BSc International Politics & Sociology Undergraduate courses in International Politics · 2015. 3....

Undergraduate courses in International Politics

BSc International PoliticsBSc International Politics & Sociology

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BSc International PoliticsUCAS Code: L240Entry Requirement: ABBPage: 1

BSc International Politics & SociologyUCAS Code: LL23Entry Requirement: ABBPage: 2

Course descriptions Page: 1

Module descriptions Page: 3

Study format Page: 6

Reading list Page: 7

Career paths Page: 8

Academic profiles Page: 10

Application procedures Page: 12

Why choose City University London Page: 14

City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 1

The degree in International Politics at City is significantly different from the traditionalInternational Relations degrees in the followingways: we focus on contemporary global issues; you study international organisations as policy-making structures in each year of the degree; wecover not just the diplomatic relations betweengovernments, but also the economic, social andpolitical relations between societies undertaken by companies and private groups; you will engage in theoretical debate about how we canunderstand global politics in today’s world.

International Politics does not just mean knowing aboutother countries, but studying politics at the level of theglobal system, which influences all governments and allsocieties. The skills of International Politics graduates are of direct relevance to all those who need to know how their organisations fit into the world as a whole. This includes not just governments and intergovernmentalorganisations such as the United Nations, but alsointernational non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multi-national companies.

Detailed course and module descriptions

BSc International PoliticsUCAS CODE: L240ENTRY REQUIREMENT: ABB2010-11 FEESUK/EU FEES: £3,290INTERNATIONAL FEES: £8,900

YEAR 1Core modules:• Actors in global politics • Theories of global politics • Contemporary issues in global politics

(see p3-4 for more detail)

Elective modules:• A language option• Contemporary issues in media studies• History and theory of psychology • Introduction to sociology• Media, history and politics• Micro and macroeconomics• Understanding the modern world

YEAR 2Core modules:• Change and transformation in global

politics (see p4 for more detail)• Theories and research in global politics

(see p3 for more detail)

International Politics elective modules:• International political economy• Political change in Europe

• Religion in global politics• Global conflict and security• Transnational, social movements

Sociology elective modules:• Circuit of culture• Identities and personal relationships• Interpreting documentary• Interpreting news• New media challenges• New media: pleasures, promises

and anxieties• Political sociology• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Theories and research strategies

in contemporary sociology• Understanding social change

YEAR 3Core modules:• A supervised project in international

politics (see p5 for more detail)• Global governance


International Politics elective modules:• International politics of the Middle East• The global politics of development• The politics of forced displacement• United States foreign policy

Sociology elective modules:• Forced migration• Gender and intimate relationships• Gender and society• Gender and globalisation• Global migration processes• Globalisation and human rights• Media, cities and culture• Media and politics: strategies,

scandal and spin• Media, war and terrorism• Migration policies in Europe• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Social movements and political action• Sociology of human rights• Sociology of the margins• Sociology of race and racism• The global media system• Transnational communication

in Europe


Core First Year Modules for both degrees

THEORIES OF GLOBAL POLITICS This module raises the theoreticalquestions that underpin understandingand analysis of international politics.The first part of this module establishesa basic understanding of what politicsis and how it is studied, and sets up the debates surrounding the politicalconcepts of power, freedom, democracy,justice, gender, and the State.

ACTORS IN GLOBAL POLITICS The aim of this module is to introduceyou to a range of actors that can befound in global politics, and this willform the basis of your conceptual andempirical study of international politics.At the basis of this course are questionsas to what constitutes a political actor,how power is organised, and what“agency” is within international politics.

Core First Year Modules BSc International Politics and Sociology

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY This module provides a broadintroduction to some of the main areasof research and debate in contemporarysociology. It does not presuppose anyprevious knowledge of sociology.

UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN WORLD This module explores social changesthat have occurred in the period knownas ‘Modernity’ through the lenses ofsocial institutions (family, religion, the market) and social cleavages(gender, class, ethnicity etc.).

Module descriptions


This joint degree combines the main coremodules from both Sociology and InternationalPolitics. The Department of International Politics was launched in 2006, having evolved from the sociology department, which specialises in globalisation.

As a result International Politics at City includes not justintergovernmental relations, but also inter-society relationsof non-governmental organisations (such as the Red Crossand Amnesty International) and transnational corporations(such as Ford, Shell and Microsoft) in its work. You will gain a unique approach to each subject and a broadunderstanding of local, national and global social relations.

As with the single honours degree in International Politics,the joint degree is of direct relevance to all those who need to know how their organisations fit into the world as a wholeand the role of social forces in governing them.

YEAR 1Core modules:• Actors in global politics

(see p3 for more detail)• Introduction to sociology

(see p3 for more detail)• Understanding the modern world

(see p3 for more detail)• Theories of global politics


YEAR 2Core modules:• Theories and research in global politics

(see p4 for more detail)• Sociological research methods


International Politics elective modules:• International political economy• Political change in Europe• Change and transformation in

global politics• Religion in global politics• Global conflict and security• Transnational, social movements

Sociology elective modules:• Circuit of culture• Identities and personal relationships• Interpreting documentary• Interpreting news• New media challenges• New media: pleasures, promises

and anxieties• Political sociology• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Sociological theory and analysis• Understanding social change

YEAR 3Core modules:• A supervised project either in

International Politics or Sociology(see p5 for more detail)

International Politics elective modules:• Global governance• International politics of the Middle East• The global politics of development• The politics of forced displacement• United States foreign policy

Sociology elective modules:• Forced migration• Gender and intimate relationships• Gender and society• Gender and transnationalism• Global migration processes• Globalisation and human rights• Media, cities and culture• Media and politics: strategies,

scandal and spin• Media, war and terrorism• Migration policies in Europe• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Social movements and political action• Sociology of human rights• Sociology of margins• Sociology of race and racism• The global media system• Transnational communication

in Europe

Detailed course and module descriptions (cont.)

BSc International Politics and Sociology

UCAS CODE: LL23ENTRY REQUIREMENT: ABB2010-11 FEESUK/EU FEES: £3,290INTERNATIONAL FEES: £8,900 Please note module

availability maychange slightly from year to year.


Core Second Year Module for BSc International Politics

CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION IN GLOBAL POLITICS This module examines the issue of transformation in international politics. You will discuss the origins of the Westphalian system and thetransformations in the state and globalpolitics associated with capitalism,nationalism and revolution. You willexplore two different forms of politicalauthority – empire and hegemony –ending with the emergence of Americanhegemony after World War Two. You willthen focus on contemporary processes oftransformation in three areas: the globaleconomy, identity and cosmopolitanism,encompassing the emergence of humanrights, humanitarian intervention andcosmopolitan democracy.

Core Third Year Module for both degrees

A SUPERVISED PROJECT This module aims to expand yourknowledge on subject-specific researchmethods in International Politicsgained from your first and second yearsand to encourage methodologicalapplication and focus on your thirdyear projects.

Core Third Year Module for BSc International Politics

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE You will examine the problems andpossibilities of governing issues and process in global politics. In the first term we map the emergence of international organisations andinstruments (international regimes and international law) involved in

governing global life, and theoreticaldebates of how we can explain andunderstand global governance. You will consider the relationship betweenprocesses of globalisation andregionalisation, as well as the function of global civil society in addressing thedemocratic and representation concernsof global governance. In the second termthese issues are pursued through a seriesof case studies – HIV/AIDS, corruption,internal displacement, and the Rwandagenocide – which examine the origins,operations, practice, and effectiveness of attempts at global governance.


Core First Year Module for BSc International Politics

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GLOBAL POLITICS This module introduces you to majordevelopments in international politicsduring the 20th century. It begins byproviding an overview of approaches to studying historical developments ininternational politics. We then guideyou through major 20th centurydevelopments, including the origins of two World Wars, the Cold War,decolonisation, conflict in the Middle East, and the evolution ofglobalisation. We will emphasise thateach of these developments involvepolitics within countries, betweencountries and at the transnationallevel. In each case, a state-centricstrategic analysis will be comparedwith analysis of a diversity of actorsand issues.

Core Second Year Module for both degrees

THEORIES AND RESEARCH IN GLOBAL POLITICS This module looks at what theory is for in the study of global politics. It then reviews the contending theoreticalapproaches to global politics, exploringtheir assumptions and examining theways in which they try to explain andunderstand international political life.You will also examine contemporaryinternational normative theory and explore the ‘metatheoretical’arguments that have been had inInternational Relations payingparticular attention to the question of how we might start to choosebetween these contending theories.

Core Second Year Module BSc International Politics and Sociology

SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODS This module provides a basic andpractical introduction to the ways in which sociologists collect andanalyse research evidence. It aims to enable you to critically appraise the reported results of social research;observe and enquire about the worldaround you more systematically; and select a method of research thatyou can use and take further in your third-year project.

Module descriptions (cont.)

International Politicsundergraduate student 2009/10

TOP TIPView the staff as your friendsbecause in our department we are lucky to have manykind and generous people that are open to suggestions.


Samplereading list


HOW WILL I LEARN?We teach through a combination oflectures, interactive sessions, practicalworkshops and small group seminars,supported by a personal tutorialsystem. Lectures provide commentaryon and explanation of key contentareas. Small group seminars develop your understanding by inviting you to raise questions and participatein the debate and by providingguidance for further study.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?Assessment is by coursework (assessed essays and assignments),unseen examinations and your final year project.

DURATION: Full-time – three years.

Study format

INTRODUCTION TOINTERNATIONAL POLITICSDEREK HEATER AND G.R. BERRIDGE.

WHY WE HATE POLITICS COLIN HAY.

GLOBAL POLITICS: A NEW INTRODUCTION JENNY EDKINS AND MAJA ZEHFUSS.

INTRODUCTION TOINTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ROBERT JACKSON AND GEORG SORENSEN.

THE GLOBALIZATION OF WORLD POLITICS JOHN BAYLIS, STEVE SMITH AND PATRICIA OWENS.

You will be sent a full reading listbefore you join.

International Politicsundergraduate student 2009/10

TOP TIPI would recommend newstudents to actively pursuepart-time internships or part-time jobs alongside their degree as this stands you in better stead once you have graduated.

Find out more now atcity.ac.uk/intpol/ug

Phone enquiries+44 (0) 20 7040 8502

Email [email protected]

INDUCTION FOR NEW STUDENTS 19-23 SEPTEMBER 2011TERM 1 26 SEPTEMBER-9 DECEMBER 2011WINTER BREAK 12 DECEMBER 2011-1 JANUARY 2012 TERM 2 2 JANUARY-23 MARCH 2012 SPRING BREAK 26 MARCH-13 APRIL 2012 TERM 3 16 APRIL-15 JUNE 2012 (ASSESSMENT PERIOD) (16 APRIL-12 MAY 2012)

Provisional University term dates for 2011/12 – Please note dates may be subject to change and some courseshave different term dates.


City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 9City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 8

As a graduate of these two International Politics courses you would be suited to a wide range of career options, from the civil service, NGOs, journalism, teaching to international law, international organisations and the corporate sector.

A recent BSc graduate is moving toMalawi in a few months to work for a farming company running theirdevelopment strategy. She volunteeredwith them during her time at City and her research project was funded by them. She is then doing a Master’s at SOAS next September, and says her City tutors are the reason she got the placement.

A recent BSc graduate went back to his home country, Palestine, aftercompleting his studies. One monthafter arriving in Palestine he was hiredas the Monitoring and EvaluationOfficer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded, AMIDEASTimplemented, Model Schools Network (MSN) Programme.

One of our third year BSc students is currently an intern in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cyprus.

Career paths

Here’s a sample of what some of our students are doing...Recent BSc graduate

City was an amazing place to study and grow and I amenvious of people starting thecourse now with more choicesand options than there were 3 years ago!

Examples of job titles:Manager, informal educator, company owner, market researcher,insolvency advisor,parliamentary campaigner,assistant headhunter

Employers include:Blackwood Group,Conservative Party,Department for Business, ESA Market Research, London Borough of Islington,Securemycontacts.com


DR TOM DAVIES LECTURER

Dr Davies joined the department in September 2007. His main research interests are transnational non-governmental politics and thecontemporary history of internationalrelations. His DPhil research wasawarded the 2006 British InternationalHistory Group Thesis Prize and his firstbook, The Possibilities of TransnationalActivism, was published in 2007. He iscurrently working on a variety of projectson the formation, evolution andrepresentativeness of international non-governmental organizations. Priorto joining City University London, DrDavies was a Junior Research Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and aLecturer at St Catherine’s and NewColleges in the University of Oxford.

DR GEMMA COLLANTES-CELADOR LECTURER

Dr Collantes-Celador (MSc LSE, PhDAberystwyth) joined the department in September 2008. She was previouslya Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at theBarcelona Institute for InternationalStudies (IBEI), Spain. Her mainresearch interests lie in the field of post-conflict peacebuilding,institutional regionalism withinexternally-assisted security sectorreform in failing and failed states,human security and the WesternBalkans. She is preparing a monographon the relationship between policereform and statebuilding processes in post-conflict scenarios. She haspreviously published in InternationalPeacekeeping, Crime, Law and SocialChange and Revista CIDOB d’AfersInternationals and has participated in various edited volumes and projectswith the Swedish National DefenceCollege, Chr. Michelsen Institute,CIDOB Foundation, EuroMeSCo and the Human Security Study Group.


DR SOPHIE HARMANUNDERGRADUATE COURSEDIRECTOR

Dr Harman joined the department inSeptember 2008. Prior to this she was a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Globalisation andRegionalisation (CSGR), University ofWarwick as part of the joint CSGR-UNDPGovernance of HIV/AIDS project. DrHarman’s principle areas of academicinterest are Global Governance, theWorld Bank, HIV/AIDS, East Africa, andfeminist political economy. Her book The World Bank and HIV/AIDS: Setting a Global Agenda was published withRoutledge in June 2010 and her co-editedbook (with F.Lisk) Governance ofHIV/AIDS Response: MakingParticipation and Accountability Countwas published with Routledge in July2009. Dr Harman is currently working on a book on Global Health Governance,forthcoming this academic year (2010,Routledge, series on Global Institutions),as well as research papers on multilevelgovernance, leadership, and conditionalcash transfers as a means of governingindividual behaviour and rationality.

DR CHRISTOPHER MCDOWELL HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Dr McDowell is a political anthropologistconducting research on forcedpopulation displacement in situations of conflict, as part of the developmentprocess and as a result of environmentalchange. His current work focuses on involuntary resettlement and itssocio-cultural and political outcomes,and the governance of resettlement. He regularly advises UN agencies,development banks and governments onsocio-political aspects of displacement.Dr McDowell specialises in Sri Lanka,East and Southern Africa. Pastpublications include UnderstandingImpoverishment (1996), A Tamil Asylum Diaspora (1996), Risks andResponsibilities (2000) and Catching Fire (2006). He has recently completed a volume on non-conflict displacementto be published in 2009/2010.

Academic profiles See the full list ofInternational Politicsacademic staff atcity.ac.uk/intpol/ug

Dr Christopher McDowellHead of Department

TOP TIPKeep apace of contemporarypolitical developments byreading The Economist,Foreign Policy, OpenDemocracy and listening as much as possible to theBBC World Service or Radio 4’s The World Tonight at 10pm each week night.

Dr Sophie Harman, Undergraduate Course Director


ENTRY REQUIREMENTSA-level grades: ABB320 UCAS tariff pointsIB: 34GCSE: grade C or equivalentin English language andmaths or statistics

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:• Grade C in GCSE

(or International GCSE)• Cambridge ESOL CPE

grade C or above• IELTS 6.5• TOEFL (internet based):

100 – 105• TOEFL (computer based):

250• TOEFL (paper based):

600

HOW TO APPLYApplications to ourundergraduate courses openon the 1st September andclose on the 15th January(30th June for internationalstudents). Late applicationsafter this date will still beconsidered at our discretion.

All applications to ourundergraduate degreecourses, including thosefrom mature students, mustbe made through UCAS. You can apply through yourschool or college using the UCAS online system‘Apply’ which enables you to apply directly through the UCAS website (www.ucas.com).Independent applicantssuch as mature andinternational students can also use ucasapply.

The institution code for City University is C60, the UCAS course codes areprovided in the individualcourse descriptions withinthis prospectus, as well aswithin the UCAS handbookand website.

If you are still at school or college when you make an application, staff thereshould be able to assist with this process offeringyou help and advice. If youare outside the UK when you make an applicationyour local British CouncilOffice should be able toprovide assistance.

THE FOUNDATION PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSWe offer a one-year foundation course leading to entry onto our International Politicsundergraduate degreecourses. The course is taughtby City and Islington College(CIC), a long-standing partner of City UniversityLondon. Students on thefoundation course will beregistered at both CIC andCity University London with access to all academic facilities at both institutions.

The foundation course istaught over two semesters,beginning in September andending in June. Applications

are made through UCAS and, once registered,students have a guaranteedroute to a degree at theuniversity provided theyachieve the required gradesin academic subjects and in English language.

We accept a large number of international students to our undergraduatecourses every year, so if your internationalqualifications do not reflectthe grade requirements,then please feel free tocontact our undergraduateadmissions administrator:

• [email protected] • +44 (0) 207 040 8502

Application procedures




How to prepare for an International Politics degree at City University London...

Dr Christopher McDowell, Head of Department, offers the following advice to prospective International Politics students:

“Before undertaking your studies in International Politics at City you would gain a head start by becoming lightly familiar with the IP literature by dippingin to one or two of the classic texts and theorists: Thucydides, Machiavelli,Hobbes or Rousseau; or trace liberal thought through Kant; and glance at theEnglish School with Grotius; or tackle Marxist and postmodern approaches.

At the same time keep apace of contemporary political developments byreading The Economist, Foreign Policy, Open Democracy and listening as much as possible to the BBC World Service or Radio 4’s The World Tonight at 10pm each week night. Finally, download the prospectus and familiariseyourself with the interests of IP staff and their publications.”




0.6milesdistance from City to the nearest NGo, Amnesty International

10thfor graduateemployability,according to the Times Good UniversityGuide (2011)

City is ranked

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCESCity University LondonNorthampton SquareLondon EC1V 0HB

95%of International Politics students say staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching, according to the 2010 National Student Survey

57%International Politics undergraduates at City are from outside the UK

The information in this leaflet is correct at the time of going to press. The University reserves the right, arising from unforeseen events or circumstances beyond ourcontrol, to add or remove courses and to make changes in regulations, syllabuses, course options and modules, fees etc without prior notice. Fees quoted are for one year only. Complaints concerning the accuracy of information provided by the University in this leaflet and in related course brochures should be made to theAcademic Registrar. Any complainants who feel their complaints have not been dealt with satisfactorily may write to the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency.

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BSc International Politics & Sociology Undergraduate courses in International Politics · 2015. 3....

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