Politics and International Relations - BA (Hons)

with Quantitative Research

Course structure

Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Teaching and assessment

The main teaching methods for Politics and International Relations modules are lectures, seminars, working groups, PC laboratory sessions and individual discussions with your personal tutor or module teachers. Assessment is through continuous feedback, written examinations, assessed essays and oral presentations.

For Quantitative Research modules, in addition to learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, project supervision and statistics classes, students can carry out hands-on research in the ‘field’ through placements and field trips. Most modules are assessed by examination and coursework in equal measure.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

• place questions of political and international order and decision-making at the centre of social-scientific analysis
• ensure that students of politics and international relations acquire knowledge and understanding in political and international relations theory and analysis in a supportive and responsive learning environment
• enable students to understand and use the concepts, approaches and methods of politics and international relations and develop an understanding of their contested nature and the problematic character of inquiry in the discipline
• develop students’ capacities to think critically about political and international events, ideas and institutions
• encourage students to relate the academic study of politics and international relations to questions of public concern
• provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that promotes breadth and depth of intellectual enquiry and debate
• assist students to develop cognitive and transferable skills relevant to their vocational and personal development
• provide students with the statistical and analytical tools to independently and successfully conduct advanced quantitative research
• help students make persuasive arguments using quantitative research, and to critically assess the arguments made by others in the course of social life
• help students link theoretical knowledge with empirical enquiry, so that they understand how to conduct and critique social research in the real world
• produce graduates with analytical and knowledge-based skills relevant to employment in the professions, academia, public sector and private sector.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• the nature and significance of politics as a human activity
• the concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics and international relations 
•  the analysis of political ideas, institutions, practices and issues in the global arena, relative to the historical and contemporary context
• how to evaluate different interpretations of world political events and issues
• how to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of differing political systems; the nature and distribution of power in them; the social, economic, historical and cultural contexts within which they operate; and the relationship between them
• the political significance of multiple polities coexisting and of political boundary-drawing and transforming practices
• demonstration of the origins, evolution and contemporary dynamics of the international system and the challenges to it
• the strengths and weaknesses of statistical techniques applied to the study of social and political issues
• qualitative and quantitative methods and their application to the analysis of complex political problems
• how to identify principal sources of information and data relevant to Politics and International Relations.

Intellectual skills

You develop the following intellectual skills:

• gathering, organising and deploying evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and some primary sources
• identifying, investigating, analysing, formulating and advocating solutions to problems
• constructing a reasoned argument, synthesising relevant information and exercising critical judgement
• reflecting on your own learning and seeking and making use of constructive feedback from peers and staff to enhance your performance and personal skills
• managing your own learning self-critically
• recognising the importance of explicit referencing and the ethical requirements of study which requires critical and reflective use of information and communications technology in the learning process
• quantitative analytical methods: including advanced methods in handling, analysing and presenting statistical data across relevant disciplines.

Subject-specific skills

On graduating in this programme students will be able to:

• demonstrate a familiarity and engage critically with the nature and significance of politics and international relations, including definitions of the boundaries of the political; the contested nature of knowledge and understanding; approaches to the study of politics and international relations; a range of key concepts, theories and methods employed in the study of politics and international relations; and the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches
• engage critically with politics (including international politics) and political phenomena, including the normative and positive foundations of political ideas; the vocabulary of political debate; the structure and operation of different (international) political systems; the social, economic, historical and cultural contexts of political behaviour; and the factors accounting for political change
• apply different concepts, theories and methods to the analysis of political ideas, actors, institutions and behaviour
• examine and evaluate different interpretations of political issues and events
• handle and interpret quantitative evidence in differing intellectual contexts
• construct arguments within politics and international relations using quantitative empirical evidence.

Transferable skills

Graduates in this programme will be able to:

• communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing
• use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical or numerical information
• work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time management
• collaborate with others to achieve common goals
• critically analyse and disseminate information
• utilise intercultural skills/global awareness
• use advanced statistical methods for analysing and presenting statistical data in diverse real-world settings
• use IT and software to word-process, store, retrieve and analyse quantitative data and conduct various forms of computer-based analyses.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our politics and international relations graduates have been extremely successful in finding employment and, in an increasingly competitive job market, graduates with quantitative skills are in high demand by all employers from across the public, private and third sectors. 

Recent graduates have gone on to develop careers in areas including:

• teaching
• publishing
• practical politics
• local and central government
• analysis in the public and voluntary sectors
• the diplomatic service
• EU administration
• financial services
• non-governmental organisations
• human resource management and advice
  services
• journalism
• international business.

Help finding a job

The School of Politics and International Relations runs an Employability Programme, focused on providing you with the skills you need when looking for a job. This includes workshops on a range of topics, for example summer internships, networking, and careers in diplomacy and the civil service.

Students also have access to a weekly Employability Newsletter, featuring jobs for graduates, as well as internship and volunteering opportunities.

The University has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

Work experience

There are opportunities to apply your newfound skills in quantitative analysis in professional settings through placements and applied research modules. We have links to placements across many sectors, including government (national and local), think tanks and charities, cultural organisations and the private sector. 

Career-enhancing skills

On this programme you gain and develop advanced quantitative research skills through modules that offer specialist training in cutting-edge techniques, as well as training in how to understand, explain and critique data in diverse real-world settings.

To help you appeal to employers, you also learn key transferable skills that are essential for all graduates. These include the ability to:

• think critically
• communicate your ideas and opinions
• manage your time effectively
• work independently or as part of a team.

You can gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.