all students taking the module are introduced to a topic. In seminars, students are split into smaller groups to discuss prepared work.
This means that one hour you might be sitting in a big lecture hall listening to a lecture; the next, you could be in a small group trying to work out the meaning of a key political text or tract. In seminars, we also utilise individual and group presentations, films, role-plays and simulations.
As part of our commitment to research-led teaching excellence, we make widespread use of internet-based teaching strategies to complement lectures and seminars. These may be core texts, chapters, articles, video clips or visual materials such as propaganda posters and election manifestoes. This approach will enable you to develop crucial IT skills as you learn the discipline of politics.
The majority of teaching is delivered through lectures, tutorials and seminars.
We aim to provide a learning environment that will enrich your life and live up to the ideal of a global education. You will engage directly in our common pursuit of cutting-edge, policy relevant and curiosity-driven research.
We present you with a variety of different challenges and types of assessment, including exams, essays, verbal presentations and projects. Each unit is assessed separately, meaning there are no daunting final exams at the end of your degree.
You will be given a copy of our marking criteria which provides guidance on how your work is marked. Your work will be marked in a timely manner and you will receive feedback on the tasks you are given.
We present you with a variety of different challenges and types of assessment, including exams, essays, verbal presentations and projects. Each unit is assessed separately, meaning there are no daunting final exams at the end of your degree.
You'll have at least a weekly average of the following timetabled hours through lectures, seminars and workshops, tutorials or supervision.
This module seeks to compare and contrast the decision-making structures of modern democratic states. Topics to be covered will include:
Watch a video about this module.
This module introduces you to the ideas of some of the canonical thinkers in the history of political thought, such as Burke, Rousseau, Kant, Mill, and Marx. The module considers the impact of these thinkers on modern political thought and practice, with reference to key political ideas and historical developments (such as liberty and equality, and the Enlightenment). The module will be text based.
Watch a video about this module.
This module offers an introduction to key topics in practical philosophy. You’ll explore areas such as moral, political, and social philosophy. Rather than just learning about the views of specific philosophers, you’ll actively engage with the problems and puzzles these areas present.
The module encourages you to see the connections between different philosophical areas, reflecting on their methodological similarities and differences. You’ll develop diverse approaches to key positions in practical philosophy, honing skills in argument reconstruction and evaluation.
By the end of this module, you’ll have a solid foundation for reconstructing, evaluating, and articulating philosophical positions in future modules. Running alongside our autumn core module, this course ensures you gain essential knowledge and techniques in practical philosophy.
This module offers an engaging introduction to key topics in theoretical philosophy, laying the groundwork for further study. You’ll explore areas such as logic, metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. Rather than just learning about the views of specific philosophers, you’ll actively engage with the problems and puzzles these areas present.
The module encourages you to see the connections between different philosophical areas, reflecting on their methodological similarities and differences. You’ll develop diverse philosophical skills, including logical techniques, argument reconstruction, identifying reasoning fallacies, reflecting on personal experiences, and political critique.
Political Theory in Practice acquaints you with the political concepts that are central to the theoretical, normative, and interpretative analysis of politics. The meanings of political concepts are essentially contested, and the definitions we give to these concepts set the terms of our political debate.
This module interrogates concepts such as ‘democracy’, ‘legitimacy’, ‘freedom’ and ‘decolonisation’, while assessing the normative questions that animate them. While doing so, this module aims to equip you with skills in analytical reasoning, consistency, and justification in argument-building central to the discipline of political theory.
This module will cover a selection of contemporary debates within political philosophy, with a particular focus on feminist philosophy. We will look at key concepts such as oppression, ideology, freedom, democracy, and policing, and consider how these concepts apply to issues of gender.*
Questions covered may include the following:
* Note: the concepts of political obligation and state legitimacy may be introduced but will not be covered in detail, as they are addressed in the Level 2 module Freedom and Obligation.
Come and explore some fundamental thinking about the world around us and our knowledge of it.
You'll look at questions such as:
An ideal introduction to metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of language.
This module is worth 10 credits.
All religions have a distinctive philosophical framework. Together we'll look at some of the common concerns such as:
As there is such a range of beliefs we'll also look at the problems of religious diversity.
Some of the sources we draw on might include (but is not limited to):
More contemporary thinkers might also be included.
With such a wide range of issues and traditions the exact mix will vary - each year will focus on a few key thinkers and themes.
This module is worth 10 credits.
This module offers inspiring content drawn from our department’s diverse research interests and current trends in the philosophical community. You’ll explore topics like the philosophy of video games, the family, AI, the transhumanist movement, deepfakes, and happiness economics, alongside traditional philosophical themes.
Throughout the module, you’ll get a taste of these topics and demonstrate your understanding through assessments like short exams. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your philosophical interests, with the aim of sparking a passion for independent or collaborative research.
This module is designed to foster engagement in higher-level philosophical activities, encouraging you to reflect on your personal interests and philosophical development.
By showcasing the department’s current research, the module aims to inspire interest in contemporary philosophical issues. You’ll gain insights into various specialist topics that you might pursue in further modules or as research projects. The module also introduces diverse research methods in both theoretical and practical philosophy.
Join us to explore cutting-edge philosophical debates and develop your skills in critical thinking, research, and reflection.
This module offers inspiring and motivating content, drawing from our staff’s diverse research interests and current trends in the philosophical community. You’ll explore topics like the philosophy of video games, the family, AI, the transhumanist movement, deepfakes and happiness economics, alongside traditional philosophical themes.
Throughout the module, you’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your philosophical interests, with the aim of sparking a passion for independent or collaborative research.
By showcasing the department’s current research, the module aims to inspire interest in contemporary philosophical issues. You’ll gain insights into various specialist topics that you might pursue in further modules or as research projects. The module also introduces diverse research methods in both theoretical and practical philosophy.
Metaethics is about how ethics works. It's not about judging whether something is morally good or bad in any particular instance but critiquing the foundations used to make the judgements. Some of the questions we might ask are:
Like many areas of philosophy metaethics has several branches and by the end of this module you'll be able to:
This module is worth 20 credits.
For a good pre-module introduction to the subject have a read of chapter six of Ethics for A level by Mark Dimmock and Andrew Fisher. It's an open-source resource so free to access.
This module involves employability skills training in the Autumn semester followed by a part-time placement (one day a week, or equivalent, up to eight weeks) in an external organisation in the spring semester. The module is aimed at developing hands-on work experience and enhancing employability skills in a workplace relevant to arts graduates. Skills developed during the placement will be intrinsically relevant to various work environments.
Students will apply for placements in relevant local organisations from an established list created by the faculty placement team, but may also use personal contacts to arrange their own placement, subject to approval. Placements will be provided across a range of sectors relevant to the arts including the creative and cultural industries, media, marketing, heritage and museums, the music industry, education, charitable and third-sector organisations, but are subject to change each year. In the autumn term lectures and workshops will be organised across the faculty, with input by the Careers and Employability Service to provide learning support on professional development and skills assessment, networking, successful applications and interviews, self-presentation and self-reflection.
Assessment will comprise an online portfolio of materials, including application materials, reflective writing and a research report situating the work and function of the placement organisation in the context of the wider sector of which it is a part. Throughout, students will be encouraged to reflect individually and in groups on their own employability, and plan for their ongoing professional development.
We look at some fundamental metaphysical questions about the cosmos. A selection of the following topics will be studied:
Political parties were central to the British political system throughout the 20th century and remain so at the beginning of the 21st. Despite persistent criticism, and perennial claims of their 'decline', parties are an essential component of any student's understanding of British politics and remain the central means by which the electorate passes judgement on the government. This module examines the structure, ideology and history of British political parties.
This module brings together philosophical, historical and sociological approaches to Buddhism. Students will learn about Buddhism as a philosophical and religious tradition – or set of traditions – with particular attention to the relation of Buddhist doctrines and teachings to the contemporary world. They will also learn about Buddhism as a living community, with particular attention to Buddhist life and practice.
What if the entirety of our thinking is simply an expression of the human condition? What if we can never think truth as it is in itself, but only as it appears to minds such as ours? The continental tradition of radical philosophy was inaugurated by Immanuel Kant’s critical turn to the subject: that everything we know and understand is through the categories we impose. How, then, do we come up with our categories and questions?
In this introductory overview of German and French philosophies in the 19th and 20th centuries, we explore lessons in critical thinking which are often neglected or never learned. Thinking is situated in relation to the human condition through themes such as temporality, finitude, historical situation, embodiment, relationality, gender, and politics. The module will introduce a selection of canonical thinkers who have radically transformed human understanding of life, such as Immanuel Kant, Henri Bergson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Emmanuel Levinas, and Luce Irigaray.
Democracy is a contested concept and organising principle of politics both ancient and modern. Its appeal seems to be universal, yet it has always had its critics.
This module investigates the nature of democratic principles, the arguments of democracy's opponents and the claims of those who say that contemporary life is inadequately democratised. A particular feature of the module is the use of primary sources to investigate historic and contemporary debates.
Doing an arts and humanities degree means you’ll gain the skills which are essential for changing the world we live in. Not only that, you are uniquely positioned to understand people, processes and culture.
This module lets you apply that knowledge to solve a real-life problem. The aim is for you to develop your understanding of your degree, and the range of careers open to you.
You will work in an interdisciplinary team on a real project connected to impact, which we define as our ability to ‘make change happen’. These projects have been designed by individuals, groups and organisations that are looking to make a difference to our world. This might be about sustainability, business, equality, culture, politics or society.
Teams will be given a project brief. You will then be guided through how to shape a project, and how to work as a team and deliver results. This will give you the employment skills and experience to show how you can make an impact as an arts and humanities graduate.
This module is worth 20 credits.
We experience expressions of national identity in our everyday lives. These range from the way we talk about ourselves and others, through the symbols of nationhood we often encounter unthinkingly, to explicit statements by those in power about what the nation is, and who does and does not belong. National identities are invoked by local communities resisting globalisation, contested by nationalist parties, branded by diplomats, and negotiated by international organisations.
Experiencing National Identity will explore how national identities are expressed, experienced, and contested by citizens and political actors in a range of contexts. It will ask how and why we should investigate identity from an everyday, ‘bottom up’ perspective, while also examining discourses of national identity performed on the (inter)national stage. It will equip you to design and evaluate research, collect, and analyse qualitative data, and to reflect on ethical questions and the role of the researcher.
In this module we will approach these classic questions of political philosophy by examining the work of a number of important past political philosophers. This might include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau but this isn't a fixed list - it may vary according to particular issues and student input.
We will look at both:
This module is worth 20 credits.
This module explores issues in global security since the end of the Cold War. It focuses on security in a broad sense, from issues relating to the use of force by states, through to violence by non-state actors, such as terrorist groups, and on to the concept of human security.
The module builds on the first year modules, Understanding Global Politics and Problems in Global Politics, challenging you to deepen your theoretical as well as empirical knowledge in international security. It is also a preparation for the research-led third year modules that require a much more developed capacity of analysing empirical developments from a range of different theoretical perspectives.
Elections are the foundation of representative democracy. The act of voting creates a link between citizens' preferences and government policy. This means that the choices voters make have important consequences.
But, how do voters make these choices? Are they based on the policies that parties promise to enact in the future, or is it more about the policy successes (or failures) that parties have experienced in the past? Does the party's leader make a difference? Can campaigns or the media's coverage change how voters see their electoral choices? Finally, given the importance of elections, why do many citizens choose to abstain from the process altogether?
How Voters Decide will explore the choices that citizens make when they participate in elections and it will provide students with the skills necessary to evaluate arguments about electoral behaviour in Britain and beyond.
This module takes formal logic beyond the basics (as covered in first year Reasoning, Argument, and Logic). We’ll cover Propositional Logic, First-Order Logic, and Modal Logic (going into more detail where these were covered in first year).
We’ll learn about existence, identity, possibility, and necessity, and we’ll learn formal techniques for testing the validity of arguments. We’ll apply these logical techniques to help us make sense of challenging concepts and arguments in metaphysics and philosophy of language.
The purpose of this module is to study the historical evolution of international political economy (IPE) with a specific focus on development as well as the different ways international political economy and economic development can be theoretically analysed. Changes in the recent decades include an increasingly prominent role of transnational corporations in the organisation of the global economy through global value chains, the financialisation of the economy, the newly rising powers such as China, as well as continuing problems of inequality and how best to achieve economic development.
This module also examines the political economy of the populist policies such as Trump’s trade policy and Brexit as well as their international implications. It ends with a discussion of the pressing ecological crisis, its linkage with the capitalist system, and possible future scenarios.
The module examines issues and themes in 20th-century international politics, from the eclipse of the 19th-century European diplomatic order to the collapse of the global bipolar system at end of the Cold War.
The course is taught from the disciplinary standpoint of international relations rather than that of international history. Therefore, various theoretical perspectives are brought to bear on each of these themes. For instance, we discuss:
Aristotle declared that “All men by nature desire to know”. But we allegedly live in a post-truth world characterized by fake news, alternative facts, and scorn for expertise. These are major dangers to our way of life, and dealing with them requires epistemology. Epistemology is the study of such topics as knowledge, evidence, and justification.
In this module, we'll explore issues such as: the nature and value of knowledge, the threat of skepticism, the role of testimony in acquiring knowledge, and intellectual virtues and vices. Some questions we will tackle include: What is knowledge? Why should we care about it? What is our justification for believing things? Do we know that we’re not brains in vats?
Where does the mind meet the world? In sensory perception.
By perceiving, we become conscious of a reality beyond our minds. Or do we?
Mind and Consciousness explores perception and perceptual consciousness.
It asks question such as:
By the end of this module, you'll be able to:
This module is worth 20 credits.
We all have opinions about moral matters. But for most of us, our moral opinions are not very well-organised. Indeed, upon reflection we may discover that some of our beliefs about morality are inconsistent.
Normative ethics is the branch of moral philosophy that attempts to systematize everyday judgements about the rightness and wrongness of actions.
It's a wide area of study and we'll focus on two traditions within it:
By the end you'll have a clear understanding of:
You'll also be able to:
This module is worth 20 credits.
Together we'll explore these philosophical issues and more. By the end of the module you'll:
This module is worth 20 credits.
This module provides a comprehensive introduction to the politics and public policy of contemporary China. Students will be familiarized with useful approaches to the study of Chinese politics. In the first part of the module, they will develop knowledge and understanding of the evolution of authoritarianism in China, the structure of the party-state and the role of its major branches, changes or main policies in the recent decades, and crisis and epidemic management.
In the second part, students will compare and contrast the genesis of mainland China's rudimentary welfare state with the example of Bismarck's German Empire, which is widely credited as the birthplace of the welfare state in Europe. Following an overview of the policy-making cycle and public administration in China, students will explore the challenges of implementing regulatory and redistributive policies under authoritarian conditions. They will put insights into practice by critiquing public policies in China, ranging from labour and migration through education to health.
'Justice' has been one of the key themes of political theory at least from the time of Plato, as questions of who gets what, when, and why are absolutely central to political discourse. Should people be able to keep what they earn with their talents, or is it only fair to take wealth away from those who have it to give to those who have little? Do different cultures deserve equal 'recognition'?
Recently these questions of distributive and social justice have taken on a global dimension. Does the developed world have obligations to distant others, and do they have rights against it?
This module will look at these questions from a contemporary perspective, looking at ideas about justice from thinkers such as the utilitarians, John Rawls, Thomas Pogge, Susan Moller Okin, and Bhikhu Parekh.
This module addresses issues in social metaphysics and social epistemology. We will examine the metaphysics of social kinds and explore different accounts of social kinds that have been offered. We will also examine how the fact that we are situated in a social world can affect what we can or cannot know or understand about ourselves, each other, and the social world itself. We will also address ethical and/or political issues that arise once we take account of social metaphysics and social epistemology.
In particular, we might consider whether there are special kinds of injustices that arise due to our social reality. What is epistemic injustice and how does it relate to social injustice? How do certain privileged groups structure the social world that create and maintain privilege and patterns of ignorance that perpetuate that privilege? What are some obligations that we have, given metaphysical and epistemological concerns we have explored?
What is the nature of space, time and motion? Is space/time/motion relative or absolute? How can we come to know? These are some central questions in the philosophy of space and time which this module explores.
This module will discuss how thinkers such as Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, Du Chatelet, Mach and Einstein have used philosophical arguments to try to answer the question about the nature of space, time and motion.
The module will include an exploration of various theories of reference and meaning, paying particular attention to the classic theories of singular terms (including Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, and Kripke). We then turn our attention to pragmatics, and we cover context-dependence, Grice's theory of implicature and Austin's theory of speech acts. In the final part of this module, we may assess various problems in philosophy of language and logic, primarily having to do with the interactions between semantics and pragmatics and the notions of lying and misleading.
This module aims to provide you with a systematic introduction to current debates in the comparative analysis of European politics.
The module adopts a thematic approach and focuses on both traditional fields of comparative enquiry, such as the study of party systems and representation, elections and voting behaviour, party competition and government formation, executive-legislative relations, as well as emerging fields of interest, such as political participation, extreme right politics, immigration, political corruption and the political and social challenges of globalisation and European integration.
The diverse experiences of liberal democracy in European countries and the political and social changes that they have undergone are discussed thematically in the seminars. In the seminars, a country-expert system is used whereby you are assigned a particular country to cover. The module covers both long-established democracies in Western Europe and newer democracies in Central and Eastern Europe.
We'll examine the Asian philosophical traditions, especially those of India, China, and Japan.
These Asian traditions address familiar philosophical themes - in ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - but often approach them in ways that seem unfamiliar.
You may well find your culturally inherited presuppositions challenged. This is good! As global power relationships change understanding culture is vital to meaningful communication.
Topics we may cover include:
This module is worth 20 credits.
This module investigates different kinds of contemporary logic, as well as their uses in philosophy. We will investigate the syntax and semantics of various logics, including first order logic, modal logics, and three-valued logics, as well as ways to apply formal techniques from these logics to philosophical topics such as possibility and necessity, vagueness, and the Liar paradox.
We’ll cover ways to reason and construct proofs using the logics we study, and also ways to reason about them. We’ll look at proofs regarding the limits of formal logic, including proofs of soundness, completeness, and decidability.
This module is a discussion of some philosophical problems pertaining to art. Topics could include definitions of art, the objectivity versus the subjectivity of aesthetic evaluations, emotional response to art, the ontological status of artworks, and Walton's theory of make-believe.
This module aims to promote a deeper understanding of philosophical issues pertaining to art. By the end of the module, you should be able to discuss and evaluate different views of the expressive power of art, to explain certain current views on the status of aesthetic evaluations, and to present the main contemporary viewpoints pertaining to the nature of artworks.
This module explores key themes and debates in the study of African politics. It aims to provide a broad introduction to African domestic and regional politics as well as Africa’s evolving position within an international political arena.
This module is about the ideal of authenticity, roughly: The ideal of being true to oneself. Questions on the agenda might include:
We will explore questions like those a-historically, but we will also look at how they have been handled by certain historical thinkers, especially the 19th and 20th Century Existentialists. Historical thinkers liable to be on the agenda include:
Any reassessments will take the form of coursework.
This module will focus on a critical examination of core aspects of Buddhist thinking, with emphasis on some of its basic psychological, spiritual, and metaphysical conceptions.
These include, in particular: the origin and nature of suffering; the no-self thesis; enlightenment; consciousness; experiential knowing; and the doctrine of Emptiness (the lack of inherent nature in all things and impermanence).
China, as the new and upcoming superpower, has become a focal point of global attention. This module introduces students to the major topics in China's interaction with the evolution of China's foreign policy since 1949 as well as its role in the international affairs and international political economy.
Much of the module will be an examination of China's political and economic relations with major powers and regions such as the US, the EU, the UK, Russia, Asia, and Africa, major initiatives of China, the responses towards China from these powers and regions, and major issues in their relations. This module will also survey main aspects of China's power and its role in critical global issues.
The module will explore how domestic politics and other developments have contributed to the rise of China as a great power of the first league on the one hand, and to the emergence of strong nationalism or its manifestation on the other.
This module will help you develop skills in how to communicate philosophy through a variety of different media by exploring two philosophical ideas and their potential applications, and assessing your ability to demonstrate such applications through short projects, including extensive use of peer-to-peer feedback in small groups.
We will look at how philosophy can be communicated through such forms as legal documentation, press releases, presentations, lesson plans, funding bids, posters and short stories
In society we do things with words. We can use language to lie, to praise, to convince, and to insult. We use words and language to think about sexual consent and sexual desire, and discuss the ethics of sex and love. There are words we use every day (“love”, “sex”, “gender”, “disability”, “porn”) which we might struggle to define.
This module uses methods from feminist philosophy of language and/or the philosophy of sex to investigate these issues. We will consider some of the ethical and political ramifications of speech and language and how it relates to our everyday lives.
The focus will vary year to year depending on staff availability and research interests. For an idea of what you will study, representative topics include:
how we should define and use certain terms (e.g. ‘woman’, ‘disability’ ‘love’ ‘sex’ ‘consent’ ‘sexual desire’ ‘queer’)
accounts of what it is to lie
accounts of the social effects of language (slurs, dog whistles and propaganda)
the harms of speech and how to balance those with the right to speech
the different ways in which people can be silenced
the ethics of pornography
the ethics of various sexual preferences (e.g. BDSM, racial preferences, gendered preferences)
This module enables you to undertake a sustained piece of research and analysis into a subject within the discipline of politics and international relations.
In this module we'll ask questions like:
As part of this we'll cover topics such as:
This module is worth 20 credits.
The aim of this module is to explain and assess the nature, role and significance of political ideas and ideologies in contemporary Britain. It examines how and why the policies and practices of the 'mainstream' British parties (Conservative, Labour, Liberal and Liberal Democrats) have been informed by ideas and ideologies, on the one hand, and pragmatic and electoral considerations, on the other.
It also examines the political ideas and practices of ‘non-mainstream’ parties and social movements (including environmentalism and feminism) and their role and significance for the study and practice of politics in contemporary Britain.
Content to be confirmed.
Politics and truth have always had a complicated relationship. Lies, bullshit, spin, and propaganda are nothing new.
Polarization is on the rise in many democracies and political disagreements have spread to disputes about obvious matters of fact.
But have we really entered the era of 'post-truth' politics? Is debate now framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from the facts?
In this module, we'll explore questions such as:
This module is worth 20 credits.
Contemporary politics often shows two seemingly contradictory phenomena. On the one hand that many political analysts and political actors proclaim that ‘left’ and ‘right’ are outdated and not relevant anymore in contemporary politics as organising principles. On the other hand, that these terms are persistently and ubiquitously used to describe and interpret policies, events, and behaviours.
The module focuses on the question of the role of ‘left’ and ‘right’ as structuring principles in a variety of political domains, ranging from party competition, policy formation (domestic as well as foreign policy), public opinion, public political discourse, voting behaviour, media production and consumption, etc.
Karl Marx's thoughts and words have had an enormous impact on history. Revolutions have been fought, economic policies pursued and artistic movements established by followers (and opponents) of Marxism.
Together we'll examine some of Mark's original writing and explore his thinking. Specific themes we'll cover include:
By the end of the module you should have a good overview of Marx's attempt to synthesise German philosophy, French political theory, and British economics.
This module is worth 20 credits.
This module examines the relationship between the Middle East and the rest of the world across the 20th century and up to the present day. It covers the influence of empire, the experience of the Cold War, the Gulf War, Iraq War, Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict, whilst also focusing on important themes for the region including terrorism, oil, nuclear proliferation, authoritarianism and nationalism. In so doing it provides students with a deeper understanding of the history of a complex region and knowledge of the many challenges faced by the Middle East today.
This module will consider mind, psychology, and mental health from a philosophical angle. The module will cover a range of exciting and fundamental topics in the philosophy of mind and psychology (chosen from topics such as, the social mind, animal minds, the nature of consciousness, the mind-body problem, the emotions, imagination, pain, will and action, belief, perception, mind as machine, and artificial intelligence - selected topics will vary from year to year). We will always ask how these relate to mental health.
But the module will also have a more specific focus on mental health as we will take the tools of philosophy of mind and psychology to mental health: we will consider how philosophy of mind and psychology can help us better understand mental health, but also how reflection on mental health can impact work in philosophy of mind and psychology.
So the module will also cover content chosen from topics and areas such as the nature of mental health (and mental illness), delusion, thought-insertion, therapy, self-deception and the philosophy of specific mental disorders (for example., addiction, schizophrenia, depression) - specific topics varying from year to year.
So, in sum the module will combine focus on specific topics in:
Illness, ageing, death and dying are universal experiences. Yet discussion about them often only happens in times of emotional distress.
Together we'll explore philosophical issues related to human mortality in an open, supportive and compassionate way.
As well as a deeper understanding of the issues you will also build capacity to think sensitively and humanely about the human experience of ageing, illness, and dying.
Typical topics might include:
This module is worth 20 credits.
A dissertation of 7,000 words on a philosophical topic approved by the Module Convenor. The supervisor is not permitted to read and comment more than once on one draft of 7,000 words. Enrolment is by permission of the module convenor.
This module covers questions such as:
Much of our life is filled with compulsory work but when free of obligation, when at leisure, we play in many different ways. We voluntarily chose to engage with the arbitrary rules and restrictions of games. We roll dice and push the pieces round a board. We twiddle thumbs and shoot fictional computer game zombies. We get involved in organised physical activities, sports such as football or athletics. We seek to escape our everyday lives by hiking up mountains in the wild, or by drinking and dancing in nightclubs. We may play with others, seeking friendship, intimacy or sex. We may relax alone, reading literature or practising art. We may mix these different activities together.
The global economy presents a wide variety of political challenges and can create multiple types of crisis for states and the actors within it. Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has put the whole system under pressure and revealed its fragility.
This module analyses some of these challenges and crises, which range from sovereign default to the global free trade system and the impact of climate change, to help us understand and explain the international political economy. It draws on scholarship from the fields of international relations theory, international political economy, security studies, and economic history to provide students with a more nuanced understanding of global politics.
This course will offer an overview of political party development and the functioning of party systems in democratic states around the world, with a special focus on post-transitional democracies in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Applying a variety of analytical concepts, theoretical approaches, and empirical indicators to the study of party politics, the course will highlight the institutional and sociological determinants of party organisation development and system stability as well as the consequences of party failure and party system collapse.
This module will discuss political violence, including but not limited to topics on interstate war, bargaining, Thucydides traps, nuclear weapons, domestic politics of conflict, the Kantian peace, alliances, civil wars, genocide, peacekeeping, terrorism and economic sanctions.
It will present a rational choice framework, as well as explore alternative approaches, for analysing these topics and engage with the quantitative and qualitative literature to study them. It will cover a range of themes, questions, and international examples related to why and how state and non-state actors rely on power and force to achieve political goals.
This module involves a part-time placement (one day a week) in an external organisation, and is aimed at developing hands-on work experience and employability skills in a workplace relevant to students of politics. Pre-placement training will be provided via three half-day workshops at the beginning of the module.
Each placement will be arranged by the work placement officer. Placements will be provided by organisations involved in private, public and third sector organisations, such as the civil service, charities and political parties.
Departmental mentoring will take the form of a weekly drop-in tutorial with the module convenor, in which experiences are shared and work is undertaken on the assessment tasks. Group presentations will occur during the final four hour workshop, at which time each group will critically reflect on their experiences of the ethos and goals of their host organisation.
This module seeks to introduce students to theories of race and racialisation, including, but not limited to, postcolonial theory, orientalism, and intersectionality. After learning the basics of these theoretical lenses, students will study the politics of race in different country contexts through countries’ histories of colonialism and imperialism as well as contemporary racial and ethnic disparities.
This module will bridge the gap between academic study and pragmatic policy. It will consider how extremist ideas come into politics through extremist versions of ideology and religion, based on theories of prominent writers in the field.
It will consider political ideologies’ reliance on power and the role of violence through past case studies such as anarchism, Nazism and religious extremism. The module will also look at responses to terrorism utilising a case study approach that explores the United Kingdom’s and United States of America’s methods.
An introduction to the concepts and practices of secret intelligence and its place within international security. The module is split into two sections. The first examines conceptual issues and models; the second explores some of the roles of, and challenges facing, intelligence in the twenty-first century. These are highly relevant issues, which are regularly in the media.
The Anglo-American so-called 'Special Relationship' has provoked controversy since the term was coined after World War Two. To some commentators it has represented an attempt by the UK to hide its decline by lofty rhetoric and becoming the 'poodle' of a Superpower. To others, it has been a relationship that has served the interests of both countries and provided a foundation for Western cooperation. This module explores the salient aspects of a relationship that has been built around security, conventional and nuclear.
Against the backdrop of increasingly tense EU-US relations, Brexit, and rising nationalism in Europe, this module analyses the European Union's international role. It first introduces concepts and decision-making processes related to EU foreign policy both, by Member States and EU institutions. In particular, we analyse the processes within the European Communities, and the CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policies) / CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policies) frameworks.
The module then critically assesses security and economic policies towards states and regions in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia. Themes to explain the nature of contemporary EU foreign policies include: European integration, intergovernmentalism and supranationalism, neoliberalism and ethical foreign policy, development aid (including for health and education) and diplomacy, post-colonialism, as well as military and civilian means for conflict-management.
Is it possible to provide Capitalism with solid ethical foundations and moral justifications? Many critics argue no. They point to resulting phenomena such as poverty, exploitation, North-South divides, discrimination, and many other ills. But at its inception Capitalism swept away the privilege of birth-right and ossified socioeconomic structures that condemned all but a tiny percentage of the world’s population to inescapable and grinding poverty, misery, illness, and premature death as the tools of others. It was widely praised as socially and politically progressive, particularly for the poorest in our societies. Its institutions of free markets and open productivity released those individuals into a world of opportunity, potential financial security, and rapid rises of the standard of living. Capitalism was a significant step in the pursuit of social justice. But what has gone wrong? Those early hopes evaporated for many.
This module asks whether capitalism can be given an ethical justification – one that would fulfil what it means for societies to be fair and just – and what that world would have to look like; how would it differ from our current world in terms of practices, laws, norms, and attitudes? It examines the good, the bad, and the ugly of capitalism and its associated practices.
This is a module in applied political theory. It brings the tools of analytical political philosophy to bear on contemporary economic problems and arrangements. It develops the skills of rigorous philosophical analysis and develops knowledge and understanding of contemporary political economy. It builds on those skills previously introduced in earlier levels. It applies abstract reasoning to concrete real-world problems.
Questions relating to nationalism and ethnic conflict have become more prominent in political debate since the end of the Cold War, and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrated the continuing importance of constitutional crafting as a means to manage ethnic diversity within states.
This module evaluates differing definitions of the 'nation' and 'ethnic group', examines different state strategies to manage diversity such as multiculturalism, assimilation and integration, and considers different explanations of conflict between different ethnic groups.
It then examines in more detail strategies adopted by particular states to manage their diversity. The countries of India, America, France, Afghanistan, the UK, and Germany are focused upon, but students are encouraged to use material relating to other countries if they have particular knowledge of these cases.
Why are some states better at protecting, respecting, and fulfilling their human rights obligations, while others are not? Understanding the conditions under which governments protect human rights is crucial for the field of International Relations and policy makers alike. This module will discuss cutting-edge research within and beyond the human rights field.
You will learn about autocratic state behaviour, safeguards within democratic systems, the campaigns and challenges of NGOs and international organisations, and the wide-ranging effects of globalisation across the different categories and dimensions of human rights. The module will apply theory and empirical insights from these different fields of inquiry in order to understand the relative protection and enjoyment of human rights across different country contexts.
By the end of the module, you will have a clear understanding about human rights research and its effects on the real world.
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At the dawn of the 21st century, the status of democracy across the world is uncertain. In Central and Eastern Europe, it has become the only game in town, but in other regions like Russia or the Arab World it has suffered reversals. To make sense of these events, this module examines and is structured around some of the big, important questions that have long interested political scientists around the questions of democracy. What is democracy? Why are some countries democratic and others not? How did democracy emerge in different countries? What difference does democracy make for people’s lives?
The module adopts a global and comparative perspective, by focusing on countries in specific regions and by studying different data sets on the design, functioning and influence of democratic institutions.
The state is the predominant site of power and authority in the modern world. Where modern states do not exist there is usually civil war or occupation; where they are ineffective, politics, society and economy tend to be unstable. But the modern state is also itself a site of violence and coercion in the name of which much suffering has been inflicted on those subject to its power, at home and abroad. Modern politics, then, simply cannot be understood unless we also understand the modern state.
By taking this module, students will become familiar with some of the most important theories of the modern state in the history of political thought, from Bodin and Hobbes, through Hegel and Schmitt, to Carole Pateman and Charles W. Mills, very much in the present. Students will come to appreciate how the power and authority of the modern state have been characterised, justified and repudiated during the modern era.
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on LASTMODDATE. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.
All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements listed apply to 2027 entry.
A levels
AAB
IB
32 points overall
General studies, citizenship studies and critical thinking
GCSE English grade 4 (C) or above
32 points overall or 665 in 3 HL certificates
Applicants to this course may be eligible for our Additional Qualifications Offer Reduction Scheme. If you achieve a grade A in an EPQ, Core Maths*, IB Extended Essay or additional AS level qualification* then you will receive a one grade reduced offer for this course.
Please note that if you qualify for an enhanced contextual offer or receive an alternative offer based on taking four A levels, your additional qualification will not be taken into consideration as we are unable to make any further adjustments to your offer.
* Additional eligibility requirements apply. View further details on this scheme.
We recognise that applicants have a wealth of different experiences and follow a variety of pathways into higher education.
Consequently we treat all applicants with alternative qualifications (besides A levels and the International Baccalaureate) on an individual basis, and we gladly accept students with a whole range of less conventional qualifications including:
This list is not exhaustive. The entry requirements for alternative qualifications can be quite specific; for example you may need to take certain modules and achieve a specified grade in those modules. Please contact us to discuss the transferability of your qualification. Please see the alternative qualifications page for more information.
Access to HE Diploma 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 Level 3 credits at Merit
We make contextual offers to students who may have experienced barriers that have restricted progress at school or college. Our standard contextual offer is usually one grade lower than the advertised entry requirements, and our enhanced contextual offer is usually two grades lower than the advertised entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must have Home/UK fee status and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
At the University of Nottingham, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.
We are looking for students who have the ability and motivation to benefit from our courses, and who will make a valuable contribution to the departments and the university. Candidates are considered on the basis of their UCAS application.
All applications are considered equally on merit; students are usually selected on the basis of academic excellence and personal qualities, as evidenced in their personal statement and reference. Applicants are not typically interviewed.
On this course, you can apply to study abroad at one of our partner institutions or at University of Nottingham China or University of Nottingham Malaysia.
If you are successful in applying to study abroad, you will get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance your CV by experiencing another culture. Teaching is typically in English, but there may be opportunities to study in another language if you are sufficiently fluent.
You can choose to study similar modules to your counterparts in the UK or expand your knowledge by taking other options.
The school you are joining may also have additional study abroad options available. Please visit the school website for more information.
In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.
If your course does not have a compulsory placement, integrated year in industry or compulsory year abroad where there is already an opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of that experience, you may be able to apply to undertake an optional placement year. While it is the student’s responsibility to find and secure a placement, our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout this process. Contact placements@nottingham.ac.uk to find out more.
The school/faculty you are joining may also have additional placement opportunities. Please visit the school/faculty website for more information.
In order to undertake an optional placement year, you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet any requirements specified by the placement host. There is no guarantee that you will be able to undertake an optional placement as part of your course.
Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.
This is the UK undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 27/28. It may increase for the academic year 28/29 and we will update our information once we have received confirmation of the fee.
For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), please visit our fees page.
All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.
As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.
You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles.
If you choose to take an optional placement module, you will need to factor in travel costs, which will be dependent on location of placement and proximity to term-time address.
The University of Nottingham offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our fees and finance pages.
Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary. Full details can be found on our financial support pages.
A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.
All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements listed apply to 2027 entry.
IB
32 points overall
A levels
AAB
32 points overall or 665 in 3 HL certificates
General studies, citizenship studies and critical thinking
GCSE English grade 4 (C) or above
Applicants to this course may be eligible for our Additional Qualifications Offer Reduction Scheme. If you achieve a grade A in an EPQ, Core Maths*, IB Extended Essay or additional AS level qualification* then you will receive a one grade reduced offer for this course.
Please note that if you qualify for an enhanced contextual offer or receive an alternative offer based on taking four A levels, your additional qualification will not be taken into consideration as we are unable to make any further adjustments to your offer.
* Additional eligibility requirements apply. View further details on this scheme.
We recognise that applicants have a wealth of different experiences and follow a variety of pathways into higher education.
Consequently we treat all applicants with alternative qualifications (besides A levels and the International Baccalaureate) on an individual basis, and we gladly accept students with a whole range of less conventional qualifications including:
This list is not exhaustive. The entry requirements for alternative qualifications can be quite specific; for example you may need to take certain modules and achieve a specified grade in those modules. Please contact us to discuss the transferability of your qualification. Please see the alternative qualifications page for more information.
Access to HE Diploma 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 Level 3 credits at Merit
6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
As well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English. Check our English language policies and equivalencies for further details.
For presessional English or one-year foundation courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations.
If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a Presessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP) course. Our Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.
If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.
Check our country-specific information for guidance on qualifications from your country.
International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.
At the University of Nottingham, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.
We are looking for students who have the ability and motivation to benefit from our courses, and who will make a valuable contribution to the departments and the university. Candidates are considered on the basis of their UCAS application.
All applications are considered equally on merit; students are usually selected on the basis of academic excellence and personal qualities, as evidenced in their personal statement and reference. Applicants are not typically interviewed.
On this course, you can apply to study abroad at one of our partner institutions or at University of Nottingham China or University of Nottingham Malaysia.
If you are successful in applying to study abroad, you will get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance your CV by experiencing another culture. Teaching is typically in English, but there may be opportunities to study in another language if you are sufficiently fluent.
You can choose to study similar modules to your counterparts in the UK or expand your knowledge by taking other options.
The school you are joining may also have additional study abroad options available. Please visit the school website for more information.
In order to study abroad you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.
If your course does not have a compulsory placement, integrated year in industry or compulsory year abroad where there is already an opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of that experience, you may be able to apply to undertake an optional placement year. While it is the student’s responsibility to find and secure a placement, our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout this process. Contact placements@nottingham.ac.uk to find out more.
The school/faculty you are joining may also have additional placement opportunities. Please visit the school/faculty website for more information.
In order to undertake an optional placement year, you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university and meet any requirements specified by the placement host. There is no guarantee that you will be able to undertake an optional placement as part of your course.
Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.
If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), see our fees page.
All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.
As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.
You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles.
If you choose to take an optional placement module, you will need to factor in travel costs, which will be dependent on location of placement and proximity to term-time address.
The University of Nottingham offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our fees and finance pages.
We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.
At Nottingham, you will acquire a strong academic foundation and a range of excellent intellectual and transferable skills, such as the ability to study independently, communicate effectively, as well as a number of digital competencies.
You will leave us with specialist knowledge of international issues, political systems and analytical reasoning that will enhance your global career prospects.
Combining politics with philosophy provides you with a wide range of careers to choose from. Our graduates develop careers across the private, public and charitable sectors. Private sector destinations include print and television journalism, broadcasting, television and film production, advertising, marketing and personnel as well as the commercial and financial sectors. Some go into party politics as parliamentary assistants, councillors in local government and even MPs; others work for the civil service and in research and data analysis.
Third-sector careers include working for non-governmental organisations, charities and development agencies. Some graduates opt for further study or take vocational qualifications in postgraduate law or teaching.
Recent graduates have gone on to work at organisations such as AON, the BBC, Citibank, Civil Service, House of Commons, Liberal Democrats, Perrett Laver, Policy Exchange and Unison.
Politics and international relations graduates earned a median salary of £39,400 five years after graduation (LEO data from 2022/23 tax year, published in 2025).
Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service will work with you to boost your employability even further – helping with job and course applications, finding relevant work experience and hosting events that connect you with a wide range of potential employers.
The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers.
We’re also the top UK university for the number of graduates entering highly skilled jobs (HESA Graduate Outcomes survey data 2021–2025 for full-time, UK, UG and PG graduates).
From financial support to student life and accommodation, discover more about the Nottingham experience.
At University Park, nature, architecture and student life come together on one unforgettable campus. Explore beautiful green spaces, unwind by the lake and enjoy a vibrant sense of community. It’s the perfect setting for an extraordinary university experience where you can learn, grow and thrive.
Head to our Help and Support hub for frequently asked questions and details of how to get in touch.
