Politics and International Relations BA(Hons)

How this course is delivered

We are designing your teaching timetable with the aim of maximising the time you spend on campus, with measures in place to make it as safe, enjoyable and social for everyone as possible.

Every student will have timetabled in-person learning. This will vary by course and could include activities such as seminars and tutorials, workshops, studio time, clinical skills sessions and laboratory classes.

Some of your timetabled learning will delivered online: for example, large lectures may be delivered online live and also be made available as recordings.

Our plans will be guided by the current government advice and may therefore involve some social distancing. Check our FAQs for more info.

Year 1 

In your first year, you will study six modules that introduce you to politics and international relations and help you to develop the skills central to your course.

Modules

• Foundations in World Politics
• Politics in Practice
• Introduction to the Global Challenges Lab
• Comparative Political Systems
• Political Ideas
• Understanding Society in a Global World

Year 2

In year two, you build your knowledge of the subject, exploring British politics and theories of government and policy, and focusing on international relations theories and key international institutions like the UK and the EU. You'll begin to specialise in the subjects that interest you most through choosing option modules.

The community engagement module is an opportunity to undertake a voluntary work placement with a local not-for-profit organisation. You'll gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community.

Modules

• UK Politics
• Nations and Nationalism
• Debating Contemporary International Relations
• International Institutions

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Options*

Choose one from:

• Community Engagement
• Authority, Justice and Democracy
• Colonialism in the Contemporary Global Order

Choose one from:

• Researching Politics
• Global Resistance: Social Movements and Mobilisation

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In your final year you will further develop your knowledge, skills and specific interests in politics and international relations through options.

You also write a dissertation on a topic in politics, international relations or both. The dissertation is an opportunity for you to develop an idea independently, with the support of an academic supervisor throughout.

Modules

• Dissertation

Options*

Choose two from:

• Radical Political Economy and Anarchist Politics
• Race and International Relations
• Global Social Policy
• Global Environmental Politics

Choose two from:

• Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention
• Politics in the Middle East
• Feminisms
• The Politics and Ethics of Global Society

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Meet the team

Dr Francesca Burke, course leader

Francesca's research and teaching centres on politics and international relations in the Middle East and, in this regional context, in particular on: activism in repressive contexts; student movements and the political role of universities; and transnational solidarity.

She teaches on modules focused on citizenship and nationalism, as well as teaching research methods in the social sciences. Her research-led teaching engages students not only through published academic research but also through extensive use of primary sources including political graffiti and posters, manifestos, political speeches, materials from citizen assemblies, interview transcriptions, archived news footage and televised government statements.

Francesca leads the University of Brighton's Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics' Social Movements and Radical Global Politics strand. Read Francesca's full profile.

Other staff who teach on the course include: Dr Clare Woodford, Dr Heba Youssef, Dr Chris Wyatt, Prof Mark Devenney, Dr Robin Dunford, Dr German Primera Villamiza, Dr Chrystie Myketiak and Dr Zoe Sutherland.

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in the fee, while studying a course in the School of Humanities are listed here.

• For a number of courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but under normal circumstances we would expect a budget of approximately £150 per year will cover the costs of particular trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
• You will have access to computers and necessary software, however many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
• In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £150 per year for printing.
• Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships, as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2021–22.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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