Global Politics and International Relations BA (Hons)

Birkbeck, University of London

The rise of China as a superpower, the storming of the US Capitol, the international responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, COP26 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What ties all these events together? Our BA Global Politics and International Relations provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to give an answer to this and many more questions that are at the heart of concerns about international politics today.

The course focuses on political changes that are sweeping the globe, transforming politics across countries and regions, as well as relations between states in the international system. Yet today is not the first time in human history that global political relations have undergone such extensive change, and an important aspect of the degree is the goal of understanding this history, and particularly the history of the modern world. Without this political-historical understanding, we cannot make sense of the momentous developments we see around us.

On this course you will receive a grounding in the key concepts and theories that inform the study of global politics and international relations. You will study the core institutions and process of the international political and economic system, as well as the challenges that are posed by the central political problems of the present, including climate change, transformations in the nature of warfare, as well as social conflicts and exclusions centred around class, gender and race.

Our academics are outstanding researchers in the fields of international relations, international political economy, political and historical sociology, political theory, public policy, and the study of countries and regions such as Britain, China, the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and East Asia. They publish their research in major academic journals and widely read books. In other words, you are taught on the basis of new knowledge generated by our academics, who engage not only with the wider public by publishing articles in newspapers, contributing to TV and radio programmes, and writing blogs on political analysis websites, but also engage with politicians and others who play a key role in today’s political landscape.

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

Highlights

• Birkbeck is a distinguished centre of research and teaching excellence in politics. Our central London location puts us at the heart of the UK's political life and at the centre of academic London.
• We have built up a strong reputation over more than 50 years for the excellence of our teaching and the international significance of our research in politics.
• Some of the world’s most famous libraries are on our doorstep in Bloomsbury, central London, and you can walk down to Whitehall, where Parliament and the UK’s most influential and important think-tanks and centres of political research and analysis are located.
• Our building was once a key location for members of the Bloomsbury Group, so you could be studying in rooms that have hosted distinguished visitors, including T.S. Eliot, George Bernard Shaw and Maynard Keynes.
• Our courses are designed to encourage independent thinking and hone your argumentative, analytical and critical skills, while our teaching uniquely moves across the boundaries between subjects, encompassing, among others, economics, history and sociology.

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue career paths in national and international government, pressure groups, journalism and research. Possible professions include:

• civil service fast-streamer
• journalist
• diplomatic services operational officer
• social researcher.