School of Government Undergraduate Study (Department of Political Science and International Studies)

Welcome to the Department of Politics and International Studies. We’re excited that you’ll be a student with us very soon. As you probably already know, there are four main degree programmes offered in our department: 

  • Politics
  • International Relations
  • Politics and International Relations

We also have a number of joint honours programmes, which we offer in partnership with other departments, such as Economics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Policy, and Sociology. You may well find yourself in lectures, seminars, and tutor groups with people from a range of degree programmes.  

In your first year, you will be studying modules that have been selected and designed by the teaching staff to make sure that you are ready to take your studies in whichever direction you choose in your second year. This means that we’re both giving you the skills you will need and giving you a taste of the different subjects on offer. The first year is also a chance to get used to university study. If you have any concerns, do reach out to your personal tutor, one of your lecturers or seminar leads (they will all have weekly office hours which you can attend or email addresses – this information will be available on ‘Canvas’), or to the Wellbeing team (gov.wellbeing@contacts.bham.ac.uk).  

As you move through your degree programme, you’ll have more chance to choose the modules you study. You can get a sense of the modules available on the website, and the full list of options will be sent to you toward the end of the year. In the third year, about a quarter of our department’s students choose to take a year abroad at a partner university. If this interests you, even if you didn’t put it down on your UCAS application, ask your personal tutor about it as soon as possible. You’re required to get a 2:1 (equivalent to a B) in your first year for this to be possible. In your final year of study, you will write a dissertation. This is an extended research project in which you explore a question of your choice. Some students also opt to do a ‘Professional Development Module’ in their final year. This involves a period of work experience followed by reflection on what you have learnt. 

We know this is a lot to take in. We look forward to explaining more, answering any questions, and helping you get to know the department very soon.

Dr Mattias Hjort, who will be teaching Yr1 Political Economy, welcomes new students to the Department. 

School Key Contacts

Student Experience Officers

Kerrie Myers: gov-studentexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Contact Kerrie about any aspect of your student experience.

Education Support Officers

Email: gandsugenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Here are the contact details for your Education Support Team. You can contact your administrator when you need support for issues related to the organisation of your course such as timetabling, assessments, lectures and Canvas.

This is also the email address for you to write to if you are unsure where to direct your query.

Wellbeing Team

Email: Gov.wellbeing@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Contact the wellbeing team for pastoral support and any queries about disability support and reasonable adjustments.

Academic leads

POLSIS Undergraduate Teaching & Learning Director

Dr Sotirios Zartaloudis: s.zartaloudis@bham.ac.uk

Contact Sotririos with any queries relating to your modules and assessment.

POLSIS Deputy Undergraduate Teaching & Learning Director

Dr Sameera Khalfey: s.m.khalfey@bham.ac.uk

Contact Sameera with any queries relating to your modules and assessment.

POLSIS Senior Tutor

Dr Mattias Hjort: m.hjort@bham.ac.uk

Contact Mattias with any concerns about your academic progress or tutoring.

Head of Department

Professor Stefan Wolff: s.wolff@bham.ac.uk

Spotlight on Teaching

POLSIS is a great place to study for your UG degrees because many of your lecturers have won university teaching prizes. For example, Dr Laura Jenkins won Outstanding Teaching Award in 2019 for the College of Social Sciences. Dr Julie Gilson won the same award and Dr Richard North won the University Prize for Educational Enhancement and Innovation.

In terms of the programme itself, your module options really begin to widen in the second & final year. For a list of optional modules offered, please see Second year options and Final year options.

In the third year, around 150 of our department’s students choose to take a Year Abroad at a partner university. If this interests you, even if you didn’t put it down on your UCAS application, ask your personal tutor about it as soon as possible. You’re required to get a 2:1 (equivalent to a B) in your first year for this to be possible.

It is also possible to take a Year in Civic Engagement which is a placement year taken after the first two years study. Here, you could work to co-create a civic engagement project in collaboration with a local community actor to manage a policy context of a specific social issue. This would be accompanied by some taught elements but you would gain valuable authentic policy experience and placement experience.

In your final year of study, you will write a dissertation. This is an extended independent research project in which you explore a question of your choice.

Some students also opt to do a ‘Professional Development Module’ in their final year. This involves a period of work experience followed by reflection on what you have learnt. 

Spotlight on Research

There is lots going on around the department in terms of research. Recent publications by staff include Dr Huw Macartney’s (with Johnna Montgomerie and Daniela Tepe) book: The Fault Lines of Inequality: Covid 19 and the Politics of Financialization, Dr Nicola Smith’s 2020 Capitalism’s Sexual History OUP, May Darwich’s 2019 Threats and Alliances in the Middle East: Saudi and Syrian Policies in a Turbulent Region (CUP) and Dr Richard Shorten’s (2022) The Ideology of Political Reactionaries (Routledge).

There are weekly talks and seminars offered across the semesters from experts within and beyond the university so there is always something new to learn about!

Please also see the blogposts mentioned in the reading pages.

Our lecturers are also often interviewed as experts by news programmes across the world. You can see a short clip of an interview with Professor Kataryna Wolczuk on the war in Ukraine here.

Any Recommended Reading

There aren’t any specific texts you should read before starting your studies with us. With this in mind, if you want to prepare over the summer, the best thing you can do is read, watch, and listen to the things that interest you – and think about them politically. Consider how power is functioning. Look for bias. Look for what might be being overlooked.  

Below are some texts suggested by some staff members which you may like to use as a stepping-off point for your own thinking. However, as the teaching staff at the University of Birmingham bring a rich diversity of approach, it’s not possible to suggest a single textbook or text that will be used.

You could choose to follow our POLSIS Birmingham Twitteraccount @BhamPolsis.

Blogposts by academic staff:

Our very own Head of Department Professor Stefan Wolff writes on contemporary security challenges, particularly G7, NATO, Ukraine, Sudan, etc:

https://theconversation.com/profiles/stefan-wolff-95635/articles

Charlotte Galpin and Ash Stokoe, POLSIS, (with Gina Gwenffrewi), wrote a blog post recognising Trans Day of Visibility on Mar 31: 'Visibility with a Price’

Richard Shorten on reactionaries and progressives distinct ‘voice’: https://www.ideology-theory-practice.org/blog/reactionaries-progressives-and-voice

Professor Mark Webber’s recent blogs on Ukraine war and NATO https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-webber-278212/articles

Tim Haughton, POLSIS, on the Bulgarian election: an article for Foreign Policy: 'When Voters Chase Novelty' an analysis for the Monkey Cage blog in the Washington Post

Robert Ralston, POLSIS, (with Ronald Krebs) published a commentary piece on War on the Rocks: 'More Deferential but also More Political: How Americans' Views of the Military Have Changed Over 20 Years.' & (with Jen Spindel) published a piece on the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog: 'Congress might require women to register for the draft. Where do Republicans and Democrats stand?'

Politics

John Dryzek, Bonnie Honig, and Anne Phillips (2011) ‘Overview of Political Theory’, in Robert Goodin (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Political Science, Oxford University Press 

Angela Davis Speaks on ‘Freedom and Democracy’ 

Michael Sandel Speaks on ‘The Moral Side of Murder’ 

‘Talking Politics’ Podcasts 

International Relations 

Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss (eds) (2019) Global Politics: A New Introduction Third Edition, Routledge 

Daniel W Drezner (2015) Theories of International Politics and Zombies Revised Edition, Princeton University Press 

Sara E Davies and Clare Wenham (2020) ‘Why the COVID-19 response needs International Relations’, International Affairs 96(5) 1227-1251 

Colleges

Professional Services