BA Politics and International Relations with International Foundation Year - January Entry

Compulsory modules

Academic Skills 

Enhance your academic study and communication skills while gradually building confidence and mastering transferable abilities. Engage in various in-class group activities and individual study tasks to develop these skills effectively.

Optional modules

Academic English 1

Develop the necessary basis in English for study at undergraduate level. You’ll develop key skills and a perspective on a range of contemporary topics that will equip you for study throughout your degree.

Academic English 2

Develop your competence in the use of English for academic purposes. You’ll be provided with the necessary linguistic foundation for your degree as you learn to use academic sources in a written and spoken context.

Concepts in Politics

Develop understanding of key political concepts to help you interpret and analyse political information and evaluate political arguments. You’ll also gain skills in IT, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Government and Politics

Develop critical awareness of the changing nature of politics by comparing the UK and US government and politics. You’ll gain understanding of political institutions, concepts, and ideologies to interpret political information and evaluate arguments.

Introduction to Sociology 

Study the idea of sociology as a science and consider how it might differ from the psychological and biological sciences. You’ll develop an understanding of norms and values as you focus on socialization, culture and identity. Additionally, you’ll learn how sociologists collect data as you look at qualitative and quantitative research methods and the factors that influence the choice of research topics and methods.

Topics in Sociology

Advance your understanding of sociology as you look at the significance of consensus and conflict, social structure, and social order and change. You’ll analyse key concepts related to gender, ethnicity, social class, and age and consider how these can be applied to areas including social stratification, mass media, crime, and sociological theory.

Introduction to Foundations of Law

You’ll acquire a grounding knowledge in the main principles of the English Legal System and Contract Law. This will provide you with a conceptual foundation for future study and will facilitate the recognition of both public and private frameworks. Additionally, you’ll develop the skills needed to evaluate and analyse key legal issues and produce complex arguments related to policy, practice, and theory.

Further Foundations of Law

Enhance your understanding of the English Legal System and study the law of tort. You’ll learn the key principles of tort and put them into practice as you develop your skills for producing complex legal arguments even further.

Foundation Economics - Microeconomics

Discover how individuals and companies allocate and utilise resources. You’ll learn the neoclassical model of demand and supply, markets failures and the behaviour of firms.

Foundation Economics - Macroeconomics

Learn models and theories used by economists to understand the performance of the economy. You’ll develop basic mathematical and statistical skills and apply these to economic decision making.

Psychology and the Body

Gain understanding of the biological basis of thought, behaviour, and emotions and develop transferable skills in analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking. You’ll focus on core areas in psychology including stress, cognitive psychology, and sleep. 

Psychology and Research Methods

Explore the key research methods applicable to psychology as you develop your skills of analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking to data collection and reporting. You’ll focus on theories of conformity and obedience and learn to critically evaluate research by highlighting the limitations found in classic experiments.

An Introduction to Business Management 

Develop your ability to think critically and argue persuasively in business and management contexts. You'll learn basic business and management theory such as entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, human resource management, finance and accounting.

Core Mathematics 

Learn the techniques required to analyse and solve a variety of mathematical problems. You'll gain general mathematical skills as well as skills that are more related to your degree programme.

Quantative Methods

Discover the techniques required to analyse and solve a variety of statistical problems. You'll gain general theoretical skills as well as numerical skills that are more related to your degree programme.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

International Relations

Investigate the main theories of international relations and discover how to critically examine and evaluate competing theoretical arguments. You’ll master the ability to reach and defend clear conclusions about such arguments and explore the contemporary international order through a theoretical lens. 

Politics of Climate Change

Explore the political challenges and debates on climate change, analysing how and why decisions are made, their consequences, and underlying ethical issues. Through analysing climate change across various interconnected settings, you’ll reflect on the relevance of climate change across the wider discipline of political science.

Introduction to Contemporary Democracy 

Delve deeper into how democracy works, or does not work, around the world today, and explore different types of democracies. You’ll examine topics such as the Arab Spring, varieties of executive and electoral systems, political parties, voting behaviour, and the welfare state.

Introduction to Political Ideas

Explore some of the major debates in political theory through the study of four themes: authority, freedom, democracy, and social justice. You’ll focus on conceptual and normative debates about politics and critically analyse, deconstruct, and develop arguments.

Degree Core Competencies

Develop key academic skills and coping strategies to support your undergraduate studies and discover how they transfer to the workplace. You’ll learn core competencies underpinning your academic progression, including writing, referencing, presenting, teamwork, and engaging with feedback. 

Placement Support

Gain introductory employment, peer support and readiness for placement application with advice on CV writing, application forms and careers advice.

Optional modules

British Society

Delve deeper into contemporary British society, examining how it has changed since the second world war and why, and analysing the changing relationship between the state, social institutions and citizens. You’ll explore topics such as multicultural Britain and Britain as a class society, crime and deviance, the role of the mass media, and the increasing power of the food industry. 

War and Warfare

Acquire a grounding knowledge of the role of war in international relations. You’ll focus on concepts and types of war, their causes, and how they relate to real-world issues in international relations and international security.  

Inequality

Analyse and understand the evolution of inequality, both over time and across developed countries. You’ll explore the economic, normative, and political implications of different forms of inequality, particularly in relation to gender and race. 

Optional Language or University Wide Module

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of history and culture. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you.

These are the modules that we current offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Study of Politics

Learn how to identify different methods and approaches to the study of politics and international relations. You’ll study qualitative and quantitative methods of research, as well as methods of political theory, to prepare you for more advanced study in the subject. 

Comparative Government and Politics

Examine and compare the origins of political systems, political institutions, regime formation, and democratisation from all regions of the world. You’ll learn how to nuance, unpack, and conceptualise some of the contemporary challenges that democratic nation-states face.

Global Order

Discover what international order is, how orders function, and the variety of different ways that relations among political communities can be, and have been, organised. You’ll explore key dilemmas and trade-offs that characterise international relations and how contemporary problems are best addressed.

Political Classics

Discover thinkers, ideas and traditions that have always played a central role in the study of politics. Through the writings of a selection of classic thinkers, you’ll explore difficult debates around private property, democracy, individual autonomy, and other topics that have never been resolved.

Advanced Degree Competencies

Familiarise yourself with the academic expectations associated with your course and explore common challenges and strategies for overcoming them. You’ll learn how these advanced study skills transfer to the world of work, while reflecting on your career goals and how to achieve them.

Placement Support

Develop application and CV writing skills, knowledge of psychometric and video testing, interview and assessment centre techniques. You’ll gain additional insight through personality tests for your career direction.

Optional modules

American Government and Politics

Discover how ideas and values, such as liberty and individualism, influence the American system of government and politics, both at national and local level. You’ll learn about all the institutional actors in the US political landscape, and explore central policy issues such as gun control, immigration, and environmental policy. 

Political Thinking

Deepen your understanding of the ethical dimensions of contested political issues, from how societies should deal with statues of historical wrongdoers, to whether inheritances should be taxed. You’ll explore how political decisions are made and the substance of such decisions, with weekly focus on a concrete policy question.

Model United Nations

Explore the structure and function of the United Nations in a changing global context. You’ll put your knowledge, understanding, and diplomatic skills to the test as you analyse, debate, and strive to reach collective agreement on key global issues, via in-class simulation and representation of the University at a Model UN conference in the UK.

War and Peace since 1800

Examine the high and low points of human conflict over a 200-year period, using historical evidence to analyse strategic ideas. You’ll explore the theory and practice of war and peace, with a focus on both force and its social and political context.

Work Placement and Project

Undertake a work placement or an internship with an external organisation broadly related to the general sphere of your degree studies. You’ll deliver an oral presentation directly based on your experience, including findings from a project undertaken within the placement. 

Contemporary Strategy

Explore a series of contemporary problems and how they stand in the field of modern strategy. Through examples and practical simulations, you’ll gain an understanding of strategic problems and their relevance in the contemporary world. 

Global Politics and History

Learn how the study of history and the analysis of past events influence the study, contemporary debates, and practice of world politics.

The Media and Politics

Develop your understanding of the role and influence of media in contemporary politics and society through a combination of lectures and media. You’ll refine your ability to engage broad audiences in political debate by producing a pre-recorded documentary that you’ll present as part of a radio broadcast. 

British Government and Politics

Discover the workings of British government and parliament and explore a range of related topics, such as elections, political parties, and the relationship between government and the judiciary. You’ll discuss current events and put your knowledge into practice through a micro-placement. 

Encountering Political Geographies 

Find the geopolitical in unexpected spaces, place the spotlight on the bedroom as much as the battlefield; the body as much as the border; the school as much as the state. Think critically about the geopolitical world, challenge and resist dominant ideas, develop multiple ways of seeing, engaging, and being.

War, Peace and International Ethics

Examine ethical questions surrounding the threat of war using thought-experiments and real-world examples. You’ll discuss whether war is ever morally permissible and if so, for what reasons and with what limitations. 

Optional Language or University Wide Module

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of history and culture. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you. 

These are the modules that we current offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

Produce your own piece of work in consultation with an expert supervisor. You’ll plan and execute a project of your own devising, making use of ideas, materials and methods  introduced  in the first half of the year.  

Optional modules 

International Terrorism

Learn what terrorism is and what distinguishes it from other forms of conflict and warfare in the international system. You’ll discover the causes and consequences of terrorism throughout history, which factors influence terrorist target selection and modus operandi, and the options available to counterterrorism. 

British Foreign and Defence Policy since 1945

Learn the theory and practice of how foreign and defence policy is made and explore real-life examples of these policies, from the end of the British Empire to Brexit. You’ll also examine a series of post-war challenges, from the Suez crisis to the conflict in Ukraine, and UK’s role in the world today. 

Karl Marx

Explore the Marxist interpretation of history and its political implications with a focus on the questions of alienation, ideology, exploitation, class struggle, and revolution. Discover where Marxist thought has continuing value and where its more vulnerable to criticisms.

Risk

Delve deeper into a wide range of issues in the ethics and politics of risk, focusing on the debates around how societies and individuals should act in the face of risk. You’ll explore the links between theoretical arguments and real-world cases and apply your knowledge to concrete problems, such as self-driving cars, and pandemic policy responses.

Critical Security Studies

Explore the processes through which particular actors or practices are constructed as security issues and subjected to exceptional strategies. You’ll be introduced to the study of politics of identity, focusing on the relational construction of identities within popular media such as films.

American Foreign Policy since the Vietnam War

Analyse how American foreign policy decisions are made, who influences them, and how they have evolved over time. You’ll gain an understanding of crucial events such as the Vietnam War and response to 9/11, whilst exploring salient challenges faced by US foreign policymakers today. 

The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

Examine the historical and political contexts for nuclear policy making, with an emphasis on the political and technical considerations affecting national choices. You’ll explore the issues surrounding non-proliferation strategies, nuclear security, and next steps for arms control.

Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

Gain a nuanced understanding of the politics of Middle Eastern states and how they relate with international tensions and conflicts of the region. You’ll study the history of these countries and their state-civil society relations, as well as the international politics, roles of superpowers, and their interests in the area.

Global Justice

Explore some of the main debates around justice at a global level, focusing on how theoretical arguments are applied to real-world challenges. You’ll examine discussions around various topics, including open borders, climate change and countries’ responsibilities, colonialism and reparations, and economic globalisation.

International Political Economy

Explore the interaction between states and markets, and between winners and losers, at domestic and international levels. You’ll discover the major theoretical approaches to international political economy through a range of topics, including international trade and finance, development, the effects of globalisation on the welfare state and the environment, and the use of economic sanctions.

Feminism and Political Theory

Explore the role of feminism in the political landscape and the theoretical controversies surrounding it. You’ll examine a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, marriage, and the body.  

Experiencing War 

Explore the lived experience of war and different roles that humans play within war such as combatants, civilians, and third parties. You’ll examine these through the testimonies of guest speakers along with written, audio, photographic and video material. 

Political Behaviour around the World

You’ll discuss whether it is right to vote, voter turnout, voter choice, protest and other forms of contentious participation. You’ll also consider the effects of class, religion and other social cleavages have on shaping political engagement and voting behaviour. 

Intelligence, War and International Relations 

Gain insight into the intelligence function in war, strategy, and international politics. You’ll acquire a thorough understanding of technological changes, continuities, and discontinuities associated with intelligence agencies and their activities. 

Gender and Politics

Examine how gender manifests in the political domain, such as how stereotypes about masculinity and femininity shape political campaigns. You’ll also consider how gender intersects with race, ethnicity, and sexuality. 

Optional Language or University Wide Module

Study a module from outside your department to enhance your understanding of history and culture. Alternatively, you can learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you. 

These are the modules that we current offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.