Politics, International Studies and German BA (UCAS M164)
Discover more about our Politics, International Studies and German degree at Warwick
Learn about politics at a national and international level. Critically examine political issues through a culturally-sensitive lens. Develop and deepen German language skills. Understand cultures and societies where German is spoken. Gain valuable skills in theoretical analysis, qualitative and quantitative research, and written and verbal communication.
General entry requirements
A level typical offer
AAB, to include a modern or classical language.
A level contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is BBB including a modern or classical language. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept.
We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
IB typical offer
34 including 5 at Higher Level in a modern or classical language.
IB contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 30 including grade 5 at Higher Level in a modern or classical language. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept.
We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
Will be considered as long as essential entry requirements are met.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept.
We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
International qualifications
English Language requirements
All applicants have to meet our English Language requirements. If you cannot demonstrate that you meet these, you may be invited to take part in our Pre-sessional English course at WarwickLink opens in a new window.
This course requires: Band B
Learn more about our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window
Frequently asked questions
Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in a Widening Participation programme or who meet the contextual data criteria.
Differential offers will usually be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer.
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
We welcome applications for deferred entry.
We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.
Course overview
This degree combines the study of Politics and International Studies with a specific focus on German language and culture. It looks at how German society and culture have been central to the development of modern Europe.
You can also get involved with extracurricular activity linked to your studies, such as the PAIS Film Club. You will spend your second or third year studying or on work placement in Germany or Austria.
The course is good preparation for a career in politics, although it develops transferable skills in investigative and evaluative research, presentation and critical analysis, which can be applied in many careers.
Important information
We are planning to make some exciting changes to our Politics and International Studies and German (BA) degree for 2023 entry. We continually review our curricula to reflect developments in the relevant disciplines to deliver the best educational experience. The core and optional modules will undergo approval through the University's rigorous academic processes. As modules are approved, we will update the course information on this webpage. It is therefore very important that you check this webpage for the latest information before you apply and prior to accepting an offer. Sign up to receive updates.
Study abroad
The third year of the degree is usually spent studying and/or on work placement in Germany or Austria.
Possible study abroad universities include:
- Universität Konstanz
- Freie Universität Berlin
- Universität Wien
- Technische Universität Wien
- Universität Salzburg
- Technische Universität Dresden
- Universität zu Köln
- Ludwig Maximilians Universität München
- Universität Würzburg
- Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Core modules
This joint degree is 50:50 between Politics and Modern Languages, with an optional split of 75:25 in the final year. It is four years and normally includes a year of study or work placement abroad in Germany or Austria.
Explore approaches to political ideas. Critically engage with national and global political issues. Improve your German language skills. You can focus on a range of sub-fields including:
- Political theory
- Political systems
- Comparative politics
- German and Austrian society and culture
- International security
- International political economy
- German literature
- German cinema
- International development
Address questions relating to the emergence and resolution of conflicts. The relationship between states and markets, the importance of international organisations. The significance of Germany in the political and cultural development of Europe.
Important information
We are planning to make some exciting changes to our Politics and International Studies and German (BA) degree for 2023 entry. We continually review our curricula to reflect developments in the relevant disciplines to deliver the best educational experience. The core and optional modules will undergo approval through the University's rigorous academic processes. As modules are approved, we will update the course information on this webpage. It is therefore very important that you check this webpage for the latest information before you apply and prior to accepting an offer. Sign up to receive updates.
Year One
Introduction to Politics
Introduction to Politics gives you a broad overview of the main issues and theoretical perspectives within Politics. You'll learn first to understand and then apply the core concepts of comparative political science and theory to processes, institutions, ideologies and practical policy-making. You'll conduct a comparative study of different political systems and political change, both in writing and in open debate.
Read more about the Introduction to Politics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
World Politics
In this module, you'll be introduced to world politics and the role that international relations plays in the interactions between nations. You'll gain a solid understanding of the historical underpinnings of the structure and systems of states, and become familiar with major theories of international relations post-1945. You'll analyse contemporary writings on world politics and engage critically, both orally and in writing, with key concepts and theoretical debates on the nature of international political systems.
Read more about the World Politics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Modern German Language 1
You will develop your translation, grammatical and speaking skills in German, and in doing so broaden your vocabulary and range of idiom, expression and awareness of various stylistic registers. You will work in a pair or group on a media project under the supervision of a tutor, which will contribute to your end-of-year mark in spoken German.
Read more about the Modern German Language 1 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
or
Modern German Language for Beginners
As a beginner in the acquisition of the German language, you will cover the main linguistic skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. You will focus on gaining grammatical accuracy as well and communicative fluency and competence. By the end of the year, you will be expected to be able to sustain everyday conversations in German, read authentic texts such as newspaper articles, follow the gist of TV extracts and be able to write an intermediate range of texts in German. You will also work on basic translations to and from German as a means of consolidating your knowledge.
Read more about the Modern German Language for Beginners moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
A German Studies cultural module:
The Changing Face of Germany in Film and Text
In your study of the intellectual history of post-war Germany, you will consider the rise of the mass media and the role played by writers and intellectuals. Through your analysis of diverse literary and filmic texts, you will build your understanding of major landmarks in German history, including post-WWII political reconstruction, the development of the press in the Federal Republic, unification and military reintegration, the opposition to rearmament and student movements, and migration and settlement. The work of intellectuals such as Heinrich Böll, Peter Weiss, Bernhard Schlink, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Paul Verhoeven will inform your studies.
Read more about The Changing Face of Germany in Film and Text moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Power and Passion: The Making of Modern German Culture
Starting with the study of the society of late 18th century Germany, you will consider the cultural and intellectual changes of this period, and in particular the rise of the middle classes in the Age of Enlightenment. You will engage with the work of the globally significant writers of this period, including Goethe and Schiller, and study the light they cast on the emerging middle-class consciousness just prior to the cataclysmic changes of the French Revolution of 1789.
Read more about the Power and Passion: The Making of Modern German Culture moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Two
Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality
How should human beings be governed? The thinkers you'll study – from Hobbes to Marx – had very different answers to this question. Building on your understanding of political philosophy, you'll read significant primary and secondary texts to develop your understanding of how political convictions are shaped by the context and history of individual thought and social interaction. You'll confront and assess complex ideas in political theory, and present and defend your point of view, both orally and in writing.
Read more about the Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Modern German Language 2
In this second-year module, you will increase your general and specialised vocabulary in German through translation into English and German, essay-writing in German, spoken and listening comprehension, and work on business-related materials. In pursuit of these aims, you will learn to identify and rectify grammatical problems, and gain increased sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular. You will also gain important research skills, including correct use of dictionaries.
Read more about the Modern German Language 2 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
or
Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)
You will increase the range of your general and specialised vocabulary in German, improve your speaking, listening and comprehension skills, and develop your ability to translate from German, including through a sound knowledge of grammar, register, semantic nuances and style. There will be opportunities to write in German and to work on business-related materials.
Read more about the Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners) moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Year Three
This year is spent studying or on a work placement in Germany or Austria.
Year Four
Issues in Political Theory
Should parents send their children to private schools? Is freedom of movement a moral right? Is it unjust to rear animals for food? Who should bear the costs of climate change? You'll explore fundamental questions of political morality by critically analysing complex arguments from contemporary political philosophy. You'll study closely John Rawls’s theory of justice, and consider the rival theories of Robert Nozick, G. A. Cohen and Ronald Dworkin. You'll have practical opportunities to develop and defend your own ethical standpoint through your considered judgements on current dilemmas, taking into account opposing arguments and perspectives.
Read more about our Issues in Political Theory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2021/22 year of study).
Modern German Language 3
In this third-year module, you will use vocabulary of increasing sophistication in both general and specialised fields, and improve your skills in spoken and written German and translation. You will improve your listening and reading comprehension skills, and learn to identify and rectify grammatical problems. An important aim of the course is to cultivate sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular.
Read more about the Modern German Language 3 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
Zeitgeist Politics, Culture and Society in Germany Today
Optional modules
Year Two - optional modules in Politics
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Politics of International Development
- Politics in the UK
- Politics of the USA
- Theories of International Relations
- Politics of Contemporary China
- States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
- International Security
- Core Issues in Comparative Politics
- Themes in European Integration
- Capitalism and its Alternatives
- Political Economy and the Liberal Democratic State
- Introduction to Comparative Public Policy
- 21st Century Challenges and Public Policy Solutions
- Introduction to Qualitative Methods
- Introduction to Social Analytics I
- Introduction to Social Analytics II
- Understanding Social Inequalities
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Design and Data Collection
- Intermediate Social Analytics: Survey Analysis and Reporting
Year Two - optional modules in German Studies
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- The Strange World of Franz Kafka's Short Stories
- Film in the Weimar Republic and under National Socialism
- Violent Women in the German Cultural Imagination
- Modernity and its Discontents
- Bertolt Brecht: Theatre as Revolution
Year Four - optional modules in Politics
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Gender and Development
- Governing Britain Since 1918
- European Union Policy-Making
- Politics of Globalisation
- United States Foreign Policy
- Britain and the War on Terror
- Critical Security Studies
- Vigilant State: The Politics of Intelligence
- East Asian Transformations: A Political Economy Perspective
- State, Power, Freedom: European Political Theory
- The Political Economy of Money
- International Relations of the Americas
- Latin America: Democratisation and Development
- War in the 21st Century
- Politics and Culture in the Middle East
- Violence, Rights, Justice and Peace in the Middle East
- The Global Energy Challenge
- The Politics of Climate Change
- Applying Quantitative Methods to Social Research
- Experiments in the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Public Opinion
- Determinants of Democracy
- Dissertation
Year Four - optional modules in German Studies
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- German Memories of WWII - From Perpetration to Suffering
- Gender Trouble in Contemporary German Culture
- Reflections of National Socialism in Post-war German Writing
- Germany and the Holocaust: Interpretations and Debates
- Business and Society in Contemporary Germany
- Self and Others: Identity, Ethnicity and Gender in German Culture around 1800
Find out more about Politics modulesLink opens in a new window
Find out more about German modulesLink opens in a new window
Assessment
Modules are usually assessed through a mixture of exams and essays.
- Summative assessments - include exams and coursework that go towards your final grade.
- Formative assessments - do not contribute marks to your final grade. However, they help you understand key learning points and assessment styles.
- Language assessments - we will track your progress through language assignments, essays, presentations, portfolio submissions and examinations (written and oral).
Throughout your course you will receive detailed, personalised feedback to help you to improve your skills.
Teaching
Most modules are taught using a combination of weekly lectures and seminars. Lectures give an introduction to a topic to help prepare you for discussions in seminars. In seminars, you can engage in debates and share your views. For your language modules, you will have written and spoken language classes in small groups.
You will have a personal tutor who you can speak to about any questions you may have. There are also regular feedback sessions and opportunities to speak to module directors and seminar tutors.
Class sizes
Lecture sizes vary. Lectures are typically accompanied by seminar teaching which allows you to discuss and consolidate your learning.
Typical contact hours
There are 8-12 hours of classroom contact available per week. This is also supplemented with group work, one-to-one advice, feedback sessions, and the use of web-based materials.
Tuition fees
Scholarships and bursaries
Your career
We have a dedicated careers consultant who can support you with your career choices. We offer one-to-one appointments and workshops to help you find a career path, internship or work placement.
Graduates from these courses are working in:
- Government and politics (national, regional and international)
- Public affairs
- Education
- Charity and campaigning
- Media
- Public relations
- Journalism
- IT
- Banking and finance
- Recruitment
- Hospitality
- Advertising
Our graduates have gone on to work for employers such as:
- United Nations
- BBC Television
- Houses of Parliament
- OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
- Lloyds Banking Group
- Human Rights Watch
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. In addition, PAIS students have access to guest lecturers, careers information and placement support. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- Your future awaits - the many things you can do after your degree in the PAIS department
- Careers in Government and Politics
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- Careers Q&A sessions
- Assessment Centres and Interviews: an overview of what to expect for PAIS students
Politics and International Studies at Warwick
Join an innovative, creative and passionate department with a lively and interactive culture. Stretch and challenge yourself with the support of friendly staff and your peers.
Find out more about us on our website
Our courses
- Politics (BA)
- Politics and International Studies (BA)
- Politics and International Studies with Chinese (BA)
- Politics and Sociology (BA)
- Politics, International Studies and French (BA)
- Politics, International Studies and German (BA)
- Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies (BA)
- Politics, International Studies and Italian (BA)
Related degrees
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