Home1st year courses
Course: POL/100
Title: Introduction to Politics
Value:2.0 cu
Semester 1&2
Course organiser: Dr Simon Choat
Timetable: Friday 10-11 am
Description: This course combines the exploration of modern and contemporary ideologies with the analysis of key political concepts. It begins by examining conceptions of politics and the political, with particular attention to what it might mean to approach politics normatively/critically and through a range of theoretical perspectives. The course proceeds by introducing modern political ideologies (liberalism, socialism, conservatism, Marxism, anarchism, nationalism) in the context of their historical development, and go on to analyse a number of key concepts, including rights, liberty, justice, equality and power. You will have the opportunity to read a range of key texts and will be encouraged to explore the ways in which such concepts are used and contested in political debate. In the latter part of the course we will examine some contemporary ideologies and consider the ways in which these continue to utilise and re-interpret the concepts studied earlier. Not available to Associate students.
Course: POL/103
Title: Comparative Government and Politics
Value: 2.0cu
Semester 1&2
Contact: Dr Rainbow Murray
Timetable: Wednesday 10-11 am
Description: This course aims to help you develop a critical understanding of political decision making processes in modern states. In doing so, it seeks to lay the basic foundations, which will enable more advanced study of political institutions in the second and third years. The course introduces the major branches of the governmental process backed up by examples drawn from a variety of countries and examines these through the major theoretical perspectives that have sought to explain the operation of political institutions. In particular, we will examine structuralist, cultural/institutionalist and rational choice approaches. The focus of the material is comparative in nature with examples drawn from a variety of political contexts. This course is compulsory for all single honours Politics students and optional for joint honours students. Joint honours students must take either this course or POL101. Not open to Associate Students.
Course:POL/104
Title: International Relations since 1914
Value: 2.0 cu
Semester 1&2
Contact: Dr Richard Saull
Timetable: Thursday 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Desription: This course will provide a comprehensive survey of international relations from World War One to the ‘war on terror'. The course is organised within a framework that is partly chronological and partly thematic. It aims to equip students with a historical and conceptual knowledge such that they can account for the major historical developments in international relations since 1914 and identify and trace the roots of contemporary issues and problems in international relations. The course will address the major developments in international relations since 1914 including the two world wars, the Bolshevik Revolution, Fascism, the origins and evolution of the Cold War - and its impact on different regions of the world - decolonisation and North-South economic relations, and the origins of the war on terror. By the end of the course students should not only have a firm grasp of key events in post-1914 international history, but should be able to account for the causes and consequences of these historical developments, and also to distinguish the significance of particular international actors and factors in shaping international relations since 1914.
2nd Year Courses
Course: POL/206
Title: Modern Political Thought I and II
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Caroline Williams / Dr Madeleine Davis
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 11-12 pm, seminars 12-1 and 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course offers an introduction to Modern Political Thought by critically examining the texts and ideas of major political thinkers of the seventeenth to twentieth century. The first semester this year will consider Machiavelli and the social contract theorists: Hobbes, Locke & Rousseau. This will enable students to assess the foundations of the history of political thought. The second semester will focus upon the development of political thought in the nineteenth century, with special emphasis upon the work of Marx and Nietzsche. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/206A; Spring Semester POL/206B. This course is compulsory for single honours Politics students. History/Politics joint honours students must take either POL206 or HST428 History of Western Political Thought .
Course: POL/207
Title: Latin American Politics
Value: 2.0 cu
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Marianna Jimenez-Huerta
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Friday 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course provides an introduction to the political history and analysis of modern Latin America . Semester one focuses on country case studies,including Mexico,Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. Semester two considers the main political themes of the contemporary period, including military dictatorship, marginality, guerrilla warfare, US policy and transitions to democracy and neo-liberalism. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/207A; Spring Semester POL/207B.
Course: POL/200
Title: Politics and the Mass Media
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Prof Raymond Kuhn
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 12-1 pm; seminars 10-11,11-2 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This module examines key aspects of the interrelationship between politics and the mass media in Britain . In the Autumn Semester we concentrate on the historical development of the British media, key media institutions/ players and media policy. In the Spring Semester we concentrate on political communication, media content and effects. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/200A; Spring Semester POL/200B.
Course: POL/215
Title: British Political System
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 3&4
Contact: Dr Judith Bara
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Monday 10-11 am; seminars 11-12, 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will provide students with an advanced knowledge of the British Political system. It is divided into two principal parts: the study of the institutions of British politics, and the study of political culture, behaviour and participation within those institutions. Topics covered include: the constitution, Parliament, Prime Minister and the Cabinet system, civil service devolution, local government, the electoral and party system, political parties, representation, and electoral behaviour. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/215A; Spring Semester POL/215B.
Course: POL/231
Title: The Comparative Politics of the Middle East
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Toby Dodge
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm; seminars 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course is designed to provide an introduction to the politics of the contemporary Middle East from the end of the First World War until the present day. The course is structured to build upon the knowledge of political science that students have accumulated during the first year of their degree and are continuing to develop in their second year. Each weekly topic will be approached from both a theoretical and empirical angle, with the required readings reflected this. The aim is to develop both their knowledge of comparative political science and their understanding of politics in the Middle East . Students will be expected to deploy the tools of comparative political science to understand the specific politics of the various countries of the Middle East we will be studying. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/231A; Spring Semester POL/231B.
Course: POL/234
Title: The Nation in the Global Age
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact:
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 9-10 am; seminars 10-11 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to consider current challenges faced by the nation in the global age. The course studies the concept of nation in classical social theory by examining the work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber. It then moves on to consider issues of nationalism and national identity, the politics of recognition and multicultural citizenship. The study of the nation is closely connected to nationalism and the different types of movements it has generated in various parts of the world. To assess this, the course focuses on the concepts of citizenship and identity in Britain , Canada and Spain . It also examines the impact of globalization on traditional conceptions of the nation. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/234A; Spring Semester POL/234B.
Course: POL/235
Title: International Relations in a Globalizing World
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Richard Saull
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101
Timetable: Lecture Friday10-11 am; seminars 11-12, 12-1 and 2-3 pm.
Overlap: None
Description: This course focuses on some of the key issues and themes in the study and practice of contemporary international relations. It takes as its starting point the distinct political characteristics of the social space of the ‘international' defined by the absence of common political power and the political and economic changes associated with the end of the Cold War and globalisation. Its purpose is to identify and examine key issues of concern within contemporary world politics including the changing nature of state sovereignty, war and violence, global governance and international organisations, the nature of the world economy, and human rights. Through the study of these issues the course aims to equip students with the conceptual tools and empirical knowledge to enable them to acquire a deeper and more nuanced understanding of contemporary international relations. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/235A; Spring Semester POL/235B.
Course: POL/236
Title: The Political Economy of Global Development
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Jyoti Saraswati
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /104
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 12-1 pm, seminars 11-12, 2-3 and 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course is designed as a critical introduction to some of the key themes and issues in the political economy of development. It starts by introducing you to the ideas of development and the ‘ Third World ', and then relates these to theoretical understandings of the divisions between the global ‘north' and ‘south', since 1945, and with the advent of globalisation. The course then examines current debates over globalisation and development, including poverty, the environment, trade, debt, NGOs and social movements, international institutions, multinational companies. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/236A; Spring Semester POL/236B.
Course: POL/237
Title: International Security in the Contemporary World
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Bryan Mabee
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 10-11 am, seminars 12-1, 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course examines the study of security in international relations, through its roots in Cold War strategic studies to the development of a more broadly focused field today. A variety of perspectives on the causes of war and peace in order to better examine the roots of violent conflicts and security problems in the present day. Contemporary problems with civil war, economic, and identity issues will all be investigated. In Part II the course offers a broader examination of security in light of the expansion of the field at the end of the Cold War. Examining international security from a number of different theoretical perspectives, the course moves on to study a variety of important contemporary issues, from problems with alliances through the environment as a security problem to transnational security threats. Overall, the course gives a through introduction to security in contemporary international relations. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/237A; Spring Semester POL/237B.
Course: POL/238
Title: Global Governance and Civil Society
Value: 2.0cu
Semester: 3 & 4
Contact: Dr Adam Fagan
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /104
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This new course explores the notion of global governance from the particular perspective of civil society and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). What we are essentially concerned with here are, first, the extent to which trans-national networks of power can be said to exist; second, to explore which actors dominate and are empowered within such networks, which are excluded and why; third, the extent to which it is viable and appropriate to use the term “global civil society” to describe aspects of social movement and NGO behaviour; and fourthly, whether the concept of global governance helps us to understand better the interactions between state, non-state, market and civil society actors in various locations, regions, policy processes and issue regimes.3rd Year Courses
Course: POL/308
Title: Ideology and Political Critique
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Caroline Williams
Prerequisite: POL100 or POL101 and POL206
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 2 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will examine a number of political thinkers who, in the wake of Marx, have explored the question of ideology and its profound effect upon our lives. Georg Lukács, Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser all contend that an analysis of ideology affords insights into the dynamics which shape consciousness and the structure of power-relations in modern societies. However some claim that its analytical value is long dead and buried. The course will conclude by exploring the challenge posed to the `end of ideology' thesis by the work of Michel Foucault and Ernesto Laclau. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/308A.
Course: POL/310
Title: The Politics Research Project
Value: 2.0 cu.
Semester: 5&6 [Workshops held in Semester 5 only]
Contact: Dr Catherine Needham
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 10-12 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The project is now a compulsory course for all single honours Politics students. It is designed to give students the opportunity of studying an agreed topic under supervision on an individual basis and to a greater depth than is possible within existing courses. Students must fill in the pre-registration form and should undertake a programme of preparatory work during the long vacation. A programme of research workshops will be provided in the first semester and each student will have an opportunity to present their research to a small group in the second semester. Assessment is on the basis of two coursework assignments and a dissertation of 12,000 words. For more details, please read below.
Course: POL/325
Title: Electoral Behaviour
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Judith Bara
Prerequisite: POL/103 and POL/215
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 12-1 pm; seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to examine and evaluate the major issues and controversies in the study of elections and voting behaviour in Britain , and to provide a basis for comparative analysis. It will examine some important questions about elections, such as investigation into the nature and purpose of elections, why they merit study and why elections often produce differing turnout. There will also be a consideration of alternative approaches to voting behaviour, which will focus on partisan alignment and delignment, social structure and rational choice explanations. In addition we will consider issue voting and economic voting. This will be complemented by discussion of the role of the media, the changing nature of party campaigns- national and local, institutional effects and leadership effects. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/325A.
Course: POL/326
Title: Theories of the Self
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Caroline Williams
Prerequisite: POL100 or POL101, POL206
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will examine a range of philosophical, political and psychoanalytical perspectives on the self and consider the ways in which its formation as a stable, unitary being has been called into question. Is there a true self, an essential self that we can come to know, or is the idea of a centred self a fiction? Does self-knowledge bring certainty, or is it always fragile and contestable? Is the self socially constructed? What is the unconscious and how does it influence the conscious life of the self? How are our identities constructed and transformed? The course will consider the ways in which early modern, modern and contemporary thinkers have reflected upon the self and responded to questions regarding the uncertainty of its formulation. Thinkers covered will include Descartes, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Freud, Arendt, Foucault and Butler . Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/326B.
Course: POL/328
Title: The History and Politics of Immigration in Britain
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Anne J Kershen
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Thursday, 10 am -12 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course will take a thematic and chronological direction exploring and analysing the social and political implications of immigration into Britain over the past three hundred years, with particular emphasis on London . Amongst themes covered will be theories and patterns of immigration; debates centring around the impact of globalisation and transnationalism and the expansion of the EU. Political responses - policy formulation and implementation - attention will be paid to the most recent government pronouncements on refugees and asylum seekers. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/328B.
Course: POL/330
Title: European Integration and the European Union as a political system
Value: 2.0 cu
Semesters: 5&6
Contact: Dr Françoise Boucek
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Monday, 12-1 pm; seminars 11-12, 3-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: European integration is the most far-reaching development of voluntary supranational governance in world history. The objective of this course is to explore first, the origins, development, and institutions of the EU. Second, major policies and policy-making processes are examined (such as agriculture, regional development, environment, social and employment, asylum, foreign policy, and monetary policy). Finally, the course focuses on current EU developments, dilemmas, and controversy such as the adoption of the Euro and the European constitution, and EU enlargement). Students will be introduced to existing and evolving theoretical approaches for explaining the process of European integration. They will examine the complex operation of the EU as a political system and they will analyse the political and economic logic behind different national perspectives on European integration. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/330A; Spring Semester POL/330B.
Course: POL/333
Title : French Politics
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 5
Contact: Prof Raymond Kuhn
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL/101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 9-11 am
Overlap: None
Description: This course examines the politics of Fifth Republic France (1958 to the present day). The course covers the key institutions and political actors, including the core executive and the main political parties, with an emphasis on the legitimacy and efficacy of the political system. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/333A.
Course POL/337
Title : The Politics of Economic Ideas: Key Texts in Modern Political Economy
Value 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Mark Pennington
Prerequisite: POL/100
Timetable: Lecture Monday 3-4 pm; seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course aims to introduce students to the relationship between economic ideas and political/policy argument. Students will study key texts in political economy, including Keynes, Hayek and recent contributions from public choice theorists. The course will consider the impact of economic ideas on contemporary policy-making in the context of the continuing search for a middle way in political economy (primarily in the UK and USA ). Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/337B.
Course: POL/345
Title: Theory and Practice in Environmental Politics
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Mark Pennington
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Monday 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course provides an introduction to the core concepts of environmental politics. Its purpose is to explore the ideologies and attitudes, which influence contemporary environmental debate and the people, movements and organisations that form and implement the policies which result. The course examines different conceptions of the relationship between human beings and the natural world and relates these to the major philosophical traditions within modern political thought. These concepts are then deployed to explore the formulation and implementation of environmental policy and the role of individuals, interest groups and government agencies within the policy process. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/345B.
Course: POL/347
Title: Themes and issues in the comparative politics of the Middle East
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Toby Dodge
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/231
Timetable: Lecture Wednesday 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course focuses on specific issues in Middle Eastern politics and studies them in a comparative way across the region and beyond that across the developing word as a whole. Its purpose is to identify and then examine the different units of analysis used in the academic study of the politics of the Middle East . It will examine these units of analysis, assess their strengths and weaknesses and then seek to apply them to a series of case studies in the different countries of the region. The course will include the study of sectarianism and communalism, understandings of tribalism and gender, Islamic ideas of legitimacy and ideologies that have had influence in the region. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/347A.
Course: POL/349
Title: Visions of Capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Simon Choat
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Lecture Monday, 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course is designed to act as an introduction to the history of thought in political economy by focusing upon the two major theorists identified with the analysis of capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx. By closely examining the writings of both authors the course will enable students to become familiar with the ideas that have shaped our thinking about how markets work and the benefits or otherwise that they produce. Beyond this the texts under examination will raise issues relating to broader issues of political theory and practice. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/349A.
Course: POL/350
Title: Analysing Public Policy
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Prof Wayne Parsons
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Friday 11-12 pm; seminars 12-1 and 2-3 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to examine the theory and practice of policy making in modern liberal democratic political systems. The course explores the way in which public issues and problems are triggered, defined and constructed, how policy agendas are set, how decision making takes place, and how policies are implemented. The course in comparative in scope and focuses primarily on case studies from the UK and USA . Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/350B.
Course: POL/351
Title: European Politics: National Identity and Ethnicity
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Prof Montserrat Guibernau
Prerequisite: POL/100 or POL/101
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 2-3 pm; seminar 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The aim of this course is to study the politics of ethnic and national diversity within the European Union. The course offers a theoretical introduction to the concepts of nation-state, nation, and ethnic community. It explores different models of governance, and considers ethnic, regional, national and European layers of identity contributing to Europe 's diversity. The course also studies the main challenges and questions faced by Europeans in trying to accommodate ethnic and national diversity within democratic political institutions such as the EU, its member states and regions. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/351B.
Course: POL/352
Title: Select Topics in British Politics 1
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Catherine Needham
Prerequisite: POL/215
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 12-1 pm; seminar 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course builds on the second year British Political System course and gives students an in-depth understanding of a key topic in British government and politics. By studying a topic in depth it allows students to gain a detailed knowledge of a particular aspect of British politics and thus facilitates a broader understanding of British government and politics. The topics chosen change year to year. This semester the topic will be Political Communication in Britain . The course can be taken in conjunction with Select Topics in British Politics 2 or on its own. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/352A.
Course: POL/353
Title: Select Topics in British Politics 2
Value: 1.0 cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Catherine Needham
Prerequisite: POL/215
Timetable: Lecture Thursday 12-1 pm; seminar 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course builds on the second year British Political System course and gives students an in-depth understanding of a key topic in British government and politics. By studying a topic in depth it allows students to gain a detailed knowledge of a particular aspect of British politics and thus facilitates a broader understanding of British government and politics. The topics chosen change year to year. This semester the topic will be Understanding New Labour . The course can be taken in conjunction with Select Topics in British Politics 1 or on its own. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/353B.
Course: POL/354
Title: Liberalism, Past and Present
Value: 1.0 cu.
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Simon Choat
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL/206
Timetable: Monday, 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This module will examine the development of liberalism as a political philosophy from the seventeenth century to the present day. It will do so by concentrating upon the analysis of certain key texts in the history of liberalism. These texts will include Locke's Second treatise , Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws , Constant's Political Writings , Tocqueville's Democracy in America , and J.S.Mill's On Liberty . For the twentieth century attention will be paid to such thinkers as Isaiah Berlin , Karl Popper and Raymond Aron. . Students will be expected to read and to comment upon a series of selected extracts. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/354B.
Course: POL/355
Title: Globalisation: Issues and Debates
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Prof Ray Kiely
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL235
Timetable: Lecture Friday, 3-4 pm, seminars 2-3 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The course provides students with a detailed examination – and critique - of theories of globalisation and assessment of contemporary globalising processes. It examines these influences through detailed analysis of contemporary manifestations of ‘globalisation', including the study of global production and commodity chains, state-market relations, the nature and direction of capital flows, patterns of global inequality, international institutions and global governance, questions of cultural homogenisation/imperialism, the US state and globalisation and East Asia and globalisation, and ‘anti-globalisation'. The course aims to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of ‘the globalisation debate', and how this relates to contemporary international and global political issues. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/355A.
Course: POL/358
Title: US Foreign Policy
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr. Bryan Mabee
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Lecture Friday 10-11 am, seminars 11-12 and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: The United States occupies a fundamental place in contemporary international relations. Therefore understanding its place in the international system and how its foreign policy is made are of crucial importance for every student of international relations. The course focuses on two elements of US foreign policy: how it is made, and important contemporary policy issues. Knowledge of these areas will give a solid overview and understanding of US foreign policy in the contemporary world. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/358A.
Course: POL/359
Title: Resistance, Revolutionary Change and World Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Richard Saull
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Thursday 2-4 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of the international politics of radical and revolutionary movements. Its main focus is on the historical experience of communist forms of revolutionary politics – across the world - in the period after 1917, but it will also address new the forms of resistance that have emerged after the Cold War. The course is concerned with exploring the way in which revolutionary political movements are shaped by international structures and processes and the extent to which these movements have realised meaningful international political change. The course aims to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of the character of radical and revolutionary forms of political agency in the context of the Cold War, as well as equipping them with a theoretical and empirical knowledge to explain the emergence and nature of the new forms of resistance in world politics. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/359B.
Course: POL/360
Title: Political Parties and Party Systems
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Rainbow Murray
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course looks at the role of political parties in modern democracies. It examines how parties can be classified according to their ideology and organisation, and shows how these traits influence party competition. It also looks at party systems, accounting for differences between countries and considering how party systems affect party behaviour. The course then moves on to look at how parties treat their members and select electoral candidates, before using more detailed case-studies to illustrate the core themes of the course. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/360A.
Course: POL/361
Title: Gender and Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 6
Contact: Dr Rainbow Murray
Prerequisite: POL/100 and POL /101 or POL/103
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday, 11-12 pm, seminars 10-11 am and 12-1 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course looks at the theory and practice of politics from a gendered perspective. It considers feminist debates concerning women's role in the public and private spheres and asks whether the political process can be complete without women. It then looks at women's current involvement in politics and considers a range of explanations as to why women are under-represented, and possible solutions. The course then examines women's political participation within and beyond electoral politics, and asks what difference women can make. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/361B.
Course: POL/362
Title: War in World Politics
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Patricia Owens
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/237
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of the place of war in world politics and society. We will begin by asking what war is and then investigate its relation to the fields of ethics, law, society and gender. We will look at the question of combat motivation (why solders fight) and specific forms of warfare such as genocide, insurgency and guerrilla warfare, and counter-insurgency. We critically assess the notion of a liberal peace and the course concludes by addressing anti-war activism and related forms of civil disobedience and strategic non-violence. Associate student registration: Spring Semester POL/362B.
Course: POL/363
Title: International Political Theory
Value: 1.0cu
Semester: 5
Contact: Dr Patricia Owens
Prerequisite: POL/100, POL /101 and POL/235
Timetable: Lecture Tuesday 2-3 pm, seminars 3-4 and 4-5 pm
Overlap: None
Description: This course offers students an advanced understanding of non-mainstream approaches to international political theory. What is the ‘international' and how, if at all, is it distinct from politics more generally? We will take a number of different answers to these questions and asses their strengths and weaknesses. These include historical-sociology, critical theory, normative theory, ethical realism, post-structuralism, gender theory, post-colonialism, republicanism, and neo-conservativism. We conclude by returning to the question of the ‘political' as distinct from the ‘international' or ‘global'. Associate student registration: Autumn Semester POL/363A.