Postgraduate taught degree programmes

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European Politics & Law

Programme Structure

The programme is made up of three components.

  • Core courses: three courses, taught over two ten-week teaching periods, from October to December and January to March
  • Optional courses: three course of your choice, also taught in ten-week blocks, from October to December and January to March
  • A dissertation: written during the final phase of the course, from April to September (MSc only)

Core Courses

  • Comparative European Politics
  • Institutions and Policies of the European Union
  • Qualitative Research Methods OR Social Science Statistics 1

Optional Courses

POLITICS OPTIONS

  • Challenges in International Politics
  • China's International Politics
  • Chinese Politics and Society
  • Critical Perspectives on Human Rights
  • Ethics in Global Politics
  • EU in International Politics and Development
  • Foreign Policy of the United States
  • Freedom of Expression
  • Globalisation and European Integration
  • Human Rights and Global Politics
  • International Relations Theory
  • International Security and Global Politics
  • Internet & Civil Society
  • Media and Democracy
  • Media, War and Security
  • Political Institutions, Crisis and Communication
  • Political Legitimacy: Contemporary Perspectives
  • Politics of Gender in Development

LAW OPTIONS

  • British Constitutionalism c1600-1800
  • Freedom, Security and Justice in the European Union
  • Fundamentals of International Law 
  • Globalisation, Constitutionalism and Human Rights
  • Law and Democracy
  • United Nations Law

You may also choose, with the Convener's approval, from courses in the other subjects in the School of Social and Political Sciences and the School of Law.

Note: Some courses might not be available every year.

Dissertation

The dissertation is your opportunity to explore your own specialist interest in European Politics & Law and to demonstrate the research and writing skills you have developed during the course. The dissertation could form the basis for a PhD thesis.

With the advice of your supervisor you will develop a topic, undertake primary and secondary research, and write a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation which you will submit in September.  Law topics will be supervised by School of Law staff and Politics topics by staff in Politics. However, students will follow the dissertation guidelines prescribed by the Politics Department.