Politics & International Relations

Politics as an area of study is concerned with developing knowledge and understandings of governments, governance and societies.

Politics is central to our everyday lives. It is about who gets what, when, where, how - and, of course, why. It is about people and power and involves drama and events of great significance for everyone's lives. Just think of the power play between states, the great enterprise of European integration, the development of the welfare state and the rise and fall of governments. Studying for a politics degree is to investigate why politics works as it does. You explore how parliaments and governments function and evaluate political ideas such as power, freedom, democracy, conflict, legitimacy or accountability.

The sub-discipline of International Relations extends the focus on the regional and global arenas. Traditionally concerned with anarchy (the absence of international or global government) and the conflictual and co-operative relations between states, International Relations is increasingly concerned with engagement between states, intergovernmental organisations (such as the United Nations) and non-state actors including transnational corporations and non-governmental organisations (such as Amnesty International, Oxfam or Greenpeace). As an International Relations student you explore issues such as war, security and conflict, global justice and development, climate change, or international organizations such as the United Nations or NATO.

Our members of staff have special expertise in European politics, British politics, public policy, international relations and political theory. Our aim is to develop in students a critical understanding of key aspects of political theory and modern politics along with a command of associated transferable skills.

Studying Politics at Cardiff

The following degrees are available:

• Politics
• International Relations and Politics
• International Relations and Politics (with a Language)
• Economics and Politics
• French and Politics
• German and Politics
• Italian and Politics
• Law and Politics
• Modern History and Politics
• Philosophy and Politics
• Politics and Religious Studies
• Politics and Sociology
• Politics and Spanish
• Politics and Welsh

In addition our Cardiff-Bordeaux programme gives graduates both a Bordeaux Politics diplôme and a Cardiff Politics Bachelor's degree.

Beyond your studies

A good Politics degree can help you to launch a career in a wide range of fields, such as journalism, broadcasting, local government, management, teaching, publishing, interest groups, law, accountancy, education, the European Union, the United Nations, the voluntary sector, policy research and consultancy, and the civil service. For employers a good Politics degree means that you possess an excellent understanding of politics and government and also demonstrates that you possess sophisticated intellectual, analytical and other transferable skills. You can also, if you do very well in your degree, go on to a Masters degree to give you an additional edge in pursuing your career.

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