Political and Social Sciences

War, global instability, and inequality. Terrorism, migration, and fascism. The rise of AI and climate change. 

These issues shape the contemporary political and ethical landscape and urge us to examine them carefully in order to navigate our world.

This course explores the idea of ethical behaviour and the ethical self in the twenty-first century. Students will be encouraged to see ethical answers in the ‘poly-crisis’ of modern life.

What does it mean to be British in one of the most diverse countries in the world today? How did the rich ethnic tapestry that constitutes Britain in the early twenty-first century come into being?

This course aims to give students the knowledge and tools to analyse contemporary struggles over the environment and place them in their historical context.

This course provides insights into how economic concepts directly impact the natural environment, from the development of international policies to the vast ramifications of single individuals’ choices.

This course examines the development of Irish nationalism, the struggle for Irish independence and the development of a separate identity in the north-east of Ireland.

This course looks at the key political developments in twentieth-century Britain from 1900 to the present.

Power is a much misunderstood concept, variously invoked as constructive, liberating, coercive and conspiratorial. How can we best understand it?

This course takes a sociological and anthropological approach to one of the few experiences indisputably common to all human beings, indeed all living things. Students will be introduced to a rich variety of critical and cultural understandings of death, the dead and dying matters, and explore how dying, mourning and funerary practices vary in time and space across societies.

What are the best paths towards a sustainable future in post-modern societies? In an era marked by unprecedented ecological crises, the necessity for a sustainable future is at the core of debates within the most important governmental, social, and economic institutions worldwide.

In this course, students will examine and critically analyse the implications of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 agenda, and explore and debate how these objectives are shaping the reality of post-modern societies.

How does the UK media characterise British society and its relationship with the outside world? Is the media a tool to protect or criticise powerful organisations?

The UK’s political system exists in fascinating contrast to that of the USA, with which it is too often uncritically compared.

Wera Hobhouse, Member of Parliament for Bath, and her team offer the successful applicant ‘real life’ exposure to a busy working political environment.

Students can choose an aspect of the discipline of Law—for example a comparative analysis of two legal system, or philosophical issues such as justice and ethics—to study in depth.