Politics, Sexuality and Gender BA(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• Brighton is unique in offering an undergraduate course focused on this vital field.

• International exchanges at a partner university – in year 2, students in the politics subject area have the opportunity to spend a semester studying abroad at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands or the University of Lyon 2, France.

• Placement opportunities give you the chance to make industry connections and gain valuable experience.

• You can work with the Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender, which hosts regular talks, seminars, workshops and conferences, as well as offering research internships.
• Learn in a vibrant, progressive city with a reputation for radical, environmental and LGBTQI+ activism.
• Your lecturers are internationally recognised researchers on issues including populism, gender studies, the Middle East, environmentalism, migration, housing and political theory.
• You will engage with cutting-edge academic research. The university’s Centre for Philosophy, Politics and Ethics hosts regular talks, seminars, workshops and conferences and offers an annual undergraduate research prize. 
• Guest speakers have included Caroline Lucas and Sue Shanks (Green Party), Yousef Eldin (BBC documentary producer), Nancy Hawker (Amnesty International) and Professor Angie Wilson (ex-chair of the Political Studies Association, researching sexuality and politics), as well as representatives from Make the Shift, The Free West Papua Campaign and Brighton & Hove Community Land Trust.

• Assignments don’t just mean essays; we offer you assessment methods including films, podcasts, data visualisations, political speeches, social media campaigns – the types of projects that will be valued by employers.
• You will graduate with both theoretical and practical knowledge. Our courses offer practical skills and real-world experiences, with opportunities to undertake placements, design a campaign for a political organisation and learn digital communication skills.
• The university’s commitment to addressing global challenges is the lens through which you will learn, and issues such as climate change, equality and inclusivity and sustainability are embedded in all teaching on our politics courses.
• Our decolonised approach to teaching and learning places emphasis on lived experience, recognising that knowledge is held in communities, not only in academic institutions.

Year 1 

In your first year, you will study five core modules that introduce you to the subject area, including specialist modules covering key approaches to the study of politics, sexuality and gender. You will also choose an option module.

Modules

Core modules

• Foundations in World Politics

  This module will introduce you to a critical historical perspective on the modern international political system. You will examine how the peoples and governments of the world came to be linked through an imperial system by exploring major world events and processes of global history. By taking a long view of modern politics, the module is an opportunity for you to place world politics in its historical context. The key topics you will explore include the origins of the international political system, slavery, imperial and colonial expansion, anti-colonial resistance and liberation, global governance, controversy and historiography.

• Introduction to the  Global Challenges Lab

  Supported by a tutor, you will design and conduct a research project that addresses one of the global challenges identified by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll learn how to create blogs, podcasts and short films to communicate your research and ideas to a non-academic audience.

• Introduction to Politics, Sexuality and Gender

  This module foregrounds the centrality of sexuality and gender for understanding politics. You will be introduced to theoretical and conceptual approaches related to the field, with an emphasis on how political activity in this area has transformed political agendas and produced new ways of understanding the world. It draws on feminist, gender, sexuality, queer and trans studies, as well as political science, international relations, sociology and critical theory.

• Politics in Practice

  This module introduces you to ideas about how politics is practiced by state and non-state actors at local, national and international levels. You will take part in field trips, Q+As with political actors and engagement with political communications. You’ll also be introduced to methods of data collection as well as forms of qualitative and quantitative analysis.

• Sex and Politics: Defining Contemporary Issues

  This module develops your understanding of sexuality and gender as central aspects of the struggle for social justice. Drawing on a range of approaches, you’ll explore how inequalities related to sexuality and gender are inscribed and mobilised in national and global contexts related to citizenship, including law and policy. In addition to identifying problems, you will examine perspectives that theorise how gender and sexual inequality might be further challenged and reduced.

Options*

• Global Challenges Lab: The Global and the Local

  On this module you'll learn from local politicians, community organisations and activist groups about how key global challenges are manifested in Brighton & Hove. Online learning platforms are used to find out about these problems on a global level. You'll conduct a group research project on one of these issues alongside learning skills in data analysis and visualisation, and developing podcasting and filmmaking skills.  

• Comparative Political Systems

  On this module you will be introduced to some of the key features of politics including institutions, political actors and political processes. You’ll identify the most important political hallmarks, for example the legislature, the executive, political parties and electoral processes in at least two contemporary states that illustrate democratic, partially democratic or/and authoritarian political systems. You’ll also study political concepts, such as power and the state, in order to analyse and compare those political systems.

• Introduction to Environmental Politics

  This module introduces you to the key theories and global institutions relevant to environmental politics, and how these debates apply in practice to contemporary and historical issues of climate crisis. You will learn about environmental justice, ecological modernisation, fossil capitalism and environmental ethics, alongside studying the global institutions that contest climate politics including the UN, nation states, fossil fuel companies and protest movements.

• Globalisation, Conflict and the Environment

  By examining the key concepts, theories and questions in international relations and global studies, you will interrogate and evaluate the political implications of different approaches for the study of key aspects of our contemporary world during this module. You will look at how concepts and theories are applied to contested global issues, such as environmental sustainability and war/conflict. 

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

Year 2

In year 2 of your Politics, Sexuality and Gender degree you will build your knowledge of the subject. You’ll explore contemporary theories and practices of government and policy and examine key thematic issues relating to sexuality and gender, including the relationship between bodies and power. You will get to specialise in the subjects that interest you most through choosing optional modules.

Modules

Core modules

• UK Politics

  This module will give you an understanding of the role, form and evolution of the contemporary British state. It takes as its starting point the post-war settlement and Westminster Model and looks at key developments in the form of the state and its influences, including the rise of the New Right, globalisation, governance and devolution.

• Gender, Race and the Environment

  This module explores the gender, race and class aspects of the climate crisis by looking at theoretical approaches examining these connections. You will look at debates and theoretical approaches such as environmental justice, ecofeminism, feminist political ecology, Black critical theory, critical Marxism and postcolonial feminism to see how the climate crisis is absorbed and impacts different political locations and spaces.

• Unruly Bodies: Understanding and Contesting Normativity

  In this module you will explore the historical production of dominant ideas of the body, specifically the production of raced, classed, gendered and normative bodies in relation to the histories and legacies of colonialism, capitalism and empire. You will examine alternative concepts of bodies and embodied practices that challenge dominant ways of thinking and being.

• Researching Politics

  In this module you will study the research methods commonly used in politics, focusing on basic research design, ethical considerations and positionality, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and case study research. You will explore the positivist paradigms dominant in politics research, focusing particularly on decolonising research methods.

Options*

• Global Challenges Lab: Research Communication

  During this module, you will work with a tutor to design and conduct a research project that addresses one of the global challenges identified by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, for example poverty, hunger, gender equality or responsible consumption. You will communicate this research through a political speech and a social media campaign.

• Debating Contemporary International Relations

  This module will introduce the relationships, ideas and principles underpinning historical and contemporary global governance. You will explore how International Relations (IR) theory can be used to explain and understand how the world ‘hangs together’. You will also look at conceptual issues including power, conflict, security, political economy, law, migration and governance.

• Authority, Democracy and Justice

  Authority, Democracy and Justice builds on your understanding of political theory, bringing in key authors in their historical context and examining core concepts in depth. It focuses on critiques of democracy, addressing the question of political obligation and the social contract, and bringing to the fore Marxist and anarchist analyses of democracy. You will also explore social justice, entitlement theory and economic democracy.

• Queer Writing

  In this module you will explore a tradition of LGBTQ+ writing in the context of the history and politics of sexuality and queer identities over the past two centuries. The module uses key dates in that history to examine and debate how representation and writing have been both tools of oppression and liberation. Primary texts and films/TV shows could include The Well of Loneliness, Stone Butch Blues, The Black Flamingo, Swimming in the Dark and Fairytales for Lost Children.

• We, the People

  This module introduces the notion of the people into modern history and looks at its relationship to sovereignty, nationalism, revolution, colonialism, decolonial projects, and the academic study of politics as a discipline. You will critically examine debates over the people emerging in various historical contexts and political practices. You’ll also consider critiques of the people developed from decolonial and black critical theory.

• Experiencing the Workplace: Practices and the Community

  This 40-hour community engagement module provides you with the opportunity to explore workplace practices and recognise your role as a global citizen. You will put into practice what you have learned in relation to policies, politics and communication, and reflect on issues such as gender, race and class representation. Through the placement you will acquire transferrable employability skills and abilities, including professional conduct in the workplace, teamwork and problem-solving.

• Gender and Sexuality

  During this module you will examine major theories on gender and sexuality and analyse how identities more widely are constructed and deconstructed. You will develop a critical understanding of the modern history of social movements on gender and sexuality issues and explore how radical history has engaged with the voices and actions of the marginalised and oppressed as they seek to challenge power in all its forms.

• International Institutions

  This module focuses on key contemporary international institutions including the United Nations and the European Union and examines how different actors – including states, diplomats, non-governmental organisations and social movements – interact within these institutions. By looking at how decisions are made, you will explore questions of power, democracy and governance in a changing international order. The module will include at least one model United Nations event.

• Global Challenges Lab: Policy Solutions

  In this module you’ll work with a tutor to undertake a research project addressing a global challenge highlighted by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, for example poverty, hunger, gender equality or responsible consumption. You will examine policy organisations and their role in contemporary societies and learn how to write policy papers and press releases.

*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 and skills, with a specific focus on the future and progressive change. You will explore the place of sexuality and gender in contemporary theories of social transformation and work with an external campaigning organisation to develop your understanding of how civil society groups can make interventions in the political sphere.

You’ll choose to focus on social change or politics for your major independent research project, supported by an academic supervisor. This is your opportunity to develop an idea independently, using the skills you have honed throughout your course. Option modules provide more opportunities to focus on subjects that interest and intrigue you.

Modules

Core modules

• Activism and Social Change

  With the aim of exploring how civil society groups can intervene in the political sphere, you will plan a political campaign during this module. You will study the social issues involved and design and run a campaign that meets a live brief provided by a third sector campaigning organisation. You’ll learn a range of skills to help you run a successful political campaign and draw on the digital and creative skills you have acquired in the Global Challenges Lab.

• Sexual Utopias: Imagining Radical Futures

  Recent years have given rise to a range of new approaches to the relationship between sexual politics and social change, raising questions about the kind of future we want and the role that sexual practices should play in creating it. This module introduces this theoretical work and provides a broad understanding of the relationship between gender, sex and sexuality and contemporary ideas about social transformation.

• Social Change Project

  Working with a tutor, you will undertake a research project in this module to address a global challenge highlighted by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, for example poverty, hunger, gender equality or responsible consumption. You will choose from the range of skills you have acquired in the Global Challenges Lab to communicate this research to a non-academic audience.

• Politics Dissertation

  With expert guidance, you will take on a research project you’ve designed and refined through a series of research lectures and supervisions. You will examine primary sources, analyse theoretical debates and use research methodology aligned with your course requirements, including quantitative and/or qualitative methods. The culmination of your research will be presented in a comprehensive dissertation.

Options*

• Community Placement: Theory in Practice

  This module enables you to develop practical wisdom by actively implementing and testing out the skills and knowledge gained from your degree through a 50-hour professional work placement. You will build employability skills and follow up on areas of particular interest related to your main field of study. Critically reflecting on yourself and your experience, you will gain an insight into future employment positions.

• Language, Gender and Sexuality

  You will develop an understanding of language as it relates to gender and sexuality across cultures and other social identities during this module. Various claims made about gender, sexuality and linguistic practices will be addressed, and you will be introduced to theoretical and analytical frameworks for critically evaluating these assertions. You will examine feminist and queer social theories to understand the relationship between language, culture and social identities.

• Radical Political Economy and Anarchist Politics

  This module provides an in-depth and critical examination of political economy and anarchism theories, introducing classical theories of political economy and presenting a range of alternatives from the political left and right. It also assesses the contribution of anarchist politics from different established perspectives.

• Global Social Policy

  You will learn about contemporary developments and challenges for human wellbeing and social policy at the global level during this module. It looks at supranational, regional, national and local contexts of social policy provision, the relationship of monetary and fiscal policy and policy transfer. The module applies theoretical frameworks and concepts from the social sciences, including social policy, politics, sociology and area studies.

• Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention

  This module explores human rights and humanitarian intervention, examining the role the international community plays in causing, preventing and responding to human rights violation. You will study human rights issues in the context of military intervention and the prevention of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and crimes against humanity, and question if and how human rights are being protected in a changing international order.

• Utopian Theory and Practice

  This module explores the relationship between Utopian thought and practice and introduces classical critiques of Utopianism that draw attention to its dangers, as well as work identifying its positive functions. You will critically evaluate these perspectives and the ways in which ‘the Utopian’ is being reimagined in contemporary theory and practice.

• Feminism and Post-Feminism

  This module explores modern feminist theory and politics and examines earlier influential forms of feminism, such as its liberal, socialist and radical strands. It evaluates attempts to update feminist thought for the 21st century in response to challenges from poststructuralism, critical race studies and queer theory, among others and considers how theories such as social reproduction theory and xenofeminism negotiate the gender politics of today.

• Politics of the Right

  This module examines the history and theory of the right to shed light on its contemporary political manifestations. It considers the history, theory and practice of conservatism, nationalism, fascism, neoliberalism and the New Right and examines the new modes the right has utilised in the twenty-first century and what impact these have had.

• Colonialism, Capitalism and Climate Crisis

  This module discusses the history of environmental destruction, beginning with early colonial interventions in the Canary Islands. You will explore debates concerning the origins of climate crisis in relation to colonialism, the emergence of capitalism and the industrial revolution. You will also look at the contemporary rethinking of a politics of care in relationship to environmental politics.

• Care Ethics and Social Policy

  This module will explore debates about responsibilities for care, the relationship between care and social justice and the personal and interpersonal impact of caregiving. It will draw on research into caregiving, social policy analysis of individual versus collective responsibilities and a feminist ethic of care that emphasises it as a moral practice with political implications.

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

Placements

Spend a year on placement

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year significantly improves your CV, giving you a distinct advantage over others when applying for jobs and starting your career. It will also help you to develop the softer skills such as communication and teamwork.

For the assessed part of your placement, you will create a reflective piece of work on professional practice and skills. 

The university has links with a wide range of organisations including in health, culture and heritage, housing, councils, the police, the probation service, policy think tanks and charities.

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that meets with your interests and career ambitions. They can help with CVs and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well.

Other placement opportunities

In your second year you can gain real-world experience on placement with the option module Experiencing the Workplace: Practices and the Community.

You’ll spend 40 hours working with an organisation and put into practice your learnings in relation to policies, politics and communication, reflecting on issues such as gender, race and class representation.

Through the placement you will develop transferrable employability skills and abilities, such as teamwork and problem-solving, and gain an insight into potential career paths – all while actively contributing to the community.

We will help you find a placement that suits your interests and support you to build your CV and with interview preparation.

Our politics students have spent their placement with organisations including:

• The Green Centre
• Sussex Community Development Association
• The Queery
• Afrori Books
• Sussex Prisoners Families.

Lab facilities

Mithras House has a series of lab rooms which can be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.

Life lab
A skills-based lab for practice-based teaching, social work, psychotherapy and counselling, and employability. The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.

City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.

Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment for you to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.

Community lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, this is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts.

Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected. 

VR and eye tracking lab
The VR and Eye-Tracking Lab is used for psychological research using equipment, such as eye-trackers and virtual reality headsets. The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.

Meet the team

Our staff are widely published experts in politics and gender and sexuality studies. You will be designated a personal academic tutor, normally the same tutor throughout your degree, who you will meet with regularly to discuss your academic progress.

Dr Jo Kellond (she/her), course leader

Jo’s research and teaching centres on the relationship between politics, gender and sexuality, with a particular focus on questions related to care, capitalism and social change. 

Read Jo’s full profile.

Other staff who teach on the course include:

• Dr Chrystie Myketiak Read Chrystie’s full profile.     
• Dr Zoe Sutherland Read Zoe’s full profile.     
• Dr Rebecca Searle Read Becca's full profile.
• Dr Federica Formato Read Federica's full profile.
• Dr Joe Ronan Read Joe's full profile.
• Dr Vedrana Velickovic – read Vedrana's full profile.
• Dr Vicky Margree – read Vicky's full profile.
• Dr German Primera Villamizar – read German’s full profile.
• Dr Andy Knott – read Andy’s full profile.
• Prof Mark Devenney – read Mark’s full profile.
• Dr Robin Jervis – read Robin’s full profile.
• Dr Chris Wyatt – read Chris’ full profile.     
• Dr Robin Dunford – read Robin’s full profile.  
• Dr Heba Youssef – read Heba’s full profile.     
• Dr Vasileios Leontitsis – read Vasileios’ full profile.
• Dr Clare Woodford – read Clare’s full profile.     

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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