COURSE CURRICULUM

The International Relations and Politics (Extended Degree) BA (Hons) at Northumbria University is a four-year program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of political systems, international relations, and global social issues. The foundation year introduces students to the social sciences, covering topics such as crime and society, sociological imagination, politics and decision-making, key debates in social sciences, academic skills, and encounters that shape our world, giving students the knowledge and practical skills to succeed in higher-level study. In the first year, students explore Britain, Europe, and the world, democrats and dictators, international conflict and cooperation, global thinking, political analysis, and research methods in international relations and politics, with academic language support for international and EU students. The second year develops advanced knowledge through modules in applied research methods, global governance, theories and practice of democracy, theories of international relations, and government in action, alongside optional opportunities for work experience, study abroad, foreign policy analysis, human rights, and representing political violence. The third year allows students to undertake a work placement or study abroad for professional and international experience. In the final year, students engage with core topics including active citizenship, critical security, and a dissertation, with optional modules on genocide, media and propaganda, energy and climate politics, terrorism, simulations of security negotiation, and political developments in a hyper-technological age, preparing graduates for careers in politics, diplomacy, international organizations, public policy, and research.