Politics, History and International Relations
Awarded 4 out of 5 for ‘Overall Satisfaction’ in Politics
National Student Survey 2011
The Department
The Department of Politics, History and International Relations (PHIR) teaches six degree courses which encourage you to investigate exciting and fundamental questions about history, international politics and the way we organise our political lives.
Our courses provide students with an education in a range of social science disciplines through the study of contemporary states, institutions and ideas, how they respond to current challenges and how they interact with each other.
PHIR is staffed by specialists from a wide range of disciplines: politics, international relations, history and languages. Their teaching and research interests range across the disciplines of history, international relations, political theory, foreign policy and European politics to the history and politics of Britain, Germany, USA, China and beyond.
Facilities
PHIR houses a purpose-built Learning Resources Centre which serves as a self teaching laboratory and is equipped with open access multimedia information technology facilities and a rapidly growing library of audio and visual material in some 29 different languages as well as a range of newspapers and journals. Satellite receivers guarantee a daily supply of valuable televised material from continental television networks.
Assessment
Modules are examined during and/or at the end of each semester, by written examinations and/or by coursework.
First year marks are a measure of progress and are not carried forward. Overall marks obtained in the second and final years are combined in the proportion 40%:60% to produce an overall degree mark.
If you spend the third year of your degree working or studying abroad, your degree award is worked out in the same proportionnoted above, and you will be eligible for a Diploma in International Studies.
Language
All of our courses (excluding History and Geography) provide you with the
opportunity to begin new languages or continue your studies in languages including:
French, Spanish, and beginners’ Mandarin Chinese.
The International Semester
In the second semester of the second year, students who do not read a foreign language have the option to apply to spend a semester abroad at a partner institution in the Czech Republic, Taiwan, Sweden, Finland, Denmark or the Netherlands. Teaching and assessment at these institutions is in English.
The Year Abroad/Placement Year
Students who study a foreign language to a sufficient level as part of their course can opt to take a four-year degree course and spend the whole of their third year abroad. Students whose native tongue is English and who have received their education in the UK can apply for assistantships, securing paid work teaching English to school children. Other students study at a European University.
Research
PHIR has a strong research record. Our research interests include issues in international politics, the institutions and policies of the European Union, International Relations and foreign policy as well as globalisation, anarchism, gender and security issues.
Our area specialisms range from South Africa to the Pacific area, and the EU to the US.
Teaching
Teaching is by a combination of seminars and lectures, individual and group work.
Career Prospects
Our graduates undertake a wide variety of careers in the private and public sectors, at home and abroad. In recent years our graduates have found employment in marketing, management, financial services, advertising, the armed forces, journalism, publishing and politics.
Feedback shows that employers value both the analytical and language skills of our graduates and their detailed knowledge of the contemporary world.