M.Sc./P.Grad.Dip. International Politics

Course Description

The objective of the course is to develop students' knowledge of international politics with a comprehensive empirical approach to understanding many prominent problems in contemporary world politics, especially topics where domestic and international politics cannot be understood in isolation from each other. These topics include democratisation, international cooperation, development and foreign aid, international conflict as well as the politics of many environmental issues and their implications for the politics of developing countries. Students will also receive training in research methods.

The M.Sc. course consists of four compulsory modules and four elective (half) modules. The compulsory modules are:

• International Politics
• International Conflict
• Research Design
• Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods

The elective modules on offer vary from year to year.

In 2019-20 these included:

• Global Justice
• State and Society in the Developing World
• Russian Politics under Putin
• The Political Economy of International Development
• Great Power Politics
• European Identity
• Varieties of Authoritarianism
• Interviews in Political Science
• International Security Cooperation

In addition, students will complete a dissertation of approximately 10,000 words in length. Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory mark for the dissertation element may be eligible for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Political Science.