Video F.A.Q.
Public Opinion
- What do you think of when you hear the word politics?
- How does politics affect your everyday life?
- What do you think's involved on a politics course, on a politics degree?
Undergraduates
- Why did you choose your course?
- What were your expectations of the course?
- What part did you find the most interesting?
- What skills do you get?
A-Level Students
Lecturers
A-level Students
Students / Lecturers
A-Level Students
Students Undergrads / Post Grads
Yeah, but politics is boring.
The study of politics, and international relations at University goes far beyond elections and the activities of professional politicians. Practically every aspect of our lives, public, personal, and social, is saturated with politics. Therefore at University the study of politics will involve you looking at many many areas of social existence.
The food you eat and the music you listen to can be seen as political. Are you a vegetarian? - That is a political stance. Do you try to buy Fair Trade coffee or chocolate? - That is a political act. Do you refuse to buy certain brands of cola or trainers? - Those are political protests.
Many people seem to be put off politics as a University subject; perhaps because of the unfortunate public image of many politicians, or because of boring and argumentative media coverage of politics. Maybe you think elected politician are hypocrites.
These are common perceptions of politics. This web site will try to show that they are only a very small part of what politics is, and that the study of politics is much more varied, exciting and relevant to YOUR life than that. No, really!
So, what kind of stuff do you study then?
Every degree awarded by a British University has to meet clear standards of quality and relevance. Politics at University is no different. BUT, whilst all British politics and international relations degrees operate within these standards - each University department, and each degree, will have unique features, specialisms, and approaches to the huge variety of political phenomena that can be studied.
For instance, at Nottingham Trent University there is currently a module which looks at the politics of bird watching; at Bristol there is a module which looks at Bollywood films represent conflict in Indian politics.
At Leeds you can study organised crime or terrorism on your politics degree. At London Metropolitan University you can study how religion affects political identity.
There are many other fascinating and unusual approached to the study of political stuff, as well as the more obvious institutional and procedural approaches. Many departments will offer courses on different countries or regions of the world as well as the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States of America. At Nottingham University you could study the Arab/Israeli conflict; at Aberystwyth you could study Latin American politics or medieval political theory;
