Department of Politics
Current Students: Undergraduate
The Politics Undergraduate Degree Programme
The Compulsory Modules
All students following a Single or Combined Honours degree programme in politics will follow the same three compulsory modules in the first three semesters. These are:
Semester 1 - The Politics of the British Isles (POL911)
Semester 2 - Political Concepts and Ideas (POL912)
Semester 3 - Introduction to International Politics (POL913)
These modules will comprise one third of your programme and you will have the opportunity to follow two other modules each semester in a range of other subjects.
In Semester 4 Single Honours politics students take two compulsory modules, which are:
Great Politics Thinkers (POL9PG)
Comparative Politics: Power and Representation in Western Europe (POL9CP)
In addition to these two modules, Single Honours students will take one further Semester 4 module in a subject studied during the first three semesters.
Entry into Honours is confirmed at the end of Semester 4 and the normal entrance requirements for Single Honours are for students to have attained 242 SCQF credits (11 full modules) in total and to have met the following subject conditions; three grades of 2F or better in POL912 or POL9X3, POL9PG and POL9CP.
Combined Honours students will normally just take POL9PG but will often have the option of taking POL9CP too. The precise regulations for this and entry to Honours will vary for each specific programme so you should consult the University Calendar to be absolutely sure.
In Semesters 5-8 Single Honours politics students take the following compulsory modules:
Semester 5 - The Politics of European Integration (POL9EU)
Semester 6 - Research Methods (POL9RM)
Semesters 7-8 - Politics Dissertation (POL9TH)
The Optional Modules
In addition to the compulsory programme all Single Honours politics students are required to select two optional modules each semester in Semesters 5-8. Again, regulations regarding combined programmes will vary so please consult the University Calendar. The list below provides a summary of the optional modules currently available within the Department. Those students wishing to graduate in politics will be able to take a wide range of options whilst those wishing to graduate in international politics will have a more focused programme.
- Stability and Disintegration of States
- The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia
- Foreign Policy Analysis
- Political Communications
- Politics of European Social Democracy
- British Territorial Politics
- Regionalism in Europe
- Scottish Politics and Government
- European Politics and Literature
- The Political Thought of George Orwell
- Left and Right Communitarianism
- Politics of Justice, Equality and Rights
- US Foreign Policy
- The Politics of the Middle East
- The Politics of Germany
- The EU and European Security
- Environmental Politics in an International Context
- Party Systems in Comparative Perspective
- East European Politics
- Issues in International Politics
- The EU and the US: The Evolution of a Partnership
Teaching and Assessment Methods
All modules are usually taught by a combination of two lectures and one tutorial per week and assessment is usually assessed via both coursework and examination. Coursework includes essays, tutorial presentations, participation in tutorials, role-play exercises and case studies and book reviews. Examinations usually account for 50% of the grade in each module. The precise information is made available in the University Calendar and module description sheets are available from the Department ahead of each new semester.
The Dissertation
All Single Honours politics students are required to write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic of their own choosing in the final year. Each student is supervised on an individual basis by a member of staff through regular meetings where advice on research and presentation is provided. Recent dissertations have included the following topics:
- Democracy and free trade: universal or Western values?
- To what extent should politicians pay attention to public opinion?
- Devolution and free personal care for the elderly in Scotland
- Does television satire have a significant role within the modern British political system?
- Are non-combatants treated justly during modern warfare in connection with the Geneva Convention and just war theory?
- International intervention in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo: success or failure?
- Life, Liberty and the prima-facie right to choose
- The Establishment of a Constitution for Europe
- Regionalism in Post-Franco Spain
- Ideology and Cohesion in the Scottish Socialist Party
- Is Germany a ‘middle’ power?
- Messy Compromises: a study of America's Federal Gun control policy
