International Politics and Europe (MA) (2022 Entry)
This programme analyses European politics explicitly in the context of both International Relations (IR) and International Political Economy (IPE). It is designed for students keen to understand past and present international relations of Europe, and the EU, amidst times of crisis and in a constantly changing world.
The combination of IR, IPE and the EU makes this programme distinct from many others. The economic crisis in Europe, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic provide an opportunity to explore how the EU is shaped internally and can respond externally to growing political, economic and societal challenges. This course examines the EU, its significance in and for the world system, its relationships with key developed and emerging countries and regions, and the various ways in which it engages with the international milieu on issues of global significance.
2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.
Visit our PAIS web pages for department-specific advice on applying to ensure your application has the best chance for success.
Postgraduate FAQs (PAIS specific)
English Language requirements header
- Band B
- IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
International requirements header
Additional requirements header
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Europe and the World
The changing international geopolitical context has intensified focus on the European Union’s foreign, security and defence policies. The EU, in response to challenges within its own borders, in its wider region and beyond, published its Global Strategy for European Foreign and Security Policy in 2016. The British referendum result and Brexit also challenged the EU’s identity as a strategic actor in international affairs.
This module explores the evolution of the EU as a foreign, security and defence actor and the debates about its evolving identity. It does so through first, assessing the utility of conceptual and theoretical schools of thought in explaining and helping us to understand how integration has evolved in foreign and security policy, and second, in critically engaging in the debates relating to the EU’s identity as a global power and actor in the 21st century. The module applies the theoretical debates to practical examples of the EU’s capabilities in relation to its immediate neighbourhood, including issues of enlargement to the Western Balkans, the EU’s neighbourhood policy to the east and south, and the EU’s fitful relationships with Turkey and Russia. It also explores the way in which the EU can influence key global issues such as the environment, trade and cybersecurity and shape relations with key regional actors from Latin America and Africa.
Optional module header
- Justice and Equality
- Theories and Issues in International Political Economy
- Secrecy and Spies: British Intelligence in the Modern World
The optional module lists are updated regularly.
You will have the freedom to select 2-4 modules from our extensive range of optional modules, up to a total of 120 CATS of taught modules.
Modules are taught via one 2-hour seminar per week. Every seminar will be based on extensive guided reading you will do each week, but there is no strict pattern to how sessions are run. This may include mini-lectures followed by discussion, Q&A sessions, organised debates, peer presentations, policy briefs, small group work, simulations and other projects.
You can also choose to study part-time with us. Find out more about part-time study on our PAIS web pages.
Class size header
Normally a maximum of 18 per seminar group in PAIS delivered modules.
Contact hours header
6 hours of seminars per week for 9 weeks in Terms One and Two plus advice and feedback hours when requested and Dissertation supervision in Terms Two and Three.
Assessment header
Assessment methods include research essays and other (written) assignments throughout the year, culminating in a 10,000 word dissertation at the end.
Reading lists
Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.
Your timetable
Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules in a module pre-registration process about which you will receive information at the beginning of September.