Politics

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.

 

In this module, you’ll develop the practical research skills you need to design and carry out your first piece of social sciences research. You’ll start with the ‘big questions’ of ‘What exists?’ and ‘How can we know about what exists?’ From here, you’ll move on to consider the different research methods and their implications. You’ll take part in hands-on workshops and practical sessions, preparing you to conduct your research for your final-year dissertation.

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.

In this module, you’ll dive into the history of modern political thought - from Kant to de Beauvoir. You’ll explore the thinking of:

• Kant
• Hegel
• Marx
• Nietzsche
• De Beauvoir
• Fanon.

You’ll get to understand the key theories of politics - international and national and you’ll explore issues such as:

• the end of history
• gender
• race.

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

In this module, you can investigate the politics of either Europe or the USA, subject to student numbers and staff availability. 

In the European strand, you’ll explore themes of democracy and citizenship. You’ll look closely at what democracy and citizenship might mean to people living in the UK, France, Germany and in Europe’s post-communist countries. You’ll also look at the future of European states and societies, and how they can adapt to challenges such as migration.

In the American strand, you’ll focus on governmental and political institutions. You’ll also explore explosive issues in American politics, including religion, race and capital punishment.

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.

This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of an expert lecturer in Politics. You’ll gain fantastic project management and research skills for your future career, as you design and conduct your own research over two semesters. Whatever your topic, you’ll shape your project around your passions, and gain the core skills to succeed in your degree. 

Previous students’ dissertations have tackled topics such as:

• The Brexit vote and national identity
• Hong Kong’s relationship with China and the UK
• The changing roles of Arab women in peacemaking
• The role of social media in US elections
• Boko Haram and state fragility in Nigeria.

In this module you’ll examine the production and naturalisation of socio-political identities and the inter-related politics of resistance to these identities and using these identities.

You will investigate the links between localised, everyday practices of identity and national/global forms of domination, exclusion and hierarchy - focusing on Western, liberal democratic states.

Explore the ways in which practices of domination, exclusion and hierarchy are both perpetuated and legitimised, and challenged by individuals and communities. You’ll also cover issues of race, gender, class and imperialism.

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.
 

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.

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.

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.