Newcastle University

Politics BA Honours UCAS Code: L200 (3 years)School of Geography, Politics and Sociology

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This degree covers all the main branches of politics, including:

• comparative politics
• international relations
• political institutions
• political thought

There is a wide range of options to choose from, which means that you can structure the course largely according to your own interests.

You may select up to a sixth of your modules from other subjects at each Stage, such as a modern foreign language, history or law.

Our degrees are divided into Stages. Each Stage lasts for an academic year and you need to complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each Stage.

Stage 1

Compulsory modules 

• POL1017 European Political Systems
• POL1018 Studying Politics: Skills and Theories
• POL1022 Introduction to Political Thought
• POL1032 Introduction to International Politics

Optional modules  

You take 40 credits from the following list:

• POL1016 Focusing on Politics: Film, Popular and the Political
• ECO1010 Mathematics for Economics
• GEO1007 Geographical Imaginations
• GEO1010 Interconnected World
• HIS1045 Themes in European History
• HIS1046 The History of the Americas
• SOC1027 Comparing Cultures
• SOC1028 Social Justice and Citizenship

Stage 2

Compulsory modules 

• POL2078 Critical International Politics
• POL2079 Political Thought: Hobbes to Marx
• POL2081 Research Methods in Politics

Optional modules

You choose at least one module from the following list:

• POL2022 Government and Politics of the USA
• POL2034 The Politics and Policy of the European Union
• POL2084 Contemporary Chinese Politics

You choose your remaining modules from the following list:

• POL2033 Traditional East Asian Political Thought
• POL2080 Political Thought: Conservatism, Nationalism and Fascism
• POL2082 Political Violence and the Modern State
• POL2087 Contemporary Russian Politics
• GEO2047 Political Geography
• GEO2103 Globalisation, Culture and Development
• LAS2026 Comparative History of Latin America I: From Independence to the End of Slavery
• NCL2007 Career Development for second year students
• SOC2056 Sociology of Health and Illness

Stage 3

Optional modules:

You choose at least one module from the following:

• POL3046 Dissertation in Politics
• POL3047 Project in Politics: Semester 1
• POL3048 Project in Politics: Semester 2

You choose your remaining modueles from the the following list and the list of Stage 2 optional modules above:

• POL3059 Democracy and the Constitution
• POL3063 European Union: Decision Making Simulation
• POL3079 The Government and Politics of Italy
• POL3081 International Political Thought
• POL3082 Feminist Political Theory
• POL3083 War and Genocide in the Twentieth Century
• POL3090 The Rise and Fall of New Labour
• POL3091 Transitional Justice
• POL3092 Political Parties and Elections in the UK
• POL3093 Advanced Research Seminar in Politics
• GEO3063 Militarism: Space and Society
• GEO3102 Geopolitical Thought and Practice
• GEO3106 Producing Africa: Globalisation and Development
• NCL3007 Career Development for Final Year Students
• NCL3008 Advanced Career Development
• SOC3069 Race, Racism and Society
• GPS3001 Work Experience Placements

If you wish, you may take part in an Erasmus exchange during Stage 2 or Stage 3, giving you the chance to spend a semester studying abroad. We currently have links with universities in Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Sweden. It is also possible to study outside the EU at universities in Canada and the USA.

Please note

The modules listed here are those currently being taught in this academic year and may vary for your year of entry.