University of Glasgow - Subjects A-Z - Political & International Studies

90% of our research has been evaluated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in the latest Research Excellence Framework [2021]

Male and female students walking down a path

Study

University of Glasgow Main Building from Kelvinbridge

Staff & research

Glasgow's distinguished history of teaching politics began in the 1760s, when Adam Smith gave a series of lectures on justice, police, revenue and arms at the University.

Today we are a leading centre for teaching and researching Politics and International Relations in the UK. We comprise more than 40 teaching and research staff and are distinctive for our concentrations of expertise in:

Comparative Politics – the quality of democracy, authoritarianism, immigration and refugees
International Relations – emotions, war and the European Union’s external relations
Area Studies – the politics of China, Russia, Southern Europe and Latin America, in some of which we work closely with colleagues in Central and East European Studies.

If you study with us, you will learn from a diverse, international community of researchers who are leaders in their fields. Our teaching is research-led but student-centred. You will learn not only how to understand and analyse politics, but also how to develop your analytical and communication skills, defend rigorous arguments and engage in constructive debate.