Core modules
You can choose to specialise in either Economics or Politics and International Studies in your second and third years, continuing with the other subject as a minor; or opt for a Bipartite (dual) pathway in your final year. If you follow the Economics pathway, you will graduate with a BSc. If you follow the PAIS or Bipartite pathway, you will graduate with a BA.
Within your course regulations, we will permit you to choose modules from any department, subject to our approval and provided that you satisfy the pre-requisites or other requirements for that module and that the offering department permits you to take the module.
The final degree classification is determined by your second- and final-year marks and each contributes 50%.
Year One
Economics 1
You'll develop an understanding of fundamental and intermediate concepts in micro- and macroeconomic analysis, equipping you with a range of appropriate analytical skills, including descriptive, graphical and mathematical methods. This will develop your ability to analyse economic trends, institutions and policies and the capacity to apply analytical techniques to real-world problems.
Read more about the Economics 1 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Quantitative Techniques
This module combines two modules: Mathematical Techniques and Statistical Techniques. Students have the choice between an A and B stream of these modules, depending on their mathematical background and training. In both streams you will cover topics ranging from algebra and calculus to distributions and hypothesis testing, which will provide you with the key skills and knowledge that will then be applied in further modules. In addition, you will be introduced to some advanced statistical software packages, which will help you to learn about a range of techniques to analyse data and the different ways in which you can present data.
Read more about these modules, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study):
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 2024/25 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 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to two optional modules
BSc Economics Pathway
Year Two
Economics 2
In this module, you'll develop a deeper understanding of some of the key economic concepts introduced in your first year, but will also be introduced to new concepts in both micro- and macroeconomic analysis. These include material drawn from general equilibrium, welfare economics, game theory, risk and uncertainty within microeconomics and the three-equation macro model, open economy macroeconomics and the labour market within macroeconomics. It will introduce you to the analysis of public policy issues such as market failure, insurance, monetary unions and fiscal policy, and will give you a range of tools to analyse economic problems. Your analysis will be underpinned by a rigorous theoretical understanding acquired on the course.
Read more about the Economics 2 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Applied Econometrics
You'll learn important skills of both academic and vocational value, an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and social scientist, and also useful for your future career. These skills include awareness of the empirical approach to economics and social science; reviewing and extending fundamental statistical concepts; methods of data collection and analysis; regression analysis, its extensions and applications; and use of statistical packages such as STATA. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project of your own.
Read more about the Applied Econometrics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
Econometrics 1
You'll be equipped with important skills of both academic and vocational value, being an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and also useful for your future career. This includes an awareness of the empirical approach to economics; experience in analysis and use of empirical data; understanding the nature of uncertainty and methods of dealing with it; and using econometric software packages as tools of quantitative and statistical analysis. With the required necessary skills and knowledge to critically appraise work in applied economics, you'll have a good grasp of the dangers, pitfalls and problems encountered in applied modelling. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project.
Read more about the Econometrics 1 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
An optional core Politics module from:
Note: Foundations of Political Theory and Topics in Political Theory must be taken together
Foundations of Political Theory
The aim of this module is to introduce students to some of the foundational arguments and debates in modern (mainly) European political theory, as well as some of the discipline’s most important primary texts. To this end, students will critically examine claims about freedom, equality, democracy, revolution and crisis made by some of the most important political thinkers since about 1640. Key texts will include Hobbes’s Leviathan, Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Marx and Engels's The Communist Manifesto, Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk, Clara Zetkin’s Fighting Fascism, and Franz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth.
The module will also consider how these theories speak to contemporary debates in political theory, such as debates about gender and sexual difference, economic crisis, reparations for colonialism and the resurgence of the far right. The module builds on ideas explored in Introduction to Politics during your first year, and it leads towards the term two module Topics in Political Theory, which deals with present-day arguments about social justice.
Read more about the Foundations of Political Theory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
and
Topics in Political Theory
Politics considers how the political world operates, and how it ought to operate. In this module, we consider the “oughts” of politics. Building on Foundations of Political Theory, the module examines key thinkers and topics in contemporary normative political theory. The module is divided into two parts:
(A) Key thinkers in contemporary normative political theory. This includes the study of Rawls, and of other key political theorists, such as Nozick and Okin.
(B) Key topics in contemporary normative political theory. This includes issues such as immigration, education, representation, microaggressions, and climate change.
Read more about the Topics of Political Theory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Politics of International Development
Many policies have been created in the name of international development yet so many in the world remain in poverty. This module challenges questions like, is poverty reduction the same thing as development? Examining key topics through this module, you will focus on why global inequalities persist today. You will be taught how to critically assess policies and ask what roles and responsibilities key actors, like the World Bank and aid agencies, should have in respect to international development.
Read more about the Politics of International Development moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Theories of International Relations
What has happened and what an event of international importance means might seem common sense, such as in the case of the 9/11 attacks or the global financial crisis, but in this module, you will learn to critically examine conventional wisdom about world politics. You will explore different ways of analysing international relations, and what is at stake, exploring theories including those of realism, liberalism, Marxism, constructivism and feminism. Successful completion of this module means that you will be able to describe key assumptions in contemporary theories and analyse their purpose, coherence and inherent contradictions.
Read more about the Theories of International Relations moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
Political economy shows that social orders, and the institutions that comprise them, need to be studied as complex wholes: power relations, states and markets, and how and why a particular social order might work. You will study the classic theorists of political economy and then explore specific themes and issues. Guest lecturers contribute on themes and issues that marry closely with their areas of research interest and expertise. In your studies you will develop good investigative and research skills, including in IT, and learn how to present your arguments in written and spoken form.
Read more about the States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
International Security
This module will provide you with a comprehensive introduction into theories, concepts and practices of international security. You will examine the study of strategy and warfare, debates about the meaning and scope of security, and key security actors, institutions and mechanisms in world politics. By the end of this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge using theoretical debates about security in international relations and their relationship to security practices.
Read more about the International Security moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to two optional modules
Year Three
The Making of Economic Policy
You will explore the relationship between economics and politics, including through critiquing theory and examining real-life phenomena from the post-war period to the present. You will gain an informed understanding of the differences and complementarities in economic and political analysis and their impact on economic performance, including through close study of the effects of globalisation on the autonomy of national economic policy, and the impacts of inflation, unemployment, market failure, migration, the welfare state, income distribution, corruption and public finance. We aim for you to acquire the knowledge and analytical skills needed for a career in government, the media, the financial services sector, business associations or industry.
Read more about the Making of Economic Policy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to six optional modules, including a required number in Economics
BA Politics and International Studies Pathway
Year Two
Economics 2
In this module, you'll develop a deeper understanding of some of the key economic concepts introduced in your first year, but will also be introduced to new concepts in both micro- and macroeconomic analysis. These include material drawn from general equilibrium, welfare economics, game theory, risk and uncertainty within microeconomics and the three-equation macro model, open economy macroeconomics and the labour market within macroeconomics. It will introduce you to the analysis of public policy issues such as market failure, insurance, monetary unions and fiscal policy, and will give you a range of tools to analyse economic problems. Your analysis will be underpinned by a rigorous theoretical understanding acquired on the course.
Read more about the Economics 2 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Two core Politics modules:
Foundations of Political Theory
The aim of this module is to introduce students to some of the foundational arguments and debates in modern (mainly) European political theory, as well as some of the discipline’s most important primary texts. To this end, students will critically examine claims about freedom, equality, democracy, revolution and crisis made by some of the most important political thinkers since about 1640. Key texts will include Hobbes’s Leviathan, Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Marx and Engels's The Communist Manifesto, Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk, Clara Zetkin’s Fighting Fascism, and Franz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth.
The module will also consider how these theories speak to contemporary debates in political theory, such as debates about gender and sexual difference, economic crisis, reparations for colonialism and the resurgence of the far right. The module builds on ideas explored in Introduction to Politics during your first year, and it leads towards the term two module Topics in Political Theory, which deals with present-day arguments about social justice.
Read more about the Foundations of Political Theory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2023/24 year of study).
Topics in Political Theory
Politics considers how the political world operates, and how it ought to operate. In this module, we consider the “oughts” of politics. Building on Foundations of Political Theory, the module examines key thinkers and topics in contemporary normative political theory. The module is divided into two parts:
(A) Key thinkers in contemporary normative political theory. This includes the study of Rawls, and of other key political theorists, such as Nozick and Okin.
(B) Key topics in contemporary normative political theory. This includes issues such as immigration, education, representation, microaggressions, and climate change.
Read more about the Topics of Political Theory moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
An optional core Politics module from:
Politics of International Development
Many policies have been created in the name of international development yet so many in the world remain in poverty. This module challenges questions like, is poverty reduction the same thing as development? Examining key topics through this module, you will focus on why global inequalities persist today. You will be taught how to critically assess policies and ask what roles and responsibilities key actors, like the World Bank and aid agencies, should have in respect to international development.
Read more about the Politics of International Development moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Theories of International Relations
What has happened and what an event of international importance means might seem common sense, such as in the case of the 9/11 attacks or the global financial crisis, but in this module, you will learn to critically examine conventional wisdom about world politics. You will explore different ways of analysing international relations, and what is at stake, exploring theories including those of realism, liberalism, Marxism, constructivism and feminism. Successful completion of this module means that you will be able to describe key assumptions in contemporary theories and analyse their purpose, coherence and inherent contradictions.
Read more about the Theories of International Relations moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
Political economy shows that social orders, and the institutions that comprise them, need to be studied as complex wholes: power relations, states and markets, and how and why a particular social order might work. You will study the classic theorists of political economy and then explore specific themes and issues. Guest lecturers contribute on themes and issues that marry closely with their areas of research interest and expertise. In your studies you will develop good investigative and research skills, including in IT, and learn how to present your arguments in written and spoken form.
Read more about the States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
International Security
This module will provide you with a comprehensive introduction into theories, concepts and practices of international security. You will examine the study of strategy and warfare, debates about the meaning and scope of security, and key security actors, institutions and mechanisms in world politics. By the end of this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge using theoretical debates about security in international relations and their relationship to security practices.
Read more about the International Security moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to two optional modules
Year Three
The Making of Economic Policy
You will explore the relationship between economics and politics, including through critiquing theory and examining real-life phenomena from the post-war period to the present. You will gain an informed understanding of the differences and complementarities in economic and political analysis and their impact on economic performance, including through close study of the effects of globalisation on the autonomy of national economic policy, and the impacts of inflation, unemployment, market failure, migration, the welfare state, income distribution, corruption and public finance. We aim for you to acquire the knowledge and analytical skills needed for a career in government, the media, the financial services sector, business associations or industry.
Read more about the Making of Economic Policy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to six optional modules, including a required number in PAIS
BA Bipartite
Year Three
The Making of Economic Policy
You will explore the relationship between economics and politics, including through critiquing theory and examining real-life phenomena from the post-war period to the present. You will gain an informed understanding of the differences and complementarities in economic and political analysis and their impact on economic performance, including through close study of the effects of globalisation on the autonomy of national economic policy, and the impacts of inflation, unemployment, market failure, migration, the welfare state, income distribution, corruption and public finance. We aim for you to acquire the knowledge and analytical skills needed for a career in government, the media, the financial services sector, business associations or industry.
Read more about the Making of Economic Policy moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Plus up to six optional modules, including a required number in Economics and PAIS
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Political Economy
- Politics of International Development
- International Security
- International Relations
- Behavioural Economics
- Industrial Economics
- Environmental Economics
- Topics in Applied Economics
- Languages
