Integrated Foundation - Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - International Relations and Politics

The four-year International Relations and Politics programme at Derby includes a foundation year, which provides a head start in academic and professional development. The foundation year allows students to strengthen their skills, knowledge, and confidence with extensive support from expert staff before advancing to stage one of the honours degree. This option is also beneficial for those planning a career change and wishing to gain familiarity with new subject areas. Degrees with a foundation year are continuous, so students do not need to reapply after successfully completing the first year. The programme is future-focused and encourages an interdisciplinary and problem-solving approach to global issues through connections between world history, current affairs, and contemporary policy challenges, including the climate crisis and the digital transition. The curriculum focuses on contemporary policy issues at national and international levels, with topics such as environmental politics, international security, activism and protest movements, the history and politics of China and India, and digital journalism. Students engage with a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, including political and international relations theory, qualitative and quantitative methods, historical methods, communication and media studies, and journalistic techniques. The course includes employability-focused modules to develop solutions for challenges faced by different stakeholders, including businesses, governments, NGOs, and charities, and offers global study abroad opportunities at partner universities in Europe, the United States, and Asia. The programme adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to world affairs and global issues, drawing on politics, history, journalism, and communication studies. It embeds the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a curriculum that promotes sustainability and sustainable development. Key subject areas include environmental politics, equality and political activism, and innovative approaches to peace and international security. The programme equips students with a profound understanding of dynamic processes affecting human societies, polities, and the planet, fostering critical faculties to navigate and influence complex global challenges. Students examine evolving political and international systems, developing attributes such as open-mindedness, curiosity, adaptability, and resilience, which are highly valued by employers. The programme incorporates weekly analysis of current events, covering political developments, technological and scientific breakthroughs, economic matters, and social movements. Assessments, including portfolios, policy briefs, and data analysis, alongside employability-focused modules, cultivate competencies in influencing political and social agendas, negotiating, and communicating research findings. The course spans a broad range of subjects, including politics, international relations, anthropology, cultural studies, economics, data science, sociology, geography, history, languages, international development, philosophy, marketing, and media. Topics explored include political activism, contested cultures and norms, governance, global grand challenges, power structures, environmental politics, climate change, inequalities of gender, race, and resources, decolonisation, international security and conflict, globalisation, and civil liberties. Certain modules are designed with flexibility to adapt content in response to emerging themes, crises, and political and social developments, allowing students to analyse issues from multiple perspectives. Additionally, students gain a foundational understanding of data science to critically assess claims made by politicians and organisations in a statistics-driven society. The programme is globally and culturally diverse, welcoming students from around the world and offering opportunities to study abroad through the university’s Global Opportunities initiative. International study develops confidence, independence, and communication skills, and students may participate in community projects supporting diverse social groups locally. Students also have opportunities to solve real-world problems and present solutions to external audiences. In the second year, employability-focused modules involve working with organisations or companies on projects that recommend or implement change. In the third year, students undertake independent research projects on specific policy problems, developing expertise in a chosen area and presenting findings at conferences. Past students have presented on challenges faced by local charities and businesses, including Toyota UK and Community Action Derby, particularly regarding the implementation of corporate social responsibility principles in practice.