BA in Politics

L202

The BA in Politics is primarily designed to familiarise you with the discipline, including political theory, ideas and ideologies, government and institutions, public policy, area studies and comparative politics.

The course-unit degree system offers students maximum flexibility in their choice of subjects and the composition of their Politics degree. (NB: This does not apply to the Law/Politics degrees student). Every student is assigned a personal tutor in the Department who will guide them in matters both academic and pastoral throughout the three years of study. Teaching is by a mixture of lectures and seminars, and in the second and third years almost all courses are assessed by a mixture of written work and final examination (one or two courses are assessed by written work alone). The Politics student at Queen Mary plays an active, not a passive part, in their acquisition of skills and knowledge.

Course Choices

First Year

As with all the degree programmes in the department, the BA in Politics is taught within the framework of the course unit system. In the first year you will take three courses in Politics:

• Introduction to Politics
• Comparative Government and Politics
• International Relations since 1914

Together these provide an introduction to our range of upper level courses. One other course unit is chosen from another department. You may choose, for example to learn a foreign language or to take a course in History or Geography in line with your own individual interests.

Second Year

In the second year all students must take the course Modern Political Thought. All other second-year courses in the department are optional and you are free to choose from a range of courses, including:

• British Political System
• Nations, States and Nationalism
• Latin American Politics
• The Politics of Post-Communist Europe
• The Comparative Politics of Middle East
• The Nation in the Global Age
• International Relations in a Globalising World
• The Political Economy of Global Development
• International Security in Contemporary World
• Debates in Contemporary Political Theory

Final Year

In your final year, apart from a self-designed project supervised by a member of staff, you are free to choose from:

• Ideology and Political Critique
• Case Studies in Ethnic Conflict: Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Electoral Behaviour
• Theories of the Self
• The History and Politics of Immigration in Britain
• European Integration and the European Union as a political system
• French Politics
• The Politics of Economic Ideas: Key Texts in Modern Political Economy
• Theory and Practice in Environmental Politics
• Themes and issues in the comparative politics of the Middle East
• Visions of Capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx
• Analysing Public Policy
• European Politics: National Identity and Ethnicity
• Liberalism, Past and Present
• Globalisation: Issues and Debates
• Tolerance: Theories and Cases
• Theories of Radical Democracy and Politics
• US Foreign Policy
• Resistance, Revolutionary Change and World Politics
• Political Parties and Party System
• Gender and Politics
• War in World Politics
• Alternative Approaches to International Theory

 

BA International Relations

L250

The study of International Relations (IR) is concerned with the political relations between states and various non-state actors in the international order. There is a growing sense that the world is more connected through ‘globalisation', but also acute awareness that these connections are not necessarily always benign, and can be fraught with dangers as well as opportunities. International relations does not only study relations between states, though these remain central to the concern of the discipline, but also contemporary (and older) forms of geo-politics, security, national and ethnic conflict, and development and the ‘North-South' divide.

The degree, which is located within the Department of Politics, covers the broad themes associated with International Relations degrees, such as the Cold War, security issues, globalisation, war, conflict and international political economy. It will also examine the different theoretical approaches in international relations, such as realism, liberalism, Marxism, critical theory, cosmopolitanism and feminism. However, the course relates these themes and theories to contemporary, cutting edge issues. The course will therefore not only ask what theories of international relations can tell us about a post-‘9/11' world, but also what that world can tell us about theories of IR. Central to the concerns of the degree are questions such as the relationship between international relations and security, war and ethnic conflict, development and the North-South divide, contemporary globalisation, and politics in the Middle East . In addition to these topics, students can choose others from a wide variety of options. Central to the degree is the final year dissertation, which involves independent study under an assigned supervisor, on an IR topic of the students' choice.

Academic staff and students will work closely together in an open, informal environment – there will be weekly tutorials and one-to-one supervision for finalists working on their International Relations dissertation.

Our undergraduate have a diverse ethnic mix, reflecting the multicultural environment of London , and East London in particular. Our graduates have good employment prospects with recent surveys suggesting that an average of 85-90 per cent are employed or registered for a higher degree six months after graduating. Careers of recent graduates include varied destinations such as postgraduate degrees, careers in the civil service, in business and in journalism.

Course choices

Compulsory and optional course include:

First Year

Compulsory

• Introduction to Politics
• Comparative Government and Politics
• International Relations since 1914

Second year

Compulsory

• International Relations in Globalizing World

Restricted options

• Political Economy of Global Development
• International Security in the Contemporary World

Other options

• British Political System
• Nations, States and Nationalism
• Latin American Politics
• The Politics of Post-Communist Europe
• The Comparative Politics of Middle East
• The Nation in the Global Age
• Debates in Contemporary Political Theory

Final Year

Compulsory

• The IR Research Project

Restricted options

• Themes and Issues in the Comparative Politics of the Middle East
• European Politics: National Identity and Ethnicity
• Globalisation: Issues and Debates
• US Foreign Policy
• War in World Politics
• Alternative Approaches to International Theory

Other options

• Ideology and Political Critique
• Case Studies in Ethnic Conflict: Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Electoral Behaviour
• Theories of the Self
• The History and Politics of Immigration in Britain
• European Integration and the European Union as a political system
• French Politics
• The Politics of Economic Ideas: Key Texts in Modern Political Economy
• Theory and Practice in Environmental Politics
• Visions of Capitalism: Adam Smith and Karl Marx
• Analysing Public Policy
• Liberalism, Past and Present
• Tolerance: Theories and Cases
• Theories of Radical Democracy and Politics
• Resistance, Revolutionary Change and World Politics
• Political Parties and Party System
• Gender and Politics
• War in World Politics

 

 

BA in Politics with Business Management

This degree programme provides students with the opportunity to take courses in Business Management as part of their undergraduate studies in Politics. Students follow the single-honours programme in Politics, but are permitted to take additional options in Business Management each academic year. Please note that this is not a joint honours degree programme.

Compulsory Politics Courses :

Year 1:

• Introduction to Politics
• Comparative Government and Politics
• Themes in Post-World War Politics

Courses from School of Business Management

Year 1:

• Fundamentals of Management
• Economics for Business

Year 2:

• Financial Accounting
• Marketing

Year 3/4:

• Strategy
• Human Resource Management

 

Assessment

Most courses are assessed by a combination of coursework and end of year examination, with the majority of most assessment being by final examination. Most courses are delivered for two hours per week, with a one hour lecture followed by a one-hour seminar. Seminars provide small group interaction that is geared towards encouraging student participation, discussion and analysis of ideas and concepts.

 

 

Further Information

Ask for a brochure and more details from

The Politics Departmental Office Tel +44 (0)20 7882 8600

For Single honours admissions, please contact

politics@qmul.ac.uk Tel +44 (0)20 7882 8584