BA (Hons) Politics

Our webinars, subject masterclasses, question and answer sessions, and student panel talks are a great way to discover what it is like to live and study at the University of Lincoln.

How You Study

The first year offers a broad introduction to the institutions and structures of power in Britain, relationships between nations, and key concepts and thinkers in the social sciences. Students can then progress to consider the core ideas underpinning politics and closely linked disciplines, such as international relations. They can begin to apply these to the study of politics in a range of settings including the USA, the EU, the Middle East, and Asia.

The final year provides opportunities to explore the many ways in which those wielding power are held to account. Students can examine contemporary political challenges such as migration, terrorism, state violence, inequality, gender, sexuality, and societies undergoing political transformation. A core module, Parliamentary Studies, is run in collaboration with the UK Parliament and co-delivered by Lincoln academics and parliamentary staff to give a unique insight into their careers.

The programme aims to equip students with a deep and broad understanding of politics as a discipline, a concept, and an activity, and with a range of transferable research skills. Politics at Lincoln is designed to give students the opportunity to develop transferable skills including oral, written and visual presentation skills, policy analysis, statistical data processing, and public speaking.

In addition to lectures and seminars, staff use a range of media to deliver teaching materials including blogs and Twitter. A number of the modules include weekly screenings of documentaries and movies designed to examine the discussion of politics in the media and popular culture. A range of external speakers including those involved in politics at local and national levels also aims to provide an insight into the real world of politics.

Studying Politics at Lincoln aims to combine directed and independent learning. Each module is usually delivered by means of a weekly lecture and an associated weekly seminar. The seminars are designed to provide an opportunity for students to discuss issues raised in the lecture and engage in critical reflection on set readings. Students will also have the opportunity to meet with module leaders in tutorial sessions. As well as directed study, students are expected to undertake independent learning utilising traditional library resources as well as a wide range of electronic resources.

First Year

• Applying Research (Social Sciences) (Core)
• Global Conflicts and Contexts (Core)
• Who Runs Britain? Power, Politics and Beyond (Core)
• Key Social Science Concepts (Option)†

Second Year

• Applied Politics (Core)
• Comparative Politics and Policy (Core)
• Political Parties (Core)
• Researching Politics and International Relations (Core)
• Thinking Politics (Core)
• (Re)Reading the Sociological Canon I (Option)†
• (Re)reading the Sociological Canon II (Option)†
• Challenges of European Politics (Option)†
• Conceptualising Sex Work (Option)†
• Crime in Literature (Option)†
• Debating Welfare States (Option)†
• Foreign Policy Analysis (Option)†
• Governing America (Option)†
• Ideology into Practice (Option)†
• Intelligence and Security Law (Option)†
• Internationalising Cultural Studies (Option)†
• Model United Nations (Option)†
• Nations and Nationalism (Option)†
• Policing Crime and Deviance (Option)†
• Psychology in the Criminal Justice Process (Option)†
• Social Engagement (Option)†
• Sociology of Education (Option)†
• Strategic Studies (Option)†
• The Politics of Sex and Sexuality (Option)†
• The Vigilant State: intelligence and national security (Option)†
• Thinking International Relations (Option)†
• Transnational Security Studies (Option)†
• Understanding Domestic Abuse (Option)†
• Understanding the City (Option)†
• Understanding the European Union (Option)†
• Welfare Policy and Work (Option)†
• Work and Society (Option)†
• Youth Justice (Option)†
• Youth, Culture and Resistance (Option)†

Third Year

• Global Civil Society (Core)
• Independent Study (Politics and International Relations) (Core)
• Parliamentary Studies (Core)
• Analysing the Policy Process (Option)†
• Body Politics (Option)†
• Care or control? Welfare institutions in Britain before the welfare state (Option)†
• Central Asia in Global Politics (Option)†
• Children, Families and the State (Option)†
• Counter-Terrorism Studies (Option)†
• Crimes of the Powerful (Option)†
• Emotions in Everyday Social Life (Option)†
• Experiencing Prison (Option)†
• Global Governance (Option)†
• Human Rights (Social Sciences) (Option)†
• International Law (Option)†
• International Relations of the Middle East (Option)†
• Multiculturalism and Britishness (Option)†
• Penology and Penal Policy (Option)†
• Police Studies (Option)†
• Race and Racism (Option)†
• Terrorism and Extremism in the United Kingdom (Option)†
• The Colonial Present (Option)†
• The Developing World (Option)†
• The Politics of Energy (Option)†
• The Politics of Global Health (Option)†
• The Politics of Masculinity (Option)†
• The Politics of Migration in the UK and Western Europe (Option)†
• Understanding the Policy Process (Option)†
• War Crimes and Genocide (Option)†

† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

How You Are Assessed

This course features a diverse assessment regime which aims to provide students with in-depth subject knowledge and a range of transferable skills. Students can expect to be assessed on their oral and written presentation skills, their ability to collect and analyse data in a number of different forms, their analytical skills including statistical analysis, and their ability to work on their own and as part of a team. Staff delivering this programme aim to provide supportive, detailed, personalised and consistent feedback throughout the duration of the course.

The way students are assessed in this course may vary for each module. Examples of assessment methods that may be used include coursework, such as written assignments, reports or dissertations; practical exams, such as presentations, performances or observations; and written exams, such as formal examinations or in-class tests.

The University of Lincoln's policy is to ensure that staff return assessments to students promptly.

How You Study

The first year offers a broad introduction to the institutions and structures of power in Britain, relationships between nations, and key concepts and thinkers in the social sciences. Students can then progress to consider the core ideas underpinning politics and closely linked disciplines, such as international relations. They can begin to apply these to the study of politics in a range of settings including the USA, the EU, the Middle East, and Asia.

The final year provides opportunities to explore the many ways in which those wielding power are held to account. Students can examine contemporary political challenges such as migration, terrorism, state violence, inequality, gender, sexuality, and societies undergoing political transformation. A core module, Parliamentary Studies, is run in collaboration with the UK Parliament and co-delivered by Lincoln academics and parliamentary staff to give unique insight into their careers.

The programe aims to equip students with a deep and broad understanding of politics as a discipline, a concept, and an activity, and with a range of transferable research skills. Politics at Lincoln is designed to give students the opportunity to develop transferable skills including oral, written and visual presentation skills, policy analysis, statistical data processing, and public speaking.

In addition to lectures and seminars, staff use a range of media to deliver teaching materials including blogs and Twitter. A number of the modules include weekly screenings of documentaries and movies designed to examine the discussion of politics in the media and popular culture. A range of external speakers including those involved in politics at local and national level also aim to provide an insight into the real world of politics.

Studying Politics at Lincoln aims to combine directed and independent learning. Each module is usually delivered by means of a weekly lecture and an associated weekly seminar. The seminars are designed to provide an opportunity for students to discuss issues raised in the lecture and engage in critical reflection on set readings. Students will also have the opportunity to meet with module leaders in tutorial sessions. As well as directed study, students are expected to undertake independent learning utilising traditional library resources as well as a wide range of electronic resources.

Graduates have gone on to positions across the public sector, including central and local government, policy development within parliament, lobbying or research with think tanks, and the charity and not-for-profit sectors. A number have continued on to postgraduate study or professional training.