Politics

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Theorising Power & Society

  In this module, you’ll dive into key ideas within social and political theory. You’ll explore the key debates on themes such as: 

  • the State
  • gender
  • freedom
  • equality
  • power.

  
  By exploring texts, including Hobbes’ Leviathan and Rousseau's The Social Contract, as well as evaluating topics such as capitalism, progress and “the end of history”, you will develop your interpretation and analysis skills.
  
   

• Researching Oxford and Beyond

  In this module, you will be introduced to a variety of research methods which will equip you with the understanding and skills needed to analyse research outcomes. You will study the methods that social scientists use to gather and analyse data and evidence, and compare the pros and cons of each method. You will also learn how to design your own achievable research project, an invaluable skill for the rest of your study.

Optional modules

• UK Politics

  Examine the complex institutions that make up the British political system and how these have changed over time, including the evolution of political parties and how policy is made by the executive and implemented by the civil service.
  
  You’ll look at political and economic factors side-by-side in how the British state is constituted and how decisions are made. You’ll also cover topics like;

  • the changing nature of the British political system
  • conceptual approaches to British politics
  • the post-war consensus and its end electoral politics declinism
  • Britain’s foreign relations and its relationship with Europe

  Equip yourself with the knowledge and critical analytical skills to understand contemporary British politics.

• Nations and Nationalism

  In this module, you’ll explore the effect of nationalism. You’ll get to understand the different concepts, debates and controversies in the study of nationalism. You’ll gain fantastic analytical skills, as you apply these approaches to real world cases, and explore the implications of their different perspectives.
  
  You’ll also look at how globalisation impacts the politics and identity of a country. You’ll analyse whether globalisation is a force for good, or if it is divisive, leading to nationalist resistance

• Work-based Learning

  In this module, you’ll have the chance to carry out a work placement closely linked to your Politics course. You’ll be supported by your module leader to find a placement that meets your needs, and which will support your learning. With a carefully chosen placement, you’ll build on the skills and knowledge you’ve already gained in Year 1, and you’ll also strengthen vital skills for the workplace, like time management, communication and team-working. 

  Students have found placements in organisations like:

  • Asylum Welcome, working with asylum seekers in Oxford
  • Viva, an international children’s charity
  • Depaul, working with homeless people and immigrants in Paris.

  During and after your placement, you’ll:

  • create a placement portfolio, recording what you’ve done and achieved
  • craft a CV showing your experience
  • give a presentation on your placement.

• Russia and Eastern Europe after Lenin

  In this module, you will compare and analyse the politics of Russia and Eastern Europe during the 20th Century. You will consider the key features of communist states in the region, with revolution being a major theme. You will understand the cause of revolution in these states, the nature of the Soviet system and it's satellites, and why communism failed here.

• Professional Development in Practice

  The world's most pressing challenges don't fit neatly into one subject or discipline. This module puts you at the heart of tackling them.
  
  Working alongside academics, fellow students and external partners, you'll engage in projects that develop critical, creative and transferable skills needed to address real-world issues. You'll learn to analyse problems, consider multiple perspectives and apply your knowledge beyond your subject area.
  
  Through collaboration and reflection, you'll deepen your understanding of yourself, your subject and the wider contexts in which you will live and work.
  
  The second in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Professional Development in Practice builds on your first year and prepares you for life beyond graduation.

• US Politics

  In this module you will analyse the governmental and political institutions in the United States, alongside studying policymaking, the participatory process, and arising contemporary issues in American Politics.

• Independent Study Module

  In this module, you will be offered the opportunity to undertake independent study and research with supervision. You can submit a proposal for independent study, and provided that supervision is available, an agreed programme of work and assessment schedule will be constructed. In undertaking an independent study module, you will learn how to propose and compose well-structured plans for independent study, make effective use of resources for research, and demonstrate high analysis skills.

Year 3

Optional modules

• Freedom, Justice and Liberation

  In this module, you’ll explore understandings of freedom, justice and liberation in contemporary social and political thought. We’ll focus on a range of theoretical approaches, including:

  • decolonial theory 
  • feminist and queer theory 
  • post-structuralism 
  • crip theory
  • the black radical tradition

  
  These will be put in dialogue with classical theoretical discussions on freedom, justice and liberation. We will discuss questions like: 

  • Is it possible, and desirable, to make claims for justice and liberation based on group identity? 
  • Can past wrongs be addressed through reparations? 
  • Can justice be delivered via the criminal justice system? 

  
  As such, the module provides students with the theoretical tools to understand and navigate discussions on the meanings of justice, freedom and liberation in contemporary society, and to develop their own positions in relation to them.
   

• State and Society in Contemporary Russia

  In this module, you’ll develop key critical skills as you explore the democratic challenges facing Russia. Contemporary Russia has undergone enormous social, political and economic transformation since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.You’ll gain a strong grounding in the key issues of this diverse, multi-ethnic state. You’ll look at core themes, such as:

  • regime dynamics and trajectory
  • the role of informal relations
  • corruption and governance problems
  • war and militarism
  • and identity politics.

• South African Politics: From Apartheid to Democracy

  You'll start by analysing the legacy of South Africa’s history. Then you'll look at some of the key issues in the political economy of post-apartheid South Africa with the knowledge you've built. You'll assess the links between the legacies of apartheid and the nature of some of the problems encountered in South Africa today.

   

• Independent Study

  This module gives you the chance to research a topic in Politics that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge of your subject. You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.

• Politics and International Relations in Public and Professional Life

  In this module, you will be provided the opportunity to draw on meaningful, practical experiences to develop your academic skills and self efficacy through the study of International Relations and Politics. You will discover the important role of International Relations and Politics in public and professional life, and apply the approaches and theories you have learned in your studies in order to explore the world of work. This module will support you in developing vital and transferrable skills as you approach graduation, enabling you to suit a range of future workplaces. The third in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Politics and IR in Public and Professional Life provides a capstone experience that helps you consolidate your learning, showcase your achievements and prepare for the opportunities and challenges beyond graduation.

• Law, Empires and Revolutions

  In this module, you’ll get to grips with capitalism today. You’ll explore what colonialism and the modern world can teach us about its laws and events. You’ll gain a fascinating, alternative history of international relations, as you explore the modern sovereign states system. You’ll also gain the key skills you need to study the relationship between history, international relations and law.
  
  Each week, you’ll take a crucial world event and analyse it. You’ll look at:

  • Arab spring
  • struggles for human rights
  • extraterritorial obligations
  • cross-border protests
  • migrants and refugees

  You’ll contrast these events with the following historical events which also involved high tension and legal debate:

  • colonial trading companies
  • slave revolutions
  • capitulations
  • the Treaties of Westphalia
  • the Ottoman empire.

• Interdisciplinary Dissertation in Politics OR Dissertation in Joint Subject

  This module provides you with the opportunity for independent research under supervision. You will choose a dissertation topic with the advice of academic staff from both of your subjects, then design and conduct a piece of small scale research over two semesters, which is finally written up as a dissertation of 8,000 words.

• Social Science Extended Project

  In this module, you will develop and utilise your research skills as you further investigate topics you will have encountered in other elements of your study through an extended project. You will work on either a community project or research dissertation, and you can choose to focus on just one of your subjects, or create an interdisciplinary project.