Politics

Politics as an area of study is concerned with developing a knowledge and understanding of government and society.

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. It is fascinating to investigate why politics works as it does and to explore and evaluate political ideas such as power, freedom, democracy, conflict, legitimacy and accountability.

International Relations

International Relations shares the concerns of Politics, but its focus is the regional and global arenas.

Traditionally concerned with anarchy (the absence of international or global government) and the conflictual and co-operative engagement between states, International Relations is increasingly concerned with engagement between states, intergovernmental organisations (such as the United Nations) and non-state actors such as transnational corporations and non-governmental organisations (such as Amnesty International, Oxfam and Greenpeace).

We host a lecture series on International Relations & International Law, featuring speakers such as Professor Bertram Ramcharan, former United Nations Acting Commissioner for Human Rights, Lord David Hannay, Former UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN and Sir Emyr Jones-Parry, former UK Permanent representative to NATO and the UN Security Council

Studying Politics at Cardiff

At Cardiff you can study not just Single Honours Politics, but also Joint Honours Politics with a wide range of other subjects, including Law, Economics, Sociology, History, Languages and other Arts subjects. Our Cardiff-Bordeaux programme gives graduates both a Bordeaux Politics diplôme and a Cardiff Politics Bachelor's degree.

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

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 and 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.