BA (Hons) Politics and International Relations Bachelor's degree at West London

This module will familiarise you with the most important themes, theories and thinkers of modern Western political thought, starting with Plato, Aristotle and Cicero, through to Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke and the Enlightenment and 19th-century political philosophers and sociologists. It also deals with the socio-political and economic contexts that led to the birth of the political ideas that transformed (and are currently transforming) our society. Emphasis is given to the development of politi

This module introduces students to the range of theoretical approaches to global politics and international relations. It will help students develop their understanding of the dynamics of international relations, as well as presenting the similarities and differences between theoretical approaches to the objects of political inquiry. The module explores debates around key concepts such as structure, anarchy, power, and identity through surveying the key ideologies in the field such as realism, l

This module introduces students to the key concepts of global politics through series of case studies about contemporary world problems. It places the issues in their historical and theoretical contexts, such as the development of the nation state, the birth of international organisations and the rise of globalisation. The actual content of the sessions will depend on the current affairs taking place, but this year the problems and issues included global migration, issues around global inequalit

This module introduces students to political systems, political ideologies and comparative politics. It charts the development of representative democracy through its antecedents in Ancient Greece and the British parliamentary evolution, the American and French Revolutions and the birth of European nation states. It compares parliamentary systems with presidential systems, first-past-the-post electoral systems with proportional representation, single and bi-party systems with multi-party coaliti

This module aims to introduce students to the national and international politics of the USA. From a historical starting point and an institutional approach, reinforced by case studies, this module will examine the evolving nature of the role of the United States in the global political, economic and military stage in the rapidly changing world from the aftermath of World War II to the present day. It will examine the complex cultural, racial and religious tensions that shape the American domest

The purpose of this module is to investigate the media and the arts in a political context. Fundamentally the module looks at the rise of press freedoms within European liberal politics and critically examines its contradictions and tensions. Theories regarding the power of the media will be central to the module, as well as the ideological role of art and culture. Issues around the way cultural considerations both restrict and enhance the freedom of the media are explored in order to understand

This module aims to develop our students' understanding of contemporary British and European politics. Students will focus on political systems in order to develop an awareness how the different layers of political structures and hierarchies interact, both internally within Britain, and internationally between the major European powers, and through political structures such as the European Union.

This module engages students in a critical assessment of issues around identity in the field of politics and international relations. It develops concepts and methods related to identity politics, including gender and sexuality, race and racism, class and culture, nationalism, religion, ethnicity, LGBT, disability, equality, power, discrimination, domination and oppression. Students are introduced to political issues and movements surrounding identity politics, such as feminism and intersectiona

Since the Second World War, international organisations have become prominent players in the international system. Debate continues in academic and policy communities over why international organisations exist, whether they matter in global politics, and how useful they are in alleviating global problems. The goal of this module is to develop an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of international organisations (IOs) and the main policies they action in the international system. Upo

This module consists of theoretical and experiential components to enable students to examine and critically evaluate theories and concepts of Politics and International Relations in applied settings. It encourages students to develop an in-depth knowledge of organisation-specific concepts and theories within their chosen field, and they are required to carry out a minimum of 30 hours of experiential learning in an organisation. They will be guided in terms of the theoretical constructs they sho

This module concentrates on the major current issues involved in Asia, Latin America and Africa in the field of Politics and International Relations. The historical and theoretical background to these issues will involve the relationship between the state and civil society, clientelism and the issues around religion, nationalism, democracy and authoritarianism. The position of NGO's and international interventions will also be investigated, where applicable, to the regional international relatio

This module will introduce students to the basic challenges and difficulties a scientific research into Politics and International Relations involves, and to prepare them for undertaking a research project for their final year undergraduate dissertation. It provides them with initial knowledge and skills for planning, designing and interpreting research into politics and international relations. They will learn about practical and philosophical challenges into social science research, and how to

This module will expose students to the research interests of the lecturers within the department, giving them an opportunity to develop the module content around their research interests, and how they relate to current issues in politics and international relations. The content of the module is therefore not set, but indicative content reflecting contemporary issues and debates would include the following (the intention is that only one of these, or similar, topics would be covered in depth): D