GLOBAL POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (BA)

The Great Recession, the Chinese economic boom, the Syrian Civil War, the annexation of the Crimea by Russia, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump. What ties all of these events together? This kind of question is at the heart of our BA Global Politics and International Relations, a degree that provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to give an answer that others will listen to.

BA Global Politics and International Relations is concerned with both the political changes that are sweeping across the globe, transforming politics across countries and regions, as well as relations between states in the international system - a system that itself is undergoing profound transformation. Yet this 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.  

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, 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, in Birkbeck’s Department of Politics you are taught on the basis of new knowledge generated by those who teach you. These academics 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.  

This course is also available for full-time evening study over three years.