Undergraduate study

Overview

The Keele Politics undergraduate programme offers a flexible and dynamic curriculum designed to engage students from the outset. All our modules are innovative, challenging, and contemporary; they are informed by strong scholarship and cutting-edge research, and are taught by approachable staff within a warm and friendly, but thoroughly research-led interdisciplinary environment. Students can opt to study either Single Honours Politics, or combine Politics with another discipline as part of a Dual Honours degree.

Keele University has a longstanding reputation as one of the foremost centres for political studies in the country.  Many distinguished political scientists have worked at Keele since the 1950s, making significant contributions to our understanding of modern politics; these include Samuel Finer, Jean Blondel, Hugh Berrington and Jack Hayward. SPIRE itself was founded by some of the best known political scientists in the UK and Europe, and its international reputation continues to attract researchers and students of the highest calibre. Our current staff have particular expertise in the areas of Comparative Politics, Parties and Elections, Policy Studies, Public Policy, Environmental Politics and Policy, and Political and International Theory.  We also specialise in the politics of a wide range of countries and regions of the world (especially Britain, the European Union, Western and Central Europe, Eurasia, the Balkans, the USA and the Middle East). 

What we offer 

• A flexible and dynamic curriculum designed to engage students with the study of politics
• A warm, friendly and approachable staff within the multidisciplinary School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy
• An innovative and challenging curriculum informed by strong scholarship and cutting edge research   
• A wide range of options in the second and third year (including modules from International Relations)
• One-to-one supervision of independent research towards a final year dissertation on a topic of your choice
• Opportunity to study abroad in the second year and benefit from another culture and a different educational experience
• Exciting range of co-curricular pursuits, including the Keele Politics Society.

Prospective students should have a keen interest in politics, but need not have studied it before.

More information about the Politics Programme as a whole is available here.

Course Content

Politics in SPIRE covers almost all areas of political studies and represents a comprehensive range of academic expertise.   Over your three years as a Politics student, you will have the opportunity to explore in depth the topics that interest you most.   Our core Politics curriculum has four main objectives:

• to acquaint students with the major approaches to studying Politics;
• to encourage students to think critically and creatively about Politics;
• to enable students to make informed assessments about local and national Politics through comparison with equivalent processes in other countries;
• to equip students with a range of transferable skills that enable them to succeed in the workforce and be an informed participant in civic life.

Our curriculum is designed to build and develop knowledge of Politics progressively. The first year provides a foundation for more flexible choices in the second year and considerable specialisation in the third year.  One of the benefits of being in the School is the range of extra modules from International Relations also available to Dual Honours Politics students in the third year.

Please see the Keele module catalogue for detailed information on our Politics modules.

Year 1

Many students have not studied Politics before, and even those who have will not have covered it with anything like the same breadth and depth. In the first year of Politics you are introduced to the basic concepts through two core modules:

• Why Politics Matters
•  Modern Democracies.

Single Honours Politics students also take (and Dual Honours students can choose as electives):

• British Politics Since 1945
• Justice, Authority and Power 

Elective modules in year 1 include:

• Making and Shaping Foreign Policy
• The Changing World: A History of International Relations since 1945
• Debates in American Politics
• The Politics of Sustainability
• Mass Media in America
•  Introduction to Global Politics

Year 2

Build on your first year work by deepening your knowledge about particular countries, regions and theories. Dual and Single Honours students take a core module, Approaches to Political Analysis and then choose from further core offerings:

• Comparative Political Analysis or
• Why Policy Changes or
• Freedom and Equality

Elective modules in year 2 include:

• British Government and Politics
• US Government and Politics
• German Governments and Politic
• Balkan Politics and Society
• Environmental Politics and Policy
• The Practice of Politics

It is also possible to choose from modules run by our International Relations programme, such as Peace, Conflict and Security and The European Union.

Year 3

Special subjects are taught exclusively through seminars, and, because they relate to staff research interests, they provide a chance to engage with the cutting edge of political research. Dual Honours take at least two and Single Honours take at least four approved electives in Politics. The range of special subjects available varies from year to year, but the following is an indicative list:

• The Extreme Right in Western Europe
• The Politics of Radical Protest
• The Individual and the Community
• Citizenship and the Environment
• Political Parties
• The US Presidency
• The EU and Eastern Europe
• Political Economy of Sustainable Development
• European Social Democracy
• Environmental Politics in the USA
• The Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

Codes and Combinations

Students are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) (BA Hons) if their two Principal courses are in humanities and/or social science subjects.

All students who study a science subject are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science (with Honours) (BSc Hons).

Dual Honours course can be combined with:

* subject to approval

For overseas students who do not meet direct entry requirements, we offer the opportunity to take an intensive International Year One in International Relations and Politics leading to second year degree entry.

Single Honours, Major and Foundation course available:

Politics is studied either as a Single Honours course, or as part of a Dual Honours degree in combination with a wide range of subjects such as International Relations or History. Under the Dual Honours system, students may choose to concentrate more on one subject (as a major) than another (as a minor).

Teaching and Assessment

First year modules are taught through a combination of large group lectures and much smaller seminars. Lectures are designed to move beyond the basic texts and to encourage critical assessment of conflicting theories. In seminars, small groups of students take part in discussion and debates facilitated by lecturers and professors. The School guarantees all first year students an hour per week of small group teaching on each module.

Our teaching focuses on developing students’ potential for independent thought and intellectual creativity.  The use of a range of information and communication technologies is integrated into the course, as is the development of written and oral communication skills. Some modules are assessed through a combination of coursework and examinations, some are assessed only on written coursework, while in other modules oral presentations and other types of seminar contributions are formally assessed.  Our staff have wide ranging and cutting edge research interests, which means that academic research informs and ignites our teaching.  

Students are encouraged to play an active role in the learning process, developing their own interests and ideas. We encourage you to acquire skills that are transferable to a wide range of professions.

Programme specifications (new window)

Skills and Careers

A degree in Politics is a gateway to a wide variety of future careers. Employers regard a Politics degree as evidence of an ability to think critically and to work independently, to make reasoned arguments, to collaborate with colleagues, to meet deadlines and to present information effectively. The Politics courses allow students to develop these skills by encouraging debate in the classroom, the development of effective communication skills, independent study and involvement in co-curricular activities.

The careers record of SPIRE Politics graduates is excellent and some of our graduates are featured on our website. Some of the most common destinations of past graduates include political researchers for MPs and think-tanks, journalism, education, management, the civil service, local government and the voluntary sector. Around a quarter of our graduates go on to take higher degrees in Politics and other subjects. SPIRE offers Master’s courses in Parties and Elections, Environmental Politics, European Politics and Culture, Diplomatic Studies and Human Rights, Globalisation and Justice, among others.

Read our statement about The Keele Politics Graduate and Employability

Visit our Careers pages (new window)

The School is committed to building a diverse and dynamic community to ensure that students explore their interests, learn from each other’s’ experiences, and participate in academic and co-curricular activities outside the classroom.  We pride ourselves on our friendly and informal approach. There are many co-curricular activities at Keele that offer opportunities to enrich your understanding of Politics, such as the Students’ Union , political party organisations, the Keele Politics Society, Keele Environment Group and the Keele Model United Nations Society.

Students are represented on all the major SPIRE academic committees. Staff take pride in being responsive to student feedback through our Staff-Student Liaison Committee and annual student evaluation of our modules.

Politics and International Relations

International Relations and Politics are closely related, sharing several important concepts and many practical concerns, such as global inequality, climate change, globalisation, human rights and security. Both disciplines address issues concerning government, power, justice and the future of political community at various levels.

Politics and Philosophy

In the case of Philosophy and Politics, there is considerable conceptual overlap, and shared concern on a wide range of contemporary issues, such as climate change, genetic engineering and global inequality. Both disciplines are interested in issues about government, social structures, power, justice and the relationship between the individual and the state. The clarity and precision in analysis provided by training in Philosophy complements the wide-ranging scope of political concerns, many of which have profound ethical implications of the kind dealt with in moral philosophy.

Politics and History

History is one of the most popular subjects for combining with Politics in a Dual Honours degree. There are many attractions to this mix. While being two quite distinct disciplines (History as a branch of the humanities, Politics as a social science), their subject matters naturally overlap. Historical background can, of course, offer valuable insight into modern political structures and processes, and this is especially the case at Keele in the area of Europe, in which both Politics and History have particular strengths.

Politics and Law

Law with Politics is a distinctive qualifying Law degree pathway. It builds on the close links between the two disciplines to enable students wishing to enter the legal profession to acquire an interdisciplinary education by studying one Politics module in every semester of every year of their time at Keele. Students will develop their legal skills and knowledge through an in-depth examination of the law in its social, political and economic context while working with leading internationally recognised academics from both Law and Politics. This degree will appeal to those wishing to pursue a range of possible careers, including working as qualified lawyers in different levels of government, working in non-governmental organisations, think-tanks and lobbying organisations, policy analysis or even teaching politics and citizenship. The key research, communication and analytical skills that students will develop will equip them to work in a broad range of sectors, and we have seen our graduates achieve successes in the legal professions and many other careers, including the police, teaching and film production. Keele alumni include several former presidents of the Students’ Union, partners of leading national law firms, QCs, a recent president of the Law Society and a High Court judge.

SPIRE is a thoroughly international school, and is particularly welcoming to international students, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for home students to broaden their horizons.

We have staff with educational backgrounds in a wide variety of countries, such as Columbia, Canada, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Romania, and Turkey, who present their research all around the world. Students have the opportunity to hear visiting lecturers from various different countries, arranged through our ERASMUS partnerships, and many of our students also take up the opportunity to study abroad  as part of their degree; students have, in recent years, studied in South Africa, Korea, USA, and Hong Kong, to name just a few of the possible destinations.

International students will join established international communities at Keele, and will find plenty of support mechanisms in place to help them make the transition to study in the UK (see the ‘International Applicants’ button above).

All SPIRE students have the opportunity to take a work experience module in their second year, which provides real work-based experience in a professional context.

Students are prepared for their placement through a series of workshops, spend a minimum of 75 hours in their chosen workplace, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the world of work, and then in light of that experience, reflect on their own capacities, attributes and career plans, in an academic essay which makes special reference to politics, international relations or philosophy.