BSc Politics and International Relations

POL1000: Critical Skills for Politics and International Relations

This module provides you with an introduction to the study of politics and international relations with a focus on skills to enable effective learning, critical thinking, and academic success. It supports development of skills that are crucial to various areas of academic practice (as well as life beyond university), such as: finding and critically engaging with appropriate sources; effective reading; academic integrity and referencing; analysis and argumentation; use of evidence; planning and structuring academic writing; and effective communication. You will develop your skills in these areas alongside discussion of a variety of socio-political topics as well as issues of epistemology and research methodology.

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POL1017: Globalisation of World Politics

This module introduces you to the discipline of International Relations, to the key moments in the historical development of world politics and how these historical processes have shaped the emergence of globalization. You will develop an understanding of the key questions and core concepts used within the field of IR, the historical contexts in which they are situated, and thereby understand how to use them for yourself.

• To introduce you as first year politics students to the concepts and questions of world politics.
• To introduce you to the key moments in the historical development of the world politics and the emergence of globalization
• To familiarise you with the contexts and broad approaches used within the field of International Relations.
• To exercise some of the analytical techniques necessary to evaluate world politics.

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POL1019: Power and Democracy

Democracy means 'rule by the people'. But who are the people? Who should be included as part of the demos? How can the people rule over themselves? Can they limit their own power? This module examines the idea of democracy and the meaning and nature of a range of democratic practices and institutions. It will consider the conditions under which power is exercised within a democratic regime. By surveying some influential texts in democratic theory, the module will provide foundational training in contemporary political theory for students of Politics and International Relations.

This module will introduce you to some key conceptual and normative debates in democratic theory. It aims to make you aware of the nature, limitations and possible applications of a range of different perspectives, conceptual approaches, and interpretations in democratic theory. For students interested in pursuing Politics and/or International Relations as a field of study, this is a useful introduction to core concepts in democratic theory.

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SSI1005: Introduction to Social Data

'Women do 11 hours more housework than men' or 'Violent crime is down for three years in a row'. Much social science research uses quantitative research methods and statistics to investigate social phenomena ranging from employment, crime rates, health outcomes, political participation and social class. This introductory first-year module introduces you to key concepts in quantitative research design,data collection and data analysis as a basis for understanding such social phenomena

This module is suitable for all social science students and is part of the Q-Step core sequence in research methods.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to quantitative research design,data collection and basic data analysis. More specifically, it uses data sets and research examples drawn from existing social science research to illustrate core concepts and methods in quantitative research. By introducing you to methods such as experiments and surveys, and the type of social science research that can be produced using these, this module lays the foundation for understanding quantitative methods and for your own experience in conducting quantitative studies.

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SSI1006: Data Analysis in Social Science 1

The purpose of the module is to introduce you to data analytical tools commonly used in social science research. It is designed for students with no previous experience of quantitative methods or statistics. It will provide you with a basic knowledge of the foundations of descriptive statistics and inference, focusing especially on methods for data presentation, description, and visualization. You will also become familiar with statistical software packages (Excel and R) commonly used in academic and workplace settings. Laboratory (Lab) sessions will be used to re-enforce the material covered in the lectures and to help apply the core concepts seen in class to relevant practical problems. Throughout the module, you will link the techniques and methods learned in class to substantively relevant political science questions - e.g., are there differences in corruption levels and its determinants across countries? What are the key determinants of income inequality in the UK?

SSI1005 (SOC1004/POL1008) is a pre-requisite and no co-requisites are required.

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ARA1010: Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East

This module will introduce you to the politics and political economy of the Middle East and give you the foundational knowledge to understand the contemporary challenges that the region is facing. The module will familiarise you with the main themes through which the region's politics and economy have been studied and debated in the academia, from the legacy of colonialism, to the politics of Islam and latest waves of popular mobilization, looking into the political dynamics of key states (Egypt, Iran, the Gulf states, Iraq, etc).

The module aims to provide you with a general introductory survey of the politics and political economy of the Middle East, covering topics such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the legacy of colonialism, the political economy of oil, the resilience of authoritarianism, the issue of political Islam and popular mobilization. It will provide you with an understanding of the key themes and issues pertinent to the academic study of the Middle-East region, and will seek to expand your ability to engage critically and analytically with issues facing the Middle- East region in the 21st century by situating them in historical and theoretical context, forming the basis for your studies in subsequent years.

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ARA1041: Religious Communities of the Middle East: Culture, Endangerment and Survival

This module takes you to the heart of the struggle for survival of some unique religious communities of the Middle East, many of which have existed for many hundreds of years but which may not live beyond our lifetime. You will not only learn about the rich traditions of Eastern Christianity but also about the much smaller groups who challenge our received ideas of what a 'religion' is and what it must consist of.

Over the term we will take you historically from Late Antiquity up until the last few years, when violence displaced many minorities from their homelands. You will read academic, media and faith sources and will be invited to consider what prejudices, colonial or otherwise, might underly all these sources. No knowledge of any of the local languages is required, nor is it necessary to have studied the 'Introduction to Islam' module - though if you have, you will find that the two modules complement each other.

You will develop knowledge of the cultural complexity of the Middle East and the environment in which this arose. You will develop your ability to evaluate sources, both for accuracy and for underlying prejudice and bias. You will learn to use the principle of religious literacy.

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POL1025: Classical Political Thought

This module is the first instalment in a series of History of Political Thought modules at Exeter. You will study some of the formative political writings in the Western philosophical tradition that have come down to us from the pens of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. You will become acquainted with a world very different from our own, yet one that is the source of many of the concepts, values, institutions, and much of the language, of modern Western politics. For example, ‘democracy’, ‘tyranny’, ‘justice’, ‘citizen’, ‘republic’, and ‘politics’ itself are all words that have Greek or Latin origins, and refer to ideas crucial to the political thought of the Classical period.

The aims of this module are:

• Historical – to introduce you to various important Classical political thinkers, their context, ideas, and relationships;
• Philosophical – to critically explore the structure and coherence of the ideas studied and to enable you to reflect on their value for thinking about politics in our own time;
• Methodological – to help you develop skills in close-reading and interpretation of textual evidence, skills which have application in many areas of life, academic and otherwise.

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POL1026: Early Modern Political Thought

This module will introduce you to the key works of some of the most important thinkers in the early-modern period, spanning from the Italian Renaissance to the French Revolution. These will include Niccoló Machiavelli (1469-1527), Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), and Edmund Burke (1729-1797). You will be encouraged to study these works from a variety of perspectives, including: as addressing problems peculiar to the historical context in which they were written; as abstract theoretical explorations of some of the key concepts in politics, such as the state, sovereignty and liberty; and as important episodes in a narrative of the development of modernity that shapes how we understand both the history and identity of politics today. These perspectives need not be antithetical and the scope of the course encompasses all three.

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POL1029: Introduction to Comparative Politics

This module introduces you to the key concepts, theories, and methods from the field of Comparative Politics. Topics include the nature and origins of the modern state, democracy, authoritarianism and regime transitions, social and political cleavages, elections, political participation and media systems. You will develop the skills needed to engage in rigorous and systematic comparison, and to apply core theories to better understand political change. Although we will spend time thinking about concepts and theories, empirical case studies will inform all the questions we ask. In true comparative fashion, our examples will be drawn from a wide variety of representative case studies around the world. Teaching and learning for this module will take place in an interactive environment where students will be expected to engage fully with their peers and tutor, as well as working independently. Lectures will introduce key concepts and give students a grounding in the main issues and debates pertaining to the topic under consideration. Independent study and tutorials will help students to formulate, debate, and refine their own analyses of these topics.

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POL1045: International Politics of the Global South

This module will introduce you to the historical construction and evolution of what has come to be called the Global South - formerly known as the 'Third World' and the 'developing countries' - starting from the processes of colonisation, decolonisation and postcolonial state- and nation-building. You will learn about the position and roles that this varying and heterogeneous grouping of states has had within international politics and the global economy, both during and after the Cold War. Secondly, theories of International Relations (IR) that pay particular attention to the Global South will be critically discussed, including structuralist/dependency/international political economy (IPE) approaches, subaltern realism, and postcolonial and decolonial theories. Consideration will also be given to non-Western contributions to IR and the related problems of sociology of knowledge in the discipline. Finally, thematic sessions will be devoted to understanding the shared or varying features of foreign policy, security and regionalism in the Global South, as well as the Global South's impact on the global governance of the economy, climate change and migration. No pre-requisites or prior experience needed.

1) To introduce students to the historical construction and evolution of the Global South in international politics

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POL1046: The State of the UK: Identifying Marginalised Identities and Addressing Inequalities

This module will introduce foundational concepts for the study of UK Politics, including Parliament's constitutional basis and the process of devolution, and considers theories of power to questions who can access such resource. The module provides a detailed examination of the impact of contemporary law and policy on citizens, and identifies marginalised identities and the associated inequalities embedded in public institutions. In an empirical sense, this involves the study of trends including institutional bias and heteronormativity in the law, through case studies such as ableism and Housing, LGBTQI+ and healthcare, BAME students and education, and women and employment. The course will develop to additionally appreciate the global context and the UK's synergies and differences on these issues with its international counterparts.

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POL1047: Global Sustainability Policy and Governance

Multiple transnational challenges face policy-makers in the 21st Century, raising questions over how they should be governed in practice. In this respect, the United Nations has set out a normative agenda for future global policy up to the year 2030 via its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by national governments in 2012. These goals encompass the critical issues of our times, including reducing poverty, ensuring access to clean water, promoting clean energy, preserving oceans, reducing inequality and maintaining global security. Achieving them will require innovative critical thinking and novel, interdisciplinary policy solutions.

This foundation module seeks to identify, discuss and evaluate emerging policy responses to these challenges at multiple institutional levels as basis for lesson-drawing. Drawing on theories of governance as an analytical lens it will: examine the context relating to the SDGs; provide an overview of the UN targets; introduce a range of governance theories (for example, multi-level governance, network governance, regulatory governance, collaborative governance, urban governance, polycentric governance, mixed governance, global governance); and provide an empirical and theoretical analysis of critical policy challenges to attaining the SDGs.

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POL1048: The Politics of Development

This module will introduce you to the politics of development focusing on theories and experiences from across the Global South. The module is structured around main themes (theoretical approaches to the politics of development, domestic factors, institutions, and international factors) which provide a comparative perspective on the politics of development. The module provides an introduction to contemporary research on the politics of development, covering issues such as colonialism, political parties, political systems, civil conflict, gender and inequality, international financial institutions, poverty, foreign aid and democratization, populism and leadership.

This module is suitable for specialist and non-specialist alike.

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SPA1002: Population and Society

This module will introduce you to the field of demography - the systematic study of human populations. Recent developments including the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and changing immigration policy, or population ageing, have demonstrated the increasing importance of understanding demographic processes of mortality, migration and fertility. In this module, you will learn about how these processes drive population change and the ways in which these changes affect or influenced by social and political developments in the UK, as well as other parts of the world.

This module will cover key demographic theories, including the first and the second demographic transition theories and the low fertility trap hypothesis. We will discuss different ways of measuring fertility, mortality and migration and how they are shaped by societal-level factors, such as education and economic developments. We will also discuss the role of policy interventions in shaping population trends, as in the case of China's one-child policy or other policies aimed at regulating population size and structure. In addition, this module will cover issues of inequality in health and longevity and the complex relationship between population growth and climate change.

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SPA1004: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

This module will introduce the core societal, philosophical and ethical issues raised by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM) and provide a practical introduction to ethical use of Generative AI, with a focus on higher education. The module is suitable for all philosophy, sociology, criminology, anthropology, politics and international relations students who want to understand the philosophical issues related to AI and LLMs, and to acquire practical skills in the ethical use of AI.

• You will learn to identify and assess societal, philosophical and ethical issues raised by the development of artificial intelligence.
• You will learn research skills in ethically using Generative AI.
• You will develop core philosophical skills such as critical reflection, argumentation and clarity of expression.

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SSI2004: Research Design in the Social Sciences

In both academic and applied social research, it is crucial to examine empirical evidence in order to test ideas and hypotheses. In many career paths you will benefit from understanding and applying good research design. For example, in market research, it is necessary to examine data on sales and customer satisfaction to make decisions about a future marketing strategy. In political research you may want to collect and analyse data from polls. . This module will teach you how to design surveys, social experiments, qualitative and similar projects and ensure that your research design allows you to answer your research questions. This module helps prepare you for your Bachelors of Science degree quantitative dissertation.

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the principles of research design in the social sciences so that you are able to assess the research of others (e.g. in the media, in research articles) and use quantitative skills in your own research projects. This module covers the basics of research design and the scientific method, explaining how measuring variables allows us to test theories and hypotheses. It guides you in how to collect and manage social data, using surveys and experiments. It also discusses the concept of causality and introduces various research designs that can be used for causal inference with social data.

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SSI2005: Data Analysis in Social Science 2

The purpose of the module is to introduce you to regression analysis methods commonly used in political science, sociology and criminology. A good understanding of data collection, analysis and interpretation is essential for much empirical research in social science. Moreover, quantitative methods are becoming increasingly relevant for the competitive professional world. Hence, the module is designed to add to your current understanding of statistical analysis. By the end of the course, you should be able to understand a range of quantitative research methods, including multiple regression analysis, demonstrate competence in performing statistical analyses using popular software packages, apply quantitative methods to real world problems, evaluate their use in published research and employ these methods (where appropriate) in your dissertation.

SSI1006 (POL/SOC1041) is a pre-requisite for this module.

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HAS3999: Study Abroad

The Study Abroad programme enables you to undertake a year-long study placement at a partner university outside of the UK, as part of your degree programme.

This module serves as the administrative mechanism for recording the Study Abroad assessment results of students within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS). Students participating in the Study Abroad programme and based in a HASS department (except for the Law School, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Modern Languages, and the School of Education) will be registered on this module during their Study Abroad placement year.

The Study Abroad programme widens the range of modules available to you during Stage 3 of your degree programme; enables you to broaden your academic horizons by studying in a different learning culture and (where relevant and appropriate) in languages other than English; and aims to promote resilience, independence, cultural awareness, and communication skills.

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HAS3998: Employment Experience

This module allows you to undertake and to learn from an extended work placement during the third year of a four year “with Employment Experience” programme. You will use one or more work placements to gain skills that equip you to work in the employment market and to improve your knowledge of the work environment. You are encouraged to think about the intercultural competence and the employability skills that you acquire during your year.

To progress to this module, you will have secured a suitable placement for a minimum of 26 weeks.

Having developed the skills necessary to find relevant roles and apply for roles in the graduate labour market, this is an invaluable opportunity to develop work-related skills and experience that will further enhance your success in the graduate labour market and support your future career choices.

During your placement year you will be supported by the Module Convenor and Placement Team.

The module assessment structure provides opportunity and support for you to evaluate your skills and achievements using personal development techniques.  You will also write an Employer Report to showpiece the culmination of your academic and business skills.

This module aims to:

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SSI3019: Quantitative Dissertation

The aim of the dissertation is to give you the opportunity to display your abilities in the collection, organization, analysis, and communication of an original piece of quantitative research. With guidance from academic staff at the Centre for Computational Social Science (C2S2), as well as experts in your respective disciplines (criminology, politics, or sociology), you will develop an appropriate research question and pursue independent, empirical research on an area of social science corresponding to your personal interests. In addition to consolidating your research methods and quantitative analysis skills, you will gain in-depth knowledge of a particular topic corresponding the areas of criminology, politics and international relations, or sociology. This is a unique opportunity to apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired during the first two years of your degree to a research question that excites and fascinates you.

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POL3335: Political Theory and the Future

The future is perilous and uncertain. Climate change impacts will escalate over the coming decades, we face the possibility of global conflict, and emergent technologies are transforming existing forms of social organisation. Looking to the future and the threats we must address can induce anxiety. But the future is also a space of political possibility and hope: it offers us the chance to imagine and shape the future social and political world, and to make good on our collective aspirations. This module will use the tools of political theory to examine our relationship with the future, to consider our duties to future generations, and to better understand how our institutions and practices might be transformed in light of pressing global challenges. The module has no prerequisites and is available to students on interdisciplinary pathways.

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POL3341: The Future of World Politics

What will world politics look like over the coming years? Will it be more of the same or radically different, or something in between? In this module you will combine deep history with futurology and the latest advances in global IR, to help understand the contours of the remainder of the 21st century. You will deepen your understanding of contemporary ways of thinking about global politics, challenging established assumptions and rethinking key concepts like power, agency, and order. Emphasis is placed on how knowledge about the world is produced, contested, and applied.

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