Topic outline

  • General

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    • How to select your Year 3 modules

      Modules are divided into compulsory and optional modules.  You will need to select 120 credits overall. You may take up to 30 credits from outside SPIR

      Before making your decision please discuss your choices with your advisor.

      While we make every effort to ensure the information is correct, due to operational reasons some items, especially the module convenor are subject to change.



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  • Dissertation

    • POL318 Dissertation in Politics / International Relations (POL318 A & B - Spring and Autumn

      Credits: 45
      Semester: 1 & 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 10% Research Proposal (1000 words) Item 2: 5% Presentation Item 3: 85% Dissertation (10,000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Felipe Antunes De Oliveira

      The final-year Dissertation module allows students to study in depth and at length a topic of their own choosing, under the personal supervisor of an academic. Students begin to formulate their research focus before the end of their second year, and undertake formative preparatory work during the summer vacation. In-year assessment involves a Research Proposal, Presentation, and 10,000-word dissertation. Support is provided through personal supervisions and training workshops, but the emphasis is predominantly upon students' individual research.

       

       





  • Options

    Choose 75 credits from this list

  • POL372 Africa and International Politics

    • POL372 Africa and International Politics (POL372A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Report (2000 words) Item 2: 60% Examination 

      Module Convenor: Dr Peter Brett

      Africa has consistently been ignored by many of the major social science disciplines. Many of the major theoretical traditions treat Africa as either irrelevant to great power politics, or as simply an effect of great power or class domination. This module aims to introduce students to Africa's international relations, African-centric perspectives which challenge traditional academic approaches and seeks to locate Africa's fate not merely in processes of imperial domination but also in African social and class configurations themselves. This is a distinct approach which centres the teaching of Africa on the continent itself, rather than exclusively on what external actors are doing to it. This is not to dismiss the influence of external actors and processes, but to reveal the many cases of where this distinction between the external and internal in Africa has limited utility in explaining events and processes on the continent.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23289 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL350 Analysing Public Policy

    • POL350 Analysing Public Policy (POL350A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 100% Portfolio 

      Module Convenor: Mr Karl Pike

      The aim of this module is to examine the theory and practice of policy-making in modern liberal democratic political systems. The module explores the way in which public issues and problems are triggered, defined and constructed, how policy agendas are set, how decision making takes place, and how policies are implemented. The module is comparative in scope and focuses primarily on case studies from the UK and USA

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23318 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL306 Analysing Public Policy - Independent Study

    • POL306 Analysing Public Policy - Independent Study

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 20% Group presentation (15 min) (Reassessment by 1000-word policy proposal) Item 2: 80% Policy Report (2500 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Patrick Diamond
      Prerequisite: POL350

      The aim of the module is to give students the opportunity to engage more systematically and rigorously in major debates about the public policy process by undertaking their own independent study. The course will require students to prepare draft policy advice for a major policy-making institution, NGO or civil society organisation. This structured exercise will require students to consider not only the content of advice but how to articulate policy advice clearly and concisely to an audience that may have limited technical knowledge of a particular policy problem or issue.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23361 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL3001 Boom and Bust: The Politics of the British Economy

    • POL3001 Boom and Bust: The Politics of the British Economy

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Oral Presentation Item 2: 70% Exam

      Module Convenor: Dr Colm Murphy and Dr Karl Pike

      This module introduces students to different ways of understanding ‘the economy’:  how it does and does not work for people. Through learning theories and concepts in political economy, students will broaden their understanding of economic inequality, what makes ‘the economy’, how politicians perceive ‘economic constraints’, and different visions of a ‘good’ society. Students will study postwar Britain, from an expanded welfare state to ‘neoliberalism’ and privatisation; from so-called ‘postwar consensus’ policies to the global financial crisis and austerity; and from the fallout of Brexit to the legacy of fossil fuel dependence. This module will be of particular interest to students who studied British Politics (POL243), Modernity (POl247) or Comparative Politics (POL284).

      This module is running for the first time in 2024/25


  • POL3002 China in the Global South

    • POL3002 China in the Global South

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Group Task and Self Reflection (1000 Words) Item 2: 70% Regional Case Study (2500 Words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Innocent Batsani-Ncube


      China’s is now arguably the most influential actor in the Global South. The methods that China has used in establishing itself as a global actor  and the accompanying controversies surrounding its growing stature are critical learning points for every student of contemporary international relations. The module focuses on what China is doing in the Global South, how it is perceived and what this means. These themes will be analysed through an exciting survey of China’s engagement in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the South Pacific.

      This module is running for the first time in 2024/25

  • POL3003 Gender, Sexuality and Capitalism

    • POL3003 Gender, Sexuality and Capitalism

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Essay (1500 Words)  2: 70% Essay (2500 Words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Alexander Stoffel

      What do the most personal aspects of our lives — gender, sexuality, sex, intimacy, families, relationships — have to do with capitalism? How are our gender and sexual identities shaped by global hierarchies of work, race, citizenship, property, and status? Can capitalism exist without gender and sexual oppression?

       

      In this module, we will grapple with these questions through feminist, queer, and trans thought and practice. These engagements will take us across a diverse range of topics and sites: housework and domestic services, care and emotional labour, beauty and cosmetics, the global tourist industry, sex work, and anti-capitalist struggles for gender and sexual freedom.

      This module is running for the first time in 2024/25

  • POL301 Civil Society Internship

    • POL301 Civil Society Internship 

      Credits: 30
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 20% Job Advert (1000 words) Item 2: 80% Reflective journal (6000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Joseph Hoover
      Prerequisite: You must have taken POL332 in Semester A

      This module is designed to give those who take it a view of civil society and political activism from the inside out. Students will spend two days per week between January and April working for a civil society organisation in London. The module will be assessed by students completing a short coursework and reflective journal of their day-to-day experiences

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23364 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL332 Civil Society: Democracy, Activism and Social Change

    • POL332 Civil Society: Democracy, Activism and Social Change (POL332A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Presentation Item 2: 70% Exam

      Module Convenor: Dr Adam Elliott-Cooper

      The module explores the nature of civil society and the political role of civil society actors - at local, national, and global levels. Civil society's traditional role as a third-sector between the state and the market will be critically examined by considering both theories of civil society and empirical case studies of democratic activism and social change. The module will cover the contested meaning of ‘civil society’, attending to its historical and cultural variation. Empirical case studies will consider a variety of social movements and, where possible, include meetings with activists and other practitioners. The module will enable students to critically evaluate the changing role of contemporary civil society and develop a practical understanding of how civil society actors pursue social change, along with why they fail and why the succeed. It is recommended students take this module before taking POL301 Civil Society Internship.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23322 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL382 Contemporary Russian Politics

    • POL382 Contemporary Russian Politics (POL382A – Autumn) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Literature Review Item 2: 70% Essay

      Module Convenor: Dr Ksenia Northmore-Ball

      Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has experienced a number of dramatic political, social and economic changes which are by no means at an end. Its role as an international actor has also changed over time and frequently defied the expectations of its international allies and adversaries, as the Ukraine crisis of 2014 has demonstrated. This module aims to introduce students to the politics, government and foreign policy of Russia as they have developed since 1991 in order to allow students to analyse and assess the challenges Russia faces today and its complex role in contemporary geopolitics.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23283 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL323 Imagining “America”: Rebellious Political Thought in the United States

    • POL329 Imagining “America”: Rebellious Political Thought in the United States (POL329B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 25% Short Essay Item 2: 75% Long Essay

      Module Convenor: Dr Joseph Hoover

      This module examines critical traditions in American political thought , with specific authors and themes varying from year to year. Central themes will include the promise and betrayal of freedom from the founding of the nation to the present day, the tension between radical individualism and contested notions of community, and the constant struggle to maintain faith in the possibilities of democratic government and culture. The module will focus on close reading of primary texts, while also incorporating reflections on American literature, music, and film.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23342 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL304 Environmental Politics

    • POL304 Environmental Politics (POL304B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 50% Policy memo (2000 words) Item 2: 50% Examination 

      Module Convenor: Dr Joanne Yao

      Today humanity faces a multidimensional environmental crisis, as we breach safe “planetary boundaries” for climate change, chemical pollution, freshwater use, biodiversity loss, and more. Yet too often effective and sustained policy solutions have failed to materialize. This module will analyse how ideas, interest groups, and institutions shape environmental politics around the world, from the global to the local level. Together we will develop theoretically informed understandings of the crucial drivers of and obstacles to environmental action.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23362 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL385 Global Ethics

    • POL385 Global Ethics

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Article Review Item 2: 70% Essay

      Module Convenor: Prof Kimberly Hutchings

      This module examines debates across the field of Global Ethics. It introduces students to frameworks for thinking about global moral questions concerning for example: the global distribution of wealth, the appropriate meaning of human rights in a multi-cultural world, environmental sustainability, migration, development aid, conflict-resolution and transitional justice. Students will be expected to evaluate different approaches to ethical judgment and to apply them to real world dilemmas.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23262 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL317 Global Politics of Health and Disease

    • POL317 Global Politics of Health and Disease (POL317B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 75% Essay (3000 words) Item 2: 25% Presentation

      Module Convenor: Prof Sophie Harman

      Why do people die of preventable diseases? Are global health threats the biggest security concern of contemporary world politics?  It is politics rather than science and medicine that limits disease eradication? Is Bill Gates more powerful than the US President? This module engages with these questions as it explores the key components of the global politics of health and disease: health security, global health governance, inequality and political economy of health. Over 11 weeks students will be encouraged to develop their own interests in global health in collaboration with the module leader. The lectures will focus on the broad themes of global health politics e.g. actors in global health, right to health, equality; and the seminars will provide a space for lively discussion around contemporary global health issues such as Ebola, Zika, and HIV/AIDS. Class learning will be supplemented by independent learning by students and voluntary attendance at a range of global health events in London (e.g. film screenings, talks, careers events). The module is for any student with a keen interest in this specialised area of International Relations and wants to develop their knowledge and learning in a new field of study. While there are no module pre-requisites, students are encouraged to be familiar with the main theories of International Relations and Global Governance.


  • POL355 Globalisation: Issues and Debates

    • POL355 Globalisation: Issues and Debates (POL355A – Autumn) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Essay (1200 words) Item 2: 70% Essay (3000 words)

      Module Convenor: Prof Raymond Kiely

      The module provides students with a detailed examination - and critique - of theories of globalisation and assessment of contemporary globalising processes. It examines these influences through detailed analysis of contemporary manifestations of globalisation, including the study of global production and commodity chains, state-market relations, the nature and direction of capital flows, patterns of global inequality, international institutions and global governance, questions of cultural homogenisation/imperialism, the US state and globalisation and East Asia and globalisation, and anti-globalisation. The module aims to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of the globalisation debate, and how this relates to contemporary international and global political issues.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23315 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL369 Latin American Politics

    • POL369 Latin American Politics (POL369B - Spring) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Essay 1 (1000 words) Item 2: 70% Essay 2 (3000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Holly Ryan

      Students will survey the major theoretical approaches to understanding Latin American politics and political economy. The course will be designed to provide an introduction to the region from the end of the Second World War until the present day. The course aims to put the politics of Latin America in the broader perspective of comparative politics, international relations, and international political economy. It will help students to develop a broad understanding of how contemporary Latin America has evolved since 1945 and to identify and examine the key issues dominating politics in the region and its relationship to international politics and the global political economy. It will deal with major contemporary themes such as neoliberalism and 'post-neoliberalism', social movements, gender and ethnicity, the rise of the new Latin American Left, regional integration, and the relationship between Latin America and the US, as well as other emerging world powers.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23299 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL309 Making Democracy Work: Public Opinion, Representation and Information

    • Module intro video: https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=2519301
      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Research design (1000 words) Item 2: 10% Student presentation (10 min) Item 3: 50% Examination

      Module Convenor: Dr Javier Sajuria

      Is it often said that democracy requires governments and representatives that are responsive to citizen's needs, and that are accountable for their actions. However, citizens are also often depicted as apathetic, uninformed, and easily influenced by demagogues and misinformation. This module will allow students find out if these theories are relevant to understand democracy, and how are people's political views formed and modified. From there, the module will equip them with a critical understanding of what can be done to improve democratic representation. We will study how people think about political issues, how do they form those opinions, and how political decisions (such as voting) are made.

      We will also discuss some specific questions, such as: what drives ideological positions? Do people hold stable political opinions over their lives? How is gender related to political preferences? Can media change people's minds? Can elites? Is social class relevant to understand political behaviour? Do people really hold politicians to account during elections? What are our preferences in terms of political representation?

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23360 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL334 Migration and the Politics of Belonging

    • POL334 Migration and the Politics of Belonging (POL334B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Short Research Essay Item 2: 60% Longer Research Essay

      Module Convenor: Miss Janina Pescinski

      Contemporary life is hardly imaginable without mobility—of capital, things, ideas, and images and people. At the same time, some forms of mobility such as international migration, are often thought to undermine modern political forms, such as the nation-state, as well as threaten the polities associated with them. This module will investigate the relationship between mobility, modern political forms and different conceptions of belonging and membership. It will pay attention to some of the crucial tensions of the current historical moment—for example, the tension between the principle of freedom of movement and nation-state sovereignty. It will also ask whether and how practices of mobility open possibilities for imagining organization of collective life beyond the currently predominant political forms.


  • POL373 Parliamentary Studies

    • POL373 Parliamentary Studies (POL373A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Written assignment 1 (1000 words) Item 2: 70% Written assignment 2 (2500 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Daniel Gover

      Every democracy has a legislature which performs a number of key functions, most obviously representation, scrutiny, and of course law-making. This module focuses on how and how effectively the UK parliament performs these functions. With input from parliamentary staff, it is designed to combine rigorous academic analysis of parliament with a solid practical understanding of how the legislature works. It will look, among other things, at how laws are made, executive-legislative relations, executive scrutiny, representation and composition, constituency representation, select committees, and the House of Lords. It is intended to be a highly practical, hands-on module that may serve as a springboard for those considering a professional career in or around politics.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23251 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL392 Parliamentary Studies (internship)

    • Module intro video: https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=2520454
      Credits: 30
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 80% Reflective Journal and Portfolio (6000 words) Item 2: 20% Job Advert (1000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Daniel Gover and Prof Philip Cowley
      Prerequisite: Students who wish to take POL392 are usually expected to take POL373 first.

       This module is designed to give those who take it a view of British parliamentary politics from the inside out. Students will spend two days per week between January and April working for a parliamentarian - in either the Westminster or constituency office, or both - or in a similar parliamentary setting. They will be assessed through written work directly related to the placement, including a reflective journal of their day-to-day experiences. A parliamentary placement is an intensive and demanding exercise, but should provide a formative experience and useful skills for those interested a career in politics or politics-related fields.

      Contingency plans are in place should placements fall through due to factors beyond our control, such as the wider political environment. In such cases, the module will be assessed through alternative arrangements.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23278 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only


  • POL383 Political Violence and Liberal Modernity

    • POL383 Political Violence and Liberal Modernity 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Research Essay Item 2: 60% Exam

      Module Convenor: Dr Jean-François Drolet

      This module will introduce students to some of the most important intellectual debates concerning political violence and late modernity as a principle of socio-historical formation.  More specifically, the course will draw on literature from various fields such as political theory, philosophy, sociology and international relations to consider the relationship between political violence  and the changing nature and consequences of structural phenomena associated with the process of 'liberal modernisation' since the end of the nineteenth century (e.g.  secularisation,  societal rationalisation, technology, the transnationalisation of production and exchange, decolonisation, the constitutionalisation of the global order, the criminalisation of war etc.).   The themes covered include state violence, civil war, revolution, imperialism, genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian warfare and terrorism/counter-terrorism.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23281 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL319 Politics of South Asia

    • POL319 Politics of South Asia (POL319A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 20% Film/Book Review Item 2: 30% Group Presentation Item 3: 50% Final Essay (2000 words)

      Module Convenor:TBC

      South Asia is home to almost one in every four people alive today. It is the world’s fastest-growing region and boasts the world’s largest democracy. Yet it also contains one-third of the world’s poor, and societies divided by religion, caste, class, language, gender, and region. This course will provide an in-depth survey of the politics, political economy, and international relations of the major South Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. By the end of the course, students will be able to contribute to key debates on democratization, economic development, identity politics, and nuclear-armed conflict in the region.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23347 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL320 Politics of South Asia – Independent Research

    • POL320 Politics of South Asia – Independent Research (POL320B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 20% Research Proposal (1000 words) Item 2: 20% Research Presentation (10 minutes) Item 3: 60% Comparative Analysis (3000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Nivedita Manchanda
      Prerequisite: POL319

      This module gives you the chance to take a deep dive into the politics or international relations of a particular South Asian country or province. With academic guidance, you will choose a research question of significance for understanding South Asia today. Over the semester, you will carry out your own self-directed but supervised study of the topic. We will hone your analysis through seminar discussions, presentations, and written assignments with detailed feedback. By the end of the module, you will have developed your own substantive interpretation of a key contemporary South Asian issue and built up practical research skills.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23345 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL312 Populism a Global Perspective

    • POL312 Populism a Global Perspective (POL312A - Autumn) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Literature Review (1500 words) Item 2: 60% Exam

      Module Convenor: Dr. Stijn van Kessel

      Brexit, Trump, Bolsonaro, Le Pen...due to the recent prominence of supposed populist parties, politicians and events, populism has become a much-debated theme. Populism is also a problematic concept, as its use is often pejorative and imprecise. This module focuses on the concept of populism and instances of populism in the real world across time and space. What does populism mean? Is it always associated with xenophobic politics? How can support for populism be explained? What are its implications? And is populism a threat to democracy?

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23352 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL336 Race and Anti-Racism in World Politics

    • POL336 Race and Anti-Racism in World Politics

      Credits: 30
      Semester: 1 & 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 25% Theory Essay Item 2: 25% Creative Writing Item 3: 50% Research Essay

      Module Convenor: Dr Adam Elliott-Cooper

      How has race become a method for categorising and ordering humanity? How has the politics of anti-racism sought to dismantle both racial orders and the categories they rely on?

      In this course, we will grapple with these questions by exploring the diverse intellectual voices have sought to understand and theorise racism and anti-racism. These thinkers will include those who were engaged in struggles against imperialism and colonialism, in addition to contemporary forms of racial domination.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23319 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL379 Radical Politics Today

    • POL379 (POL379A – Autumn) Radical Politics Today 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 100% Long essay (3500 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Lasse Thomassen

      What does it mean to be radical today? Where do we find examples of radical politics in the contemporary world? This module combines two things: we study important contemporary radical thinkers such as Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, Slavoj Zizek, Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe; and we study concrete examples of radical politics such as the Occupy protests, the Alter-Globalisation Movement and the Zapatistas. Doing so, we examine the dilemmas faced by students and practitioners of radical politics and the theoretical and political issues that divide them.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23287 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL368 Socialist Political Thought

    • POL368 Socialist Political Thought (POL368A - Autumn)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 30% Essay (1500 words) Item 2: 70% Essay (2500 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr. Madeleine Davis

      Socialism, described by Albert Einstein as humanity's attempt 'to overcome and advance beyond the predatory phase of human development', has historically provided the most important ideological and political alternative to capitalism and liberalism. This module examines some core ideas in the history of socialist thought through a close reading of selected primary texts. Themes to be addressed (which may vary from year to year) include: utopia; community; class, ownership and control; equality; democracy.  The second part of the course examines the post-war reformulation of socialist thought in response to perceived challenges around class, culture and identity, and asks: is socialism still relevant to contemporary problems? 

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23308 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL303 Technology, Politics, War

    • POL303 Technology, Politics, War (POL303B - Spring) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 35% Technology Impact Report (1500 words) Item 2: 65% Essay (2500 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Elke Schwarz

      Technology is ubiquitous. And as such it takes on an ever-more significant role as a form of power in socio- political contexts. This module examines the relationship between politics, technology and war in politics and international relations. It explores the impact of new technologies in the 21st century on world politics with a specific focus on technology’s impact on politics, society and war on a theoretical and practical level. The module aims to provide students with an introduction to the key contemporary technologies that will shape our political and military landscape in the years to come and the challenges technologies pose for society, politics and warfare in the 21st century and beyond. It will begin with an overview of the role of technological developments in politics and society and will discuss keytechnological innovations - digital networks, social media, robotics, Artificial Intelligence, automated and autonomous weapons systems, etc.- before engaging with the political and ethical challenges these fast-paced technological developments pose for domestic and international political governance. In this, the module introduces students to the complexity behind new technological systems, the role of political agency in shaping technology and the role of technology in shaping politics, society and warfare.


  • POL389 The Political Life of Security Methods

    • POL389 The Political Life of Security Methods (POL389B - Spring)

      Credits: 15
      Semester: B

      Assessment: Essay – 2000 words (40%) Examination (60%)

      Module Convenor: Prof Jef Huysmans

      Description: This module examines contemporary security practice through the methods they use. It introduces students to (a) the security life of methods -- how methods shape contemporary security situations -- and (b) the political controversies about their use -- the political life of methods. The module will cover a range of controversial methods, for example: the deployment of anthropological knowledge and methods in counter-insurgency, the role of algorithms in surveillance, the rise of big data in security governance, the use of visual methods in security practice and their political contestation, the rise of forensic methods in criminal investigations of war, and scenario planning and foresight in anticipating catastrophes. Students will be expected to gain an understanding of security methods and their limits, and evaluate their political and social effects.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23280 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only


  • POL358 US Foreign Policy

    • POL358 US Foreign Policy (POL358B – Spring) 

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 2

      Assessment: Item 1: 60% Examination (2 hours) Item 2: 40% Essay (2000 words)

      Module Convenor: Dr Richard Johnson

      The United States plays a powerful role in contemporary international relations. Therefore understanding its place in the international system and how its foreign policy is made are of crucial importance for every student of international relations. The module broadly focuses on the theme of American power in the world, through three areas: the historical development of US foreign policy, the institutional background, and current expressions of American power. Knowledge of these areas will give a solid overview and understanding of US foreign policy in the contemporary world

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23312 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL343 More than Human Politics

    • POL343 More than Human Politics

      Semester: 2 (15 credits)

      Assessment: 1 40%, Reflection Log (1500 words), 2 60% Research Paper (2500 words)

      Convenor: Dr Giulia Carabelli and Dr Joanne Yao

      The module introduces students to more than human politics at an advanced UG level.  We look at different scales of politics from the personal to the global/planetary to explore human and nonhuman entanglements. Specifically, we discuss the roles of nonhuman actors in scholarly and activist debates about advanced capitalism, histories of colonialisms, gender and racialised hierarchies to reflect on the possibility of growing liveable worlds.
      As part of this module, students grow plants on campus with the aim to reflect on their personal experience of human/ nonhuman entanglements and to appreciate the links between everyday practice and theory. Together we interrogate the roles of nonhuman agents in world-making and the future.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23574 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL340 The Global History and Politics of the Far Right

    • POL340 The Global History and Politics of the Far Right

      Semester 1 (15 credits)

      Assessment: 1, 40% Short Research Essay (1500 words), 2 60%, Exam

      Convenor: Dr Rick Saull

      Far right forms of politics have emerged as a significant political current in recent years - be it the dominance of Viktor Orban's Fidesz party in Hungary to the election successes of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in India.  Much of the popular commentary on these developments has tended to ignore the longer-term presence and historical significance of this form of politics or reduce any historical reference to inter-war fascism. However, the far right has a longer historical pedigree - beyond that of (European) historical fascism - and can be seen to reflect a significant subaltern, if reactionary, ideo-political current in popular, mass and democratic forms of politics across a range of different if connected geopolitical locales from the late nineteenth century onwards. This module examines how and why a distinct far right and 'anti-Conservative' form of politics emerged and, in particular, how and why the changing character of international relations - as revealed in the structures of geopolitics and capitalist world economy - have shaped the evolving ideo-political character of the far right. The module will do this through an examination of several historical and contemporary case studies encompassing different expressions of the far right north/south and east/west.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23571 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only

  • POL327 The International Relations of the Middle East

    • POL327 The International Relations of the Middle East

      Credits: 15
      Semester: 1

      Assessment: Item 1: 40% Essay (1500 words) Item 2: 60% Examination 

      Convenor: Dr Chris Phillips

      This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to study the Middle East from within the discipline of International Relations (IR). As such, students will take the analytical tools of IR and apply them to the region. In so doing,  students will be asked to familiarise themselves with these tools but also to question their applicability beyond the global North.  This understanding will be based on seeing the states of the region as vulnerable to external intervention, to sub-state movements of ethnicity and sect as well as supra-state identities. Students will then be asked to examine relations between the region itself and the wider international system, looking at how the Middle East itself was a product of the ‘late colonialism’ of the inter-war period. Students will then study the causes and effects of the quasi- or neo-imperial interventions of the Cold War and post-Cold War era.

      To view the 23/24 version of this module please click here https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=23565 This will give you access to the module as a viewer for 7 days only