Section: Prospective Students
Politics is about power, people, institutions and the nature of the just society. All societies have to find effective ways of exercising, controlling and transferring power. The competition for power between individuals, groups and nations shapes society and everyday life. Internationally, the prospects for peace or war depend on how conflicts over power or other resources are settled.
The study of Politics at Edinburgh deals with the origins and present-day contexts of these issues, institutions and processes of governance at various levels, from the local to the international, and with relationships between nations, states, sexes, classes and ethnic groups. It also deals with the morality of political action, the boundaries of freedom and the limits of justice. This is the realm of political theory, an integral part of the Politics degree.
In addition to the Politics degree, Edinburgh Politics also offers a degree in International Relations. International Relations is a specialist field within the study of Politics, exploring the origins and evolution of the state system, and ideas of sovereignty, justice, democracy, legitimacy and order, in an international context. It focuses on the changing nature of state power, the role of non-state actors, the spread of new norms and ideas, and the driving forces behind international cooperation and conflict.
Edinburgh Politics offers two degrees:
The MA Honours in Politics
The MA Honours in International Relations
Most students at Edinburgh take a four-year Honours degree, although a three-year BA (Ordinary) in Humanities and Social Science with either Politics or International Relations as the main subject is also available. Politics can be taken on its own or as part of a joint programme with economics, history, philosophy or law, among a variety of other subjects in the arts, humanities and social sciences. A list of joint degrees with Politics can be found on the Politics website.
The MA Honours in International Relations is available only as a single honours degree.
The undergraduate curriculum includes key aspects of politics, political theory, public policy and international relations, and covers Europe, Russia, Africa and America as well as Scotland and the UK. In the first two years, students take three introductory courses in Politics and International Relations, as well as two School-wide courses designed to equip students with the skills necessary for social and political studies. The Honours years includes some compulsory courses in comparative politics, political analysis, political theory and international relations, but also allows students to choose courses from a wide range available. In their final year, students will complete an in-depth research project on a topic of their choice, under the guidance of a supervisor.
Politics and International Relations degrees are stepping-stones to a wide range of careers. In recent years, our graduates have gone primarily into areas such as the public service (civil service, foreign service), political and parliamentary research, finance and consultancy, the voluntary sector, journalism, and teaching. Several have gone on to further training in professions such as accountancy or law, or have taken postgraduate degrees with a view to pursuing a university career.
For further information please contact:
Politics and International Relations
School of Social and Political Studies (SRA)
University of Edinburgh
Chrystal Macmillan Building
15A George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LD
Telephone: 0131 650 4457
Email: politics@ed.ac.uk
Web: www.pol.ed.ac.uk
This page was published on 10 June 2008