Why you should study this course
You can develop academic and professional skills which are embedded into the course. We provide you with opportunities to improve your powers of reason, judgment, critical thinking, analysis and problem solving.
- You can gain an insight into the working of modern political systems and an understanding of the ideas and theories underlying contemporary political structures, movements and debates.
- We teach the transformation of Britain during the period of transition from late Victorian Imperialism, with its emphasis on individualism and self-help, to the creation of the welfare state.
- We examine the major developments and themes in world politics since the end of the Second World War.
- With an emphasis on contemporary European history, we examine key aspects of world history in the 20th and 21stcenturies.
What you'll study
The first year sets the foundation for the study of politics and history, introducing you to some of the key concepts employed in the study of Applied Politics and introducing the connections between today’s politics and their wider historical contexts.
We look at how the concepts of democracy, rights and social welfare relate to major developments in 20th century British history or how movements like nationalism and Europeanism have shaped the history of modern Europe.
All of the modules for the first year, below, are mandatory.
Modules
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Applied Politics – Politics in Action (20 credits)
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Introduction to Political Ideas (20 credits)
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From Empire to Welfare: Britain 1900-1951 (20 credits)
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Nations and Nationalism: from Unifications to Annihilation (20 credits)
- World Politics since 1945 (20 credits)
Year two
In the second year, students are given the chance to study the development of the European states system together with a range of international developments, such as, the crisis of the 1930s and the rise of fascism in Europe, the workings of the US political system, the environmental movement in the twentieth century, the rise of the women’s movement in Europe and the growth of far-right parties in recent decades.
Modules
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Comparative Politics and Governance (20 credits)
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Contemporary British Government (20 credits)
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The Making of the United States (20 credits)
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The International History of Europe since 1900 (20 credits)
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A Graduate Career (10 credits)
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Add+vantage module (10 credits)
- Optional modules (one from the following)
Final year
Your studies culminate in a 10,000-word dissertation through which you research an idea, policy or issue that fires up your own interests. Past students have chosen exciting topics like British decolonisation, the Women's Movement in Europe, US policy toward the Middle East, far-right ideologies, sports, economic crises and ideological change in the Western World.
Modules
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Dissertation in History, International Relations and Politics (30 credits)
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Political Ideologies in the Twentieth Century (20 credits)
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Post War Germany: From Division to Unification and Beyond (20 credits)
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Add+vantage module (10 credits)
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Optional modules (two from the following)
