Politics and International Relations

How do we decide who is a terrorist? What is causing the rise of right-wing extremist parties across the EU? And how can the international community best respond to conflict in the Middle East?

If these sorts of complex questions fascinate you, you’ll love studying politics and international relations. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about the world’s most topical political issues and address them in a stimulating environment where discussion is quite simply the way we work.

We've designed our courses to be flexible, enabling you to choose optional modules that reflect your interests. Moreover, you can gain a direct insight into real-world political processes through innovative political simulations and work placements. Our Model United Nations, US Foreign Policy and Middle East simulations give you the opportunity to get a direct feel for the political process and apply your knowledge and skills to a scenario that mimics real life. We also offer a programme of guest speakers, experts from the world of politics and international relations, and a range of study abroad opportunities.

80% of our research impact was rated world leading or internationally excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2014).

Your learning is informed by our world leading research and is led by expert staff who have direct experience of the world of politics and international affairs. In 2017, we achieved a student satisfaction score of 92% for our teaching in the National Student Survey. (For more details, ask us at www.reading.ac.uk/question.)

Most of your learning time will be spent in small seminar groups, allowing you to interact directly with staff and other students and add your own voice to the discussion.

Study with us to prepare for your future career. 94% of undergraduates from the Department of Politics and International Relations were in work or further study six months after graduating. (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey 2016-17.)