SEMESTER 1
On both the MA and the MRes programme, you must study the core Research in Action module.
PIR-40095 Research in Action (15 credits)
Setting the scene for your master’s programme, this module provides an in-depth and hands-on advanced introduction to the various ways in which advanced empirical research in the social sciences is designed and conducted. You’ll be given an overview of key research methodologies and the different approaches to evidence and data gathering, including interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, documents and texts, as well as the ethical considerations when carrying out such activity. Staff currently engaged in research will offer guidance about the suitability of certain design methods, sharing their experiences of good practice and potential pitfalls. Working in small teams, you’ll then design and conduct your own small-scale practical research project. Students on the Politics pathway have previously, for example, investigated to what extent voters felt well informed in the Brexit debate and attitudes towards the place of religion in UK politics.
SEMESTER 2
On both the MA and the MRes programme, you must study the core Advanced Approaches to Politics and International Relations module.
PIR-40132 Advanced Approaches to Politics and International Relations (30 credits)
In preparation for your dissertation, this module provides an overview of the philosophies, assumptions and approaches underlying the study of Politics and International Relations topics. It aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to handle different concepts, frameworks and methods (normative and analytical) and use these in the generation of knowledge for your research project. Adopting an intensive workshop approach, you will examine how scholars have approached the issues of what to study and how to study, and the ways in which these issues are bound up with historical and current power structures within the world. For example, considering the nature of social science knowledge or key trends in Politics and International Relations, such as rational choice theory, game theory, institutional theory chaos and complexity theory.
Compulsory Modules - Semester 1 and 2
SEMESTER 1 AND 2
For the MA, you must study one core pathway-specific module in either Semester 1 or 2.
LAW-40048 Foundations of Human Rights (Politics or International Relations pathway)
Focusing on gender, sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, religion and power in relation to human rights, you will develop a practical and theoretical understanding of human rights law, politics and philosophy at domestic, regional and international levels. You will explore historical, philosophical and structural aspects of human rights, including Enlightenment perspectives, theories of rights/history of rights theory, universalism/relativism debates, sovereignty and non-intervention concerns and other ‘structural’ issues pertinent to international law and relations. This broad foundation module provides a background in which to study and critique human rights theory and practice.
PIR-40096 Comparative European Politics (Politics pathway)
You’ll explore the nature and role of fundamental political structures in Europe, including electoral systems, political parties, executives and legislature, and the ways in which these structures, and the actors within them, interact. Employing both classic and contemporary theoretical and empirical approaches to comparative European politics, you will examine the processes behind behind the socio-political and electoral changes that have taken place in Europe, such as declining political loyalty, falling turnout levels and decreasing trust in parties and democracy. In doing so, you will assess the consequences that these changes have had on European politics and democracy, and the challenges they pose to states, institutions and citizens.
PIR-40131 Environmental Public Policy (Politics pathway)
This module will provide you with an overview of key concepts, debates, processes and discourses in relation to environmental public policy in the UK. Issues such as GM crops, wind-farms and nuclear energy, which have provoked significant controversy and protest, will be analysed and unpacked.
