Economics, Politics and International Relations with a Year in Business

Core Modules

Year 1

You will take the following modules in Economics:

• Introduction to Mathematics for Economics

  An introduction for students with no or minimal mathematical background to the formal tools used in first year principles of economics module and the data skills module as well as the second year modules in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. To achieve this goal, the course presents the most common functional forms used in economics and analyses their behaviour using conventional graphs. In addition, the course addresses the rules of differentiation and the ways derivatives are used in unconstrained and constrained optimisation. Throughout the course, emphasis is given to how the formal methods presented above are applied in economic models and data. By doing so, students with a limited mathematical background are brought up to the level of their peers with a more extensive set of technical skills needed to progress to the second-year joint economics degree.

• Introduction to International Relations

  This module offers a broad introduction to theory and history in international relations since 1870. You will look at a variety of different theoretical lenses, ranging from orthodox to critical perspectives, in order to understand events from the collapse of the Bismarckian European order and the origins of World War 1 to the contemporary War on Terror. Along the way you will also explore the origins and the end of the Cold War, decolonisation and the End of Empire, the rise of international institutions, humanitarian intervention and new security issues.

• Introduction to Politics and Government

  This module will introduce you to the academic study of politics and to the ‘real world’ of contemporary politics. As a foundational course, it will give you all the essential tools to understand the nature of politics and analyse the way different political systems work. You will be introduced to key concepts such as politics, power, rights, ideologies, democracy and representation, and will learn about the different actors, institutions and processes that make up politics today.

• Academic Writing Skills

  The Writing Skills Quiz is a self-guided diagnostic quiz that takes students through five areas of written communication: spelling; punctuation; academic register; structure and argument, and conventions of presentation and referencing.

• Employability 1

  This module will be composed of an introduction to Employability, library resources, team building, and CV making. Career services will provide a session on self-awareness and decision making and library services will present their relevant resources. Finally, the Economics department will organise some team building exercises.

• Principles of Economics

  Principles of Economics is a first-year undergraduate module in how the economy works. The module is suitable for students with or without A-Level economics or equivalent. We will cover the basic theories of macroeconomics (that of the economy as a whole) and microeconomics (the behaviour of individuals, firms and governments and the interactions between them).

  The module adopts the state-of-the-art CORE approach (Curriculum Open-access Resources in Economics) to teaching Principles of Economics. The approach has three pillars which we rely on throughout the module:

  • Formulate a problem that our society is facing now or has faced in the past;
  • Build a theory to explain and solve the problem;
  • Evaluate the usefulness of the theory by using data observations and more novel theories.
• Data Skills for Economists

  Data Skills for Economists is about understanding the data we encounter constantly in everyday life and the data that social science researchers create as they explore and analyse the world around us. We'll endeavour to understand such questions as:

  • Where does data come from and how can we harvest it?
  • What useful information does the data contain?
  • How can we create new data to generate useful insights?

  Computers equipped with statistical software are a big part of the answer to the third question (above) so, accordingly, you'll spend much of your time learning to analyse and display data using the R statistical software package (R is the industry standard).

  We'll develop an ethos of clear communication of numerical information that will be supported by our growing understanding of statistical concepts and our growing proficiency with computers.

  Simultaneously, we'll delve into the seamy underside of the tricksters who try to fool you with falsified data. Understanding their game can provide at least some degree of inoculation against their attacks.

Year 2

• Employability 2

  Career services will provide a session on how to be ready to apply for an internship at the end of the second year. Students will prepare for a psychometric test and will undertake a series of a mock interviews in order to improve their interview technique. Finally, students will attend at least one Econ@Work talk to be aware of professional life and challenges.

• Macroeconomics

  In this module you will develop an understanding of macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy-making. You will look at a variety of contemporary and historical macroeconomic events, and the differences between the short, medium and long run. You will consider why some countries are rich and some are poor, why different economies grow at different rates, and what determines economic growth and prosperity. You will examine the role of monetary and fiscal policy, its impact on the economy and its limitations. You will also analyse how taxation, budget deficits, and public debt affect the economy.

• Microeconomics

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the models of individual optimisation and their applications. You will look at the key determinants of an individual’s behaviour in a variety of circumstances and the behaviour of firms in different market environments, such as perfect competition, monopoly and oligopoly. You will consider how changing circumstances and new information influences the actions of the economic agents concerned, and examine the properties of competitive markets and the need for government intervention to correct market failures.

Year 3

• Year in Business

  This year will be spent on a work placement. You will be supported by the Placements Office and the Royal Holloway Careers and Employability Service to find a suitable placement. However, Royal Holloway cannot guarantee that all students who are accepted onto this degree programme will secure a placement, and the ultimate responsibility lies with yourself. This year forms an integral part of the degree programme and you will be asked to complete assessed work. The mark for this work will count towards your final degree classification.

Year 4

• Employability 3

  This third-year course will deepen the elements covered previously in Employability 1 and 2. Career services will provide a session on how to be ready for employment at the end of the year. Students will prepare for a psychometric test and undertake a series of mock interviews in order to improve their interview technique. Finally, students will attend at least one Econ@Work talk to be aware of professional life and challenges.

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Contemporary Political Theory

  This module concerns the theories underlying discussion of political problems and issues today. Examining a range of key ideas and the thinkers who have developed them, the module will consider what lies at the roots of contemporary debates about laws, policies, protest, and resistance, and it will it enable you to make sense of these debates. Topics covered will likely include liberty, equality, human rights, punishment, democracy, gender, race, multiculturalism and cultural hegemony, civil disobedience, resistance and political violence – as well as other issues in domestic and international justice. Throughout, the module aims to show how abstract theories have practical relevance, and conversely how questions about what states, citizens and other actors ought to do are illuminated by thinking about them theoretically. In general, it offers a broad survey of political theorising today.

• Democracy in Britain

  Democracy in Britain explores the theory and practice of modern British politics. It’s designed primarily to familiarise students with the ways in which British democracy has evolved, how it operates today and some of the challenges that confront it. You’ll gain knowledge of the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the political system and you’ll learn about how and why the system operates in the way it does, the quality of contemporary democratic governance and key features of political behaviour in Britain. The first half of the module will focus on the character, development and institutions of Britain’s ‘traditional’ democratic system. The second half will focus on dynamic elements of British democracy, including political parties and party competition, political and especially voting behaviour, and attitudes towards democracy.

• Government and Politics of the United States

  This module introduces institutions and politics of the United States. It offers a thorough grounding in the empirical and theoretical literature on American politics. The module covers the Constitution, Congress, the Presidency and federal bureaucracy, separation of powers, federalism and state governments, the Supreme Court, elections, political parties, the media, and interest groups. By the end of the module, you’ll be prepared to engage knowledgeably with American political news and to tackle advanced modules in American Political Development and/or US Foreign Policy. This is a good all-round introduction to one of the world’s most influential democracies.

• International Organisations

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the scope and limitations of global governance. You will look at the creation of international organisations and the role of states in this process, how different organisations are designed, and the effectiveness and functioning of different types of organisation. You will consider the role of international organisations in creating policy, pursuing organisational objectives, and altering the relations between actors at various levels. You will also examine the significance of major challenges for global governance, such as countering international terrorism, policing organised crime, and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

• International Political Economy

  This module examines the relationship between states and markets, power and wealth, in International Political Economy (IPE). You’ll be introduced to the key concepts and theoretical debates in IPE. It tackles issues such as the globalisation of trade, finance, and production, the continued problems of development and democratic governance in the world economy, and emerging questions surrounding global flows, networks and spaces. You’ll explore the history of regimes, crises, and competing theories of political economy from the nineteenth century to the present day. Throughout the module the emphasis is on how political institutions operate in international politics to regulate the creation of wealth, and who benefits from these arrangements.

• International Relations Theory

  Building on Introduction to International Relations, this module explores the key thinkers and debates in International Relations Theory. You will become familiar with a variety of ways of thinking about International Relations, engaging with questions about the nature of power, identity, and ethics in politics and how these interact in the international realm. The module is divided into two parts. In the first, you will examine the three foundational theoretical paradigms within International Relations – realism, liberalism, and Marxism. The second part explores newer critical approaches to International Relations theory, including constructivism, post-structuralism, feminism, and uneven ecological exchange.

• Introduction to Political Communication

  The purpose of this module is to provide a broad overview of how citizens, politicians and the media interact across Western democracies during both electoral and governing periods. The first part of the module will focus on the production and consumption of political news, while the second part will address campaigns and their effects as well as focusing on contemporary debates in political communication, including ethical issues. While the module will cover key aspects of political communication in the United Kingdom, the focus will be mostly comparative across countries. Seminars are centred on practical activities that allow students to apply the knowledge presented in the module to contemporary real-world examples of political communication in action. Examples include analysis of political speeches, advertisements, candidate debates, campaign strategies, and news coverage of political issues.

• Modern Political Thought

  This module introduces students to major political thinkers from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, including the works of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Mill, Marx, Nietzsche, and Douglass. The module will introduce you to the themes, argumentative strategies, and critical interpretations of these thinkers, and critically assess these interpretations against the texts themselves. It also aims to show how study of these thinkers illuminates contemporary discussion of freedom, pluralism, sovereignty, and legitimacy, even where no reference is made to them.

• War and Security in World Politics

  This module provides a comprehensive overview of Security Studies as a field of International Relations. You’ll start by examining the issue of security and key security issues and then move on to look at more general theories of security and how these have changed, especially in an age of terrorism. The second half of the module will focus on the sub-field of military innovation studies as states around the world renew their focus on conventional/hybrid warfare and defence spending rises. It will explore the defence reforms of major powers including Britain, China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and the USA. We will examine the content and sources of change in defence policy, including changes to the objectives of defence policy, military procurement, force structures, and military doctrine. The module will analyse the extent to which these reforms have helped states concerned to deliver defence and security policy and the factors which facilitate effective innovation, emulation and adaptation within military organisations. It also explores the challenges that states face in mobilising societies to face contemporary security threats.

• The Politics of Human Rights

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the modern human rights regime. You will look at what human rights are and their historical origins, including governance and the international legal regime. You will consider genocide and debates about intervention, examining the war in the former Yugoslavia, genocide in Darfur, and current issues in Syria. You will explore transitional justice, the laws of war and international criminal tribunals, and assess the remedies available to victims of human rights abuses.

• Politics Outside the West

  This module is a key bridge between the first year modules in comparative politics and international relations and the third year modules in the politics of Africa, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. It is designed to equip you with a critical understanding of the most important features of the history of international development which build the foundations of our modern world: the transition from empires to states, colonialism, de-colonisation, and the subsequent post-colonial political issues facing the Global South. This means you don’t necessarily learn about politics “outside the West”, as if it’s a phenomenon separate from the West, but, instead, develop ideas of politics and international relations from the vantage point of the Global South, including its prominent political thinkers.

Year 3

• Economics of Artificial Intelligence

  Economics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) explores the transformative impact of AI technologies on economies, industries, firms, and societies. This module delves into the economic principles underlying AI adoption, its effects on productivity, labor markets, and income distribution, and the strategic challenges it poses for businesses and policymakers. Key topics may include automation and job displacement, market design for AI-driven platforms, ethical and regulatory considerations, and AI’s role in global competition and economic growth.
  
  Students will engage with theoretical models and empirical evidence to understand AI's economic implications and policy responses. The module emphasizes critical thinking, quantitative analysis, as well as job-market skills for the AI-driven future.

• Advanced Econometrics II

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the theoretical properties of different econometric estimation and testing procedures under various modelling assumptions. You will look at regression techniquies and learn how to apply relevant econometric and statistical methods to your own research. You will also evaluate the appropriateness of each of the economic estimation methods and the impact of consider data limirations.

• Programing and Coding for Economists

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the basics of coding and progranming with Python. You will look at some of the high-level data analysis packages within Python and learn how to plot multidimensional data in different ways including histograms and parametric plots. You will examine the use of arrays, matrices and basic control structures, such as IF, FOR, WHILE and RETURN. You will also consider how to evaluate simple and complex expressions and how to use Monte Carlo simulation to understand the impact of uncertainty.

• Comparative Political Leadership

  Party leaders, and their public image, are increasingly considered important for a party’s electoral success, for the smooth running of government and for regime legitimacy. Perhaps the most important variable for successful politicians is their ability to effectively communicate and connect with their audiences. This module will show you the techniques most frequently used by politicians, communicators and speechwriters to effectively deliver their messages in different contexts and settings. You will analyse how these techniques have been used by the greatest leaders in the world to justify their regimes. By the end of the module you will be able to evaluate leadership styles during and after elections and design communication strategies that will deliver political messages effectively.

   

• Economics of the European Union

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the main effects of trade integration within Europe and, particularly, of the creation of the single market. You will look at the principal costs and benefits of monetary integration and the debate around the optimal currency area as it applies to the Eurozone. You will analyse the main aspects of the Eurozone crisis, consider the main policies and institutions of the EU, and examine the recent political implications of EU enlargement.

• Military Change in the 21st Century

  Defence budgets comprise a significant proportion of national wealth, while decision-making in defence has profound implications for the lives of citizens in the country concerned, as well as people at the receiving end of military operations. Military power also forms a central dimension of states’ power and influence in the international system. However, the post-Cold War era has witnessed significant variation in the extent to which states’ defence reforms have delivered a strategic advantage, with a number of cases of inappropriate or faulty military innovation and/or emulation.
  This module analyses the content and sources of change in defence policy during the post-Cold War era. It will focus on changes to the objectives of defence policy, military procurement, force structures and doctrines of the world’s major military powers, including the US, China, Russia, France, Germany, the UK, India and Pakistan. In doing so, it will analyse the extent to which these reforms have helped the state concerned to meet its central security challenges.
  The course will be informed by the insights of political science and IR approaches to the sources of military change. These approaches include neorealism, neoclassical realism, bureaucratic politics, organisation theory, strategic culture, organisational culture and public policy approaches. In its examination of the sources of military change, the course also looks at the factors which facilitate effective ‘bottom-up’ learning and adaptation within military organisations.

Year 4

• Advanced Econometrics I

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the theoretical properties of different econometric estimation and testing procedures under various modelling assumptions. You will learn to formulate, estimate, test and interpret suitable models for the empirical study of economic phenomena. You will consider how to apply regression techniques and evaluate the appropriateness of each econometric estimation method under different data limitations.

• Advanced Topics in Game Theory
  In this module you will develop an understanding of the mathematical models used to study and analyse strategic interactions between agents. You will look at the fundamental concepts in game theory as applied to economics in general and microeconomics in particular. You will become familiar with basic equilibrium concepts such as Nash equilibrium and subgame perfect equilibrium, and be able to find equilibrium outcomes of simple games including the use of backward induction.
• Data Analysis with Matlab
• Economics of Inequality

  In this module you will develop an understanding of economic inequality. You will look at the factors that determine wage differentials among workers from a theoretical and empirical point of view. You will consider why similar workers are paid differently and examine how labour mobility can improve the allocation of workers to firms, enhance aggregate productivity, and reduce inequality.

• Economics of Warfare 1

  The module presents the main facts about modern war and, to a lesser extent, terrorism. In parallel we will develop broadly applicable empirical tools to help us measure key phenomena and drive our analysis. Specific topics include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Rwandan genocide, the economics of rebellion and the possible long-run decline of war. This module, together with Economics of Warfare 2, will prepare students of a lifetime of critical data consumption beyond the particular world of war and terrorism.

• European Union Public Policy

  In this module you will develop an understanding of regulation in the European Union, including delivery of policy and administration. You will look at how the world's largest market operates, with a focus on EU public policy, including de-regulation, re-regulation, budgets and spending. You will examine the concept of the single market, the Euro and its crisis, justice, home affairs and counter-terrorism, the EU budget, agriculture, regional development, and social and environmental policies.

• Financial Economics 1

  The module aims to introduce the student to what factors affect corporate financial decisions. Particular emphasis is given to the concepts of Net Present Value and Risk. The learning outcomes include: Understand what the goals of a firm are; Understand how investments are valued (Internal rate of returns) in order to help with good financial planning); Understand the concepts of risk, agency costs and how they feed into financial decision making; Understand the process of price formation in financial markets; Understand venture capital and different types of debt finance and debt valuation, including leverage.

• Foundations in Middle East Politics

  The course surveys political systems, movements, conflicts and trends in the contemporary Middle East. It explores the international and regional context of current problems and conditions, including the process of state formation, variations in regime consolidation and state-society relations, regional rivalries and conflicts, the Islamist challenge, the political economy of development, and democracy and civil society. The course begins in the Autumn term with a consideration of comparative analysis and cultural interpretation, and a general survey of the region’s religious and ethnic-cultural diversity. It then reviews the political and historical background of the contemporary Middle Eastern states system (the birth and spread of Islam, the Ottoman Empire, and the construction of the states system that succeeded it). The course moves on to explore the region-wide political, socio-economic, and ideological developments after 1945. In the Spring term the course focuses on the Arab-Israeli wars and other regional conflicts, Islamic beliefs and practices, the Islamist challenge, and recent events.

• Gender and Nationalism in the Middle East and South Asia

  This course looks at the role of gender in nationalism during the colonial and post-colonial period across the Middle East and South Asia. Students are introduced to key readings that challenge our conventional understanding of gender in international relations and look at how empire influenced our understanding of gendered roles. The course then moves to specific locations and examinations the role of gender in specific political debates in Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, India, Palestine and Iran. The course will challenge students to think beyond conventional understandings of debates about the veil, honour killings and the role of women in violent conflicts. We will examine the ways in which women in particular, seek out zones of agency for themselves, within both the domestic and political spheres in the post-colonial period, and the challenges that arise from this development. We will examine whether revolutions and political movements created spaces in which women could carve out specific political spaces for themselves, and how and why those opportunities might have been lost. By the conclusion of the course students should not only be familiar with key debates on gender and nationalism in the Middle East and South Asia, but also be able to analyse current affairs pertaining to gender in the region, in a critical perspective.

• Global Energy Policy

  The aim of the course is to introduce students to the global dimensions of energy policy; discusses shifting agendas; and assesses select aspects of the global energy challenge. It provides student with a global perspective on energy policy, i.e. focuses on energy policy issues of transnational scale. Key themes covered in the course include conceptual approaches to global energy, energy as an international security issue, institutions and regimes in global energy, infrastructure and transit, energy poverty and development and climate change.

• Global Health Policy

  Since the turn of the millennium, global health has received dramatically increased attention, both as an emergent academic discipline and in terms of heightened policy salience. This course serves as an introduction to the global health policy environment, synthesising findings from a range of disciplines, such as political economy, epidemiology, and public health. It examines the constellation of health actors involved in policy formulation, including international organisations, governments, public-private partnerships, non-governmental organisations, philanthropic foundations, and commercial actors. It tackles key contemporary policy debates surrounding the health effects of, for instance, rising economic inequalities, global trade, and austerity politics. Students are also taken through approaches to effective policymaking encompassed in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of policy responses to global health issues. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on how health policies, systems, and outcomes are influenced by the so-called ‘social determinants of health’—the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that operate at both national and transnational levels.

• Industrial Economics 1

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the methods and models applied by economists in the analysis of firms and industries. You will learn how to manipulate these models and analytically solve problems relating to industrial economics. You will consider the applications of the models to important policy areas, exploring topics such as collusion, mergers, product differentiation and asymmetric information. You will also also examine the limitations of the theory.

• International Relations of South Asia

  International Relations of South Asia will give students a broad and comprehensive introduction to this subject. Beginning with an understanding of South Asia’s place in the world and why it is relevant, it will look at how South Asia has been critically enmeshed key global events from the Cold War onwards. Other topics in the course will cover key bilateral issues such as Kashmir, the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka and the war in Bangladesh. We will examine how questions of security have dominated both conflict and cooperation in South Asia. The course will also examine how the nuclearisation of South Asia has been overshadowed by the rise of an ‘imperial India’. We will also attempt to study non state actors such as insurgencies and social movements across South Asia. The course builds on IR theory that students will already be familiar with but offers them a new perspective with regard to South Asia based on inter-country relationships, great power interventions, the use of norms and beliefs in the South Asian context and how political, military and economic conflict has co-existed alongside cooperation and multilateral institutions.

• Leadership, Power and the British Prime Ministership
  The course’s primary purpose is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the British prime ministership. It will help students to evaluate the problems of leadership in an advanced industrial democracy and to critically evaluate the performance of those holding executive office. The course will cover both the institutional characteristics and development of the office of prime minister, the organisation and structure of the political executive and the prime ministership’s relationship with other key actors, such as ministers, parliament and the media. The course will also engage with claims about the ‘personalisation’ and ‘presidentialisation’ of British politics. At the same time, the course is designed to introduce students to a more focused range of literature and to develop students’ own awareness of the political-science research process. To this end, it will encourage students to confront issues of conceptualisation and measurement through class activities, as well as highlighting the problems and pitfalls of taking models and frameworks of analysis from other systems and applying them to the British prime ministership.
• Peace and Justice after Conflict

  This module looks at the challenges of contemporary post-conflict peace and justice processes. It asks how countries deal with the legacies of wartime destruction, mass violence and societal divisions, how they attempt to establish ‘sustainable’ forms of peace and recover economically from the widespread destruction caused by conflict. To do this, it explores the role of states, international organisations such as the UN, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), regional organisations and alliances such as NATO, as well as civil society groups and NGOs that are increasingly involved in post-conflict transitions.
  Throughout the weekly programme, we will reflect on the evolving meaning of peace and justice – from the liberal internationalism of the 1990s until today – as they are redefined in more inclusive ways, and the pitfalls and opportunities this entails. We will do this by exploring topics such as peace agreements (and who takes part in their negotiation), statebuilding interventions, post-war reconstruction and economic reforms, transitional justice, peacebuilding and ‘reconciliation’. Given the widely acknowledged gendered impact of war and its legacies in post-conflict societies, the module ‘mainstreams’ questions of gender throughout the teaching programme, exploring them alongside other power dynamics related to ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status.
  The module’s aims are threefold. First, this class aims to analyse the challenges posed by post-conflict transitions, with a focus on peace and justice processes. Second, the module provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the role played by various international actors and their interventions in post-conflict contexts. Third, it aims to apply a range of IR theories and concepts to recent case studies of post-conflict transitions.

• Philosophy of Economics

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the different approaches to national economic policy. You will consider the economic advantages and disadvantages of globalisation and look at the effects of tax-cutting, deregulation, privatisation, mixed economy, efficiency and income distribution.

• Politics and Government of Africa

  This module examines theoretically and empirically the evolution of politics and statehood in “sub-Saharan” Africa since the 1960s. It examines the material institutions, resources and capacities of states, alongside ideas of political authority and the imagination of statehood. It particular, the module explores how states have been realised through a web of relationships, including Africans’ relations to the colonial state and its legacies, the way relations between state elites and societies have evolved since independence. Many theoretical approaches have evolved to address the issues of African politics. Not all are helpful – and that includes those developed both in the West and Africa itself. The module will critically examine some of these approaches while assisting students to develop their understanding of the politics of the continent using a variety of materials alongside academic literature, including fiction, film, music, and art.

• Politics of the European Union

  Whereas the pre-existing ES2001 covered the history of European integration, its political development, its institutions, the political controversies it faces, and the underlying theory, the new module will be half the length and more focused. It will introduce students directly to the centres of political power, following a very brief history. In the second half, it will look at the crises and controversies, including Brexit, the Covid crisis and before then the economic crisis of the early 2010s. the comparative politics of European countries and the European Union, the award of a Jean Monnet Chair for Giacomo Benedetto requires immediate modification to the course. It will continue to analyse the contemporary politics of the European Union and its institutions, amid the challenges of the triple crisis of economics, migration and Brexit.
  The term begins with an introduction to the European Union as a political system (week 1) followed by the European Union's history (week 2), and political institutions (executive, legislative and judicial) (weeks 2 to 5). After reading week, it will cover the democratic deficit (week 6), European elections (week 7), the euro crisis (week 8), Brexit (week 9), and the Covid crisis (week 10).

• Politics of the Law and Rights

  This course describes and analyses the many ways in which politics affects the law, and in particular the decisions made by judges on top courts.
  It looks at some of the big divides between legal systems in their attitudes to judges and judicial discretion, and the different rights which judges are asked to guarantee.
  It looks at different ways in which judiciaries vary, from more to less active, more to less independent, and more or less collegial or confrontational.
  It also hints at advanced debates in political science about the study of judicial behaviour, in particular the kinds of explanations offered for why US Supreme Court Justices decide the way they do -- and whether these explanations travel outside the United States.
  The course is targeted at final year undergraduates doing either Politics (in combination with other subjects).
  Over the term, Politics students will get a grounding in the analysis of judicial decisions. Conversely, law students will get a grounding in techniques of political analysis applied to the courts.
  Because the course is an advanced (i.e., third year) course, there will be no set text. There will however be a selection of essential readings for each week, which will include (in every other week) two chosen cases which demonstrate the week's topic in two different jurisdictions.

• Radical Political Theory I: Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche

  This module aims to introduce students to key questions and arguments concerning the relationship between identity, power, meaning and knowledge, through close examination of texts from GWF Hegel, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche. It should lead students to appreciate critiques of modern Western societies and their values, which not only underpin recent “postmodernist” or “post-structuralist” thought but also form crucial theoretical elements in debates about gender, multiculturalism, nationalism, post-colonialism, new social movements, etc., across the social sciences. It aims to develop in students the ability to critically reflect about the nature and scope of politics and ethics through engagement with texts that have sought to provide insights and new ways of thinking about these realms.

• Social Diversity and Political Representation

  This module examines the contemporary literature on social diversity and political representation. It introduces students to theories of representation, debates over women’s and other group’s interests. It applies these frameworks to consider why social diversity in our parliaments might matter and what difference – symbolic, substantive and affective – sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and other demographic characteristics make to elected political institutions, the policy process, political outcomes, and healthy democracies. Discrete topics include theories of representation and the link between the general public, political actors and the media; descriptive representation in national legislatures and executives with a focus on gender, ethnicity and disability; strategies for increasing descriptive representation; the media’s representation of political (gender, ethnic and disabled) minorities. The module will introduce key theoretical research on political representation; introduce current empirical research regarding participation and representation in electoral politics; and examine extant empirical and theoretical literature on representation across its various dimensions: descriptive, substantive and symbolic, and to introduce newer research on other forms of representation.

• The Political Economy of Racial Injustice

  Who wins and loses in the economy? How do racial and gender inequalities persist because of the way we buy homes, pay tuition, or govern banks? This course studies the ways that inequality and unfreedom are sustained in institutional arrangements and everyday practices. We study how the organization and governance of the economy has played a role in limiting access for women, people of color, and other marginalized groups. We study the history of the global economy but with an attention to the kinds of domination and exploitation that made “progress” possible for some.

• The Politics of International Development

  Despite growing total economic affluence, the world continues to be characterised by persistent poverty and inequality. To briefly illustrate this reality, close to one billion people globally still lack daily access to sufficient food, more than three billion people live on less than 2.5 USD a day, and more than 22,000 children die each day due to poverty (World Development Indicators, 2015). In theory, ‘development’ should resolve these problems – but what is development and how can it be achieved? This course explores key development challenges faced across developing countries and is divided into three sections. The first critically examines some of the major concepts, paradigms, and theories, which have attempted to define what development is, how and why it occurs (or does not), and to whose benefit. The second focuses on some of the key development challenges faced by developing countries: economic (poverty, inequality, unemployment), political (democracy, human rights, role of elites), social (religion, race/ethnicity/caste, urbanization), and natural (climate change, pollution, resource extraction, extermination of species). The final section explores possible remedies to these issues through international cooperation (trade, aid, finance, South-South cooperation), national policies (welfare schemes, laws and regulations), and micro and informal solutions.

• The Politics of Russia and Eastern Europe

  This course introduces students to key developments and topics in the politics of post-communist Russia and Eastern Europe. Part I of the course focuses on how communist legacies and modes of post-communist transition shaped the region’s different political systems. Students will engage with current academic debates on Europeanisation processes in Central and Eastern Europe and the specific post-communist trajectory of Russian domestic politics. Part II explores key topics in contemporary post-communist politics, such as for example: transitions to capitalism, inequality and corruption; elections and the peculiarities of post-communist party systems; nationalism, the politics of memory, and minorities; communist and post-communist gender politics; political participation and grassroots politics; and the latest scholarly debates on the perceived democratic backsliding of the region. The course foresees a strong component of student participation, with student-led case-study presentations, comparison-oriented class discussions on the weekly theme, and two substantial pieces of assessed coursework. By the end of this course students will have a nuanced understanding of post-communist politics in the region and will be able to compare both within the region and with countries outside the region.

• US Foreign Policy - History

  This course provides third-year undergraduate students with a highly advanced knowledge of the key concepts, history, themes and contemporary issues in US foreign policy. This course will familiarize students with theoretical explanations of US foreign policy, historical and contemporary American thinking on international affairs, the structure of foreign policy making in Washington DC, as well as some of the major challenges facing contemporary American policy-makers. The reading list for this course is extensive, and you will be expected to work diligently to accomplish the course aims.

• Financial Economics 2

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the wide range of fixed income securities and derivatives available to investors in the financial markets. You will look at the basic institutional features of derivatives markets, as well as the pricing of bonds and of derivative instruments and using them for hedging purposes. You will consider investment and trading strategies that use bonds and derivatives, and evaluate the use of bonds in immunising portfolios based on the bond's duration. You will also explore the features and uses of the most popular types of derivatives available today, including options, futures, forwards, and swaps.

• Industrial Economics 2

  In this module you will develop an understanding of advanced topics in industrial organisation, with a special focus on the role that information plays in markets. You will explore topics such as collusion, mergers, product differentiation, and asymmetric information, and become familiar with a broad range of methods and models applied by economists in the analysis of firms and industries.

• Politics in Action: The Politics and International Relations Experience Placement

  Whilst a University degree opens many doors to careers, the experience and skills enhanced during a placement provide an extra dimension to the qualification. The Politics in Action placement scheme is a third year undergraduate, assessed, full unit course module. It has a novel structure which combines participation in a workplace environment for one day a week during term time (and three days a week for each term’s reading week) with scholarly reflection on the nature of the organizational, professional, and policy contexts of the placement. Placements are organised in settings such as Parliament, local government, the offices of MEPs, NGOs, campaigning and activist organizations, political parties, media organizations, and the policy or communications divisions of local companies working in relevant fields.

• Politics and/or International Relations Dissertation

  The dissertation offers you the opportunity to pursue independent research in a topic of your own choosing with the support of an academic supervisor working one-to-one with you. You will develop your own research question and research strategy, explore the scholarly debates surrounding your topic, and advance your own thesis that interprets or challenges the way your topic has been understood. You are encouraged to use a variety of quantitative or qualitative methods and theoretical approaches as appropriate to the field you are exploring.

• American Political Development
• Economics of Education
• Crisis, Recovery and EU Democracy

  This module provides a background for students to understand the budgetary and expenditure policies of the European Union, which attract controversy. It introduces students to the processes for analysing how money is raised and then spent. Next, it focuses on options for reforming both the revenue and expenditure sides of the budget and reviews package deals for change that could be supported by all 27 member countries of the EU. By the end of the course, students will have knowledge to apply analysis of budgetary politics to other comparative cases.

• Defence and Security Governance
• Economics of Warfare 2

  Introduce students to the main facts about conflict. Apply theoretical and empirical economic tools to the study of conflict. Give students an appreciation of the main questions at the research frontier in the economic analysis of conflict. Draw some policy conclusions on how the international community should deal with conflict. Study data issues that arise when analysing conflict.
  
  Week 1. Causes of conflict (correlations), sensitivity analysis, p hacking, psychology of conflict
  Week 2. Prediction, economic shocks and conflict, instrumental variables
  Week 3. Commodity price shocks
  Week 4. Economic aid and conflict, rape and conflict
  Week 5. Conflict and climate change 1
  Week 6. Reading Week, no class
  Week 7. Conflict and climate change 2, panel data
  Week 8. Conflict and climate change 3, Syrian war
  Week 9. Costs of terrorism
  Week 10. Causes of terrorism, media and terrorism
  Week 11. Terrorism and poverty

• Environmental Economics

  In this module you will develop an understanding of how economic methods can be applied to environmental issues facing society. You will consider the difficulties arising in using economic analysis in environmental policy design and learn how to solve and manipulate a variety of diagrammatic and algebraic models in environmental economics. You will evaluate a number of real-world environmental policy problems and see how economic analysis has been applied in their solution.

• Ethnic Politics and Ethnic Conflict

  Ethnic identities can play an important role in politics. In some states, voting decisions, political representation and the distribution of state resources are viewed through an ethnic lens. Ethnic relations can also become contentious and in some civil conflicts, armed groups mobilize support and recruit fighters along ethnic lines. This course examines the role that ethnic distinctions can play in political life, contestation and conflict. The first part of the course will focus on the origins of ethnic identities and their political salience. The second part will focus on ethnic politics and consider issues such as ethnic representation in government, ethnic voting and the ethnically biased distribution of resources. The third part will focus on ethnic conflict and the role that ethnic grievances and identities can play in collective violence.

• Financial Econometrics with Data Science

  The course aims to familiarise students with the principal techniques used in Financial Econometrics. Some in depth discussion of the key technical concepts needed to understand the Financial Econometrics literature. Furthermore, the course makes a real effort to facilitate awareness in students of how these techniques can be used and applied on real data, and provides the necessary background to understand and critically assess empirical findings reported in the financial literature, as well as to carry out their own empirical research in the future.

• Freedom of Expression: Concepts and Controversies

  Issues of free speech are amongst the most contentious in current political debate. The module aims to give you an in depth understanding of the nature, value and limits of freedom of speech, from the perspective of normative political theory. It is not a course in the law of free speech, nor about the free speech situation in any particular country. Though the module touches on both the latter, the aim is to enable you to understand the values, norms and principles at issue in contexts where free speech is promoted, regulated, limited or denied- especially contexts where that choice is contentious. You will be encouraged to look beyond the headlines to explore the rich and varied academic scholarship on free speech, and to offer critical analyses of that scholarship. By the end of the module, you should be able to interrogate your own and others’ intuitive reactions in controversial cases of e.g. hate speech, and to develop a reasoned, nuanced approach to these issues.

   

• Gender and Armed Conflict

  Despite the importance of gender in global politics, gender is still not fully integrated in the academic study of international politics. Feminist approaches are offering new views of a field previously defined as devoid of gender politics. Early IR feminists challenged the discipline to think about how its theories might be reformulated and how its understandings of global politics might be improved if gender were included as a category of analysis and if women’s experiences were part of its subject matter. IR feminists critically reexamined some of the key concepts in the field - concepts such as sovereignty, the state, and security. They began to ask new questions - such as whether it makes a difference that most foreign policy leaders, military personnel and heads of international corporations are men and why women remain relatively disempowered in matters of foreign and military policy. IR feminists have also sought to make women visible as subjects in international politics and the global economy. They draw attention to women’s invisibility and gender subordination in the theory and practice of international politics.

  This particular module looks to explore the relationship between gender and armed conflict. As it does, it looks to suggest that ‘gender’ is not a euphemism for ‘women,’ and that women can be found many places in armed conflict other than on its sidelines or as its civilian victims. In its overview of gender and armed conflict, the module looks at how wars and conflict affect women, how women participate in wars and conflict, how masculinities and femininities shape and are shaped by armed conflict, how gender non-conformity and security politics interacts, and how theorizing about gender might help theorize armed conflict differently.

• Global Environmental Politics

  This module examines both the domestic and international politics of the environment. The first part of the module consists of defining the environmental problems faced globally, highlighting similarities and differences to other issues. This part also identifies the key actors, interests, and institutions that are necessary to understand the politics of climate change. The second part of the module focuses on three varieties of theories of environmental politics: collective action problems, distributional politics, and ideational conflict. The third part then examines a variety of topics in environmental politics, building upon the analytical approaches outlined in the first two parts of the course. The chosen topics allow for both understanding how politics shapes environmental outcomes, for example through international agreements, as well as how climate change and the environment affects political outcomes, for example by fostering political conflict.

   

   

• Labour Economics

  This course will analyse the economic issues of behaviour and outcomes in labour markets. It will focus on topics relating to labour supply and demand, wage formation and earnings inequalities:

  • Labour Demand
  • Labour Supply
  • Human Capital and Compensating Wage Differentials
  • Inequality in Earnings
  • Labor Mobility
  • Discrimination
  • Unemployment
• Latin American Politics

  This module is designed to introduce advanced undergraduates to the major themes of contemporary Latin American politics and, consequently, democracy and political development. Although the module does not assume that you already have knowledge of the region, you are expected to be familiar with basic concepts of comparative political analysis. While the module stresses the political aspects of the developmental process, its objective is to show the linkages between economic, social, cultural, and political variables - both at national and international levels.

   

   

• Monetary Economics

  This is a half-year module in monetary economics. Its aim is to gain insight into more recent approaches to monetary policy, and to developments in understanding and applying such policy. The main objectives of the course will be to understand the role of money in the economy; identify the links between central bank decision making and commercial bank behaviour; know the basic theoretical underpinnings of monetary policy, monetary policy operating procedures and the central banking mechanisms. A significant part of the class discussions are focused on how the political forces affecting monetary policy making may affect inflation, which has important implications for contemporary policy making.

• Narrative in World Politics

  “Whose story wins?” has become a popular phrase in politics. This module introduces students to the role of narrative communication in world politics. All political institutions and organisations in all countries have no choice but to communicate. They use this communication to offer direction, on any policy sector or about the identity of the nation or community. Narrative is essential when facing difficult pasts and generating accountability. Narrative is a form that institutions and organisations now invest in. Narrative provides a sequence of events that can generate a feeling that politics should move in a certain direction. Projecting a narrative is difficult in politics because not all parties or supporters will agree with that narrative. Yet this opens up forms of disagreement and conflict that allows us to identify and explain how core political dynamics unfold, including authority, legitimacy, and memory. It also helps students explain fundamental questions in International Relations: they will be able to explain the role of narrative in generating how cooperation or conflict, producing alliances or enemies, and creating expectations about how problems can be solved.

  Students will be asked to consider narrative in different historical moments, from different countries, and in different policy sectors. They will explore how digital media now allow citizens to produce and share their own narratives – digital storytelling has become central to many activist and citizen-led movements.

  The module also covers a range of theories of narrative in politics, specifically around a spectrum from ‘thin’ rationalist approaches that largely focus on narratives as ‘roadmaps’ used by political elites to ‘thick’ studies that use feminism, race and ethnicity, and formal linguistics as lenses. With each theory introduced, the students will also learn what methods different approaches entail. This helps students with their final year dissertation.

• Parliamentary Studies

  This final-year half module offers students the opportunity to obtain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the British parliament and its place in British democracy. It will help students to evaluate the work and role of Parliament and parliamentarians, appreciate ongoing debates about contemporary legislative practice, and engage critically with previous academic scholarship in this area. It will also help students to develop their own awareness and experience of conducting research.
  The course covers Parliament’s development and place in the British political system, its internal organisation and operation, and the work and behaviour of individual Members of Parliament. It is co-taught with officials from Parliament, who will provide students with practical and vocational teaching about the work, processes and business of Parliament based on their own experiences.
  The course will be delivered through 9 weekly three-hour sessions, each of which will be organised around a lecture and a variety of complementary seminar activities, including discussions, debates and practical exercises. Most of the third hour each week will be set aside to supporting students with the assessment. The tenth week will involve a visit to Parliament: this is partly to see parliamentarians in action, and partly to enable students to collect additional material for their research report.

• Public Economics

  Public Economics is concerned with the study of the effects of government policy upon the economy and the design of optimal policies. The module begins with a review of empirical methods for policy evaluation. A number of recent research areas in public economics are then discussed including income taxation, welfare support, behavioural responses, and social security. Throughout the module, the emphasis is placed upon analytical techniques, policy applications, and empirical evidence.

• Radical Political Theory II: Critical Theory and Poststructuralism

  This module aims to introduce students to key questions and arguments concerning the relationship between identity, power, meaning and knowledge, through close examination of texts from Theodor Adorno, Jean-François Lyotard, Michel Foucault, and Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari. It should lead students to appreciate critiques of modern Western societies and their values, that not only form part of the philosophical movements of critical theory and poststructuralism but that in turn have informed crucial debates about gender, multiculturalism, nationalism, post-colonialism, new social movements, etc., across the social sciences. It aims to develop in students the ability to critically reflect about the nature and scope of politics and ethics through engagement with texts that have sought to provide insights and new ways of thinking about these realms.

• Revolution and Counterrevolution in the Modern World

  This is a final-year half-unit module which offers students the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge on theories and practices of revolution and counterrevolution. During this course, students will learn how to academically evaluate the impact of revolutions on core features of the international system, which they have studied in previous courses. To do that, the course introduces the concept of revolution in the context of global politics, and, additionally, brings into this important field of study the concept of counterrevolution, in order to understand the reaction of the international system to revolutions.
  
  The module will begin by introducing the main schools of thought in revolutionary studies. It will then explore illuminating cases of revolution from around the world, and encourage students to apply theories of revolution and counterrevolution on those cases, and, in the process, evaluate these cases in comparative terms.
  
  The module will be delivered through 10 weekly three-hour sessions. These sessions will involve conventional lectureship, as well as a variety of seminar activities, discussions, debates, exercises, and literary and film reviews. For each week, at least one hour will be dedicated to address student needs and respond to questions, as well as presenting complementary resources to ensure that all students meet the objectives of the week.

• Social Justice: From Theory to Practice

  The module explores how debates about justice in political theory apply to the real practice of politics. More broadly, the course investigates the moral and ethical considerations of implementing social justice. The first half of course examines the ethical responsibilities of politicians, public servants and citizens, and the advantages and drawbacks of the various ways of morally evaluating their behaviour and the policies they enact. Combining theory and practice through the analysis of concrete cases, the module addresses such issues as the use of violence, the nature of corruption, and official secrecy. In the second half of the course, we look at the ways in which political theory can be applied to major contemporary policy debates. While the module is in political theory, the focus is on how the big ideas of normative political theory affect our thinking about policy and the behaviour of politicians. The aim is get students to understand that policy-making is never merely technical, and to see how moral concerns affect and shape both political action and policy making.

• Topics in Development Economics

  This module provides an overview of the current literature in development microeconomics, with strong policy and empirical components. The topics covered offer a political economy perspective over development issues. Students will be introduced to theoretical and empirical approaches to the understanding of binding constraints to development such as the quality of political institutions, democracy and elections and ethnical diversity. We will also cover the motivations and solutions to corruption and conflict as large deterrents to development. And how grass-root movements and innovative behavioral mechanisms can improve people’s lives.
  
  Week 1: Development Economics: stylised facts, definitions, and measurement issues
  Week 2: Methodological Issues in Development
  Week 3: Macro perspective of poverty and Foreign Aid
  Week 4: History and Institutions
  Week 5: Ethnic Divisions
  Week 6: Democracy and Elections
  Week 7: Corruption
  Week 8: Conflict
  Week 9: Improving governance in the field
  Week 10: Behavioral insights in development

• Topics in Economic History

  This is a survey course covering several important topics in economic history. It is designed to be within the mainstream economics tradition in that the focus is on topics and methodology rather than time periods or countries. The aim is to teach students how economists have analysed important and ongoing historical events and trends.

• Topics in Game Theory

  Game Theory uses mathematical models to study and analyze strategic interactions between agents. This module is designed to provide an understanding of the fundamental concepts in game theory as applied to economics in general and microeconomics in particular. The module will cover both the theory and its applications.

• Understanding Financial Crises

  The module's aim is to provide an honours level analysis of the fragility of the financial system and its relevance to the current financial crisis. The course will broadly follow the book "Understanding Financial Crises", Clarendon Lectures in Finance by Franklin Allen and Douglas Gale - both of whom are now Professors at Imperial College London - which is a book that has been used as the basis of an honours level course recently at UCL. The course will include analysis of bank runs and the theory of optimal financial regulation and analysis of the implications of asset price bubbles for financial stability.

• Visual Politics

  There is an urgent need for critical examination of the role of visual media in politics. Many argue that ‘the power of images’ has policymakers, journalists and citizens spellbound. For others, thanks to media technologies it has never been easier for ordinary people to create, disseminate, play with and contest political images. This course examines the role of visual materials and practices in politics and international relations. Students will become familiar with research traditions in the discipline of Politics and IR that engage with visual media, how they conceptualise and conduct research, and the limitations of those traditions. The first half of the course covers core problems and theories and the second half covers methods and case studies. The course is comparative, examining how visual media have operated in different historical eras of politics and across policy issue areas. Assessment by way of traditional essay and online visual story (via Storify) will enable students to demonstrate their understanding of the course content.

  The course is structured as follows and opens with an introduction to visual political communication and moves on to explore producing Images; consuming Images; images, identity and power; and political icons. The course then examines quantitative and qualitative visual methods; environmental politics; welfare politics; nuclear politics; and global crises.

• Visual Writing and Political Analysis

  This module teaches political visual literacy, which is an approach that uses visual methods to interrogate politics. In recent years, scholars of politics have been engaging in ‘visual reading’ analysing politics through visual artefacts. The most recent development of this new field of ‘visual global politics’ is the practice of ‘visual writing’: using visual methods like photography, film and digital editing to produce works that analyse the political world. Political Visual Literacy is the ability to engage in visual literacy for the purpose of political analysis. Throughout the term we will be doing two things. First, we will be surveying the field and learning about ways in which scholars have undertaken political research through visual forms, and ways in which artists have engaged in political analysis. We will learn about the longer history and wider context of creative methods of political analysis, and about the relationship between technology, imaging and the political imaginary. Second, we will work on the level of visual literacy by specialising in digital visual skills and their application namely: photo-editing and the photographic collage, visual data management and the photo essay and non-linear video editing and the desktop documentary. Participants in this module will be able to participate in this new and exciting area in the field of visual politics by employing ‘visual writing’.

• Why and How People Vote

  The way in which people participate in politics is fundamental for the way political systems function. In classical and contemporary theories of democracy, political participation is seen as a way to protect private interests of citizens while simultaneously making sure that good government is practised by political leaders. It is, therefore, not di cult to guess why scholars of politics and international relations have and have had an interest in the question of how and why people come to participate in politics.
  As the primary mechanism with which to implement the principle of popular sovereignty, electoral participation in particular has received attention of academics, policy makers and the media. Once the polling station doors close, the first two questions asked are usually how many people turned out and what did people vote? In this course we will deal with these questions extensively. More generally, this course focusses on the various ways in which individuals directly or indirectly influence political choices at various levels of the political system. It examines the relationship between voters and political parties, and considers the theory and practice of how electors decide whether to vote (or not) and for whom to vote.
  The module contains both a theoretical and an empirical component. Students will be encouraged to assess the evidence for competing explanations of political behaviour through readings drawn from research on countries across Western Europe and North America. Besides an understanding of the main theories and main questions in the field of political behaviour, the course will provide students with a thorough understanding of how to conduct systematic empirical research and critically appraise it.

• Young People's Politics

  The module opens with an introduction and asks What is Young People’s Politics? It then branches out to consider youth, citizenship and democracy, exploring the theoretical and empirical issues that define citizenship in contemporary democracies, focusing on issue that particularly effect young people (especially those raised in the Youth Citizenship Commission). The focus is extended to youth participation in politics, primarily Electoral Politics (e.g. voting, party membership). We will question how and why youth participation in electoral politics has altered. Why did it decline so rapidly after 1997? We will then explore youth participation in politics further by looking at new forms of participation, asking: how has youth participation in non-electoral forms of politics changed in recent decades? What is distinctive about youth participation in politics (e.g. Pattie et al. 2004). Do these changes strengthen or weaken democracy? This leads us to a focus on new values and lifestyles (e.g. increasing prominence of post-materialist concerns versus consumerism). We will question how have changing values and lifestyles impacted upon political participation amongst young people? To what extent are these changes distinctive?

  We will then move on to examine a new state and consider how the relationship between the state and the citizen (and young people, in particular) has changed in recent years (e.g. developments in the welfare state and public services – in particular, youth-focuses services - and in notions of rights and responsibilities e.g. welfare-to-work)? We will ask how has this impacted upon young people’s engagement in politics and society? We then move on to a new democracy, considering how political responsibility has changed/been undermined in recent years (in particular, the transfer of political power to the EU, the international level and NGOs and the changing nature of news media). We will explore what opportunities young people have (or have lost) for engaging in this democracy. The course develops a focus on reform, the Supply-Side (focusing on issues raised by Power Inquiry and Youth Citizenship Commission) and evaluates measures that have been proposed and/or implemented to make electoral politics more attractive to young people. We then propose further measures to improve the situation. The focus on reform continues with the Demand-Side (focusing on education/citizenship education, and the recent International Civic and Citizenship Education Study study). We will evaluate measures that have been proposed and/or implemented to reengage young people in civil society and/or electoral politics. We will again propose further measures to improve the situation. Our final focus will be on young people's politics beyond the UK, looking at how the disengagement of young people in politics has developed (e.g. the US Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report). We will consider how this has been addressed in other countries, proposing lessons that may be drawn by the UK.