Overview
On our four-year BA Global Studies with Politics (including foundation year), we work with you to develop your subject-specific knowledge, and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further three years of undergraduate study at Essex.
You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.
How have societies interacted with one and other over time? How do we manage the relationships and conflicts between nations? What impact has globalisation had on our political economies and cultures? These are all profound questions of the modern world we live in.
To understand the contemporary challenges that exist in our world, we must understand the geographies, politics, histories and relations that have shaped our environment. In this course, you will investigate how democracies operate, how our world is shaped by dominant ideas of capitalism and colonialism, and how historical events affect current affairs.
You will study topics including but not limited to:
- War, and the war on terror
- International relations
- Political power
- Globalisation
- Migration
At Essex we train our students to be fearless and independent, to question everything and to draw on the broadest possible range of facts and ideas.
Based in our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre, you will be taught by experts from a range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences.
You will also be taught by academics from our Department of Government – one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We have always been the highest-rated politics department in the UK for our research (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014) and we are top 5 in the UK for social science research (REF 2014).
Study abroad
Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.
Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.
If you spend a full year abroad you’ll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won’t pay any tuition fees to your host university.
Placement year
When you arrive at Essex, you can decide whether you would like to combine your course with a placement year. You will be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre.
If you complete a placement year you’ll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.
Our expert staff
We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. Plus, some of the biggest names in the field of politics teach and research at Essex, giving you unparalleled access to some of the best minds in political science. Our staff are advising the CIA on counter-terrorism, training politicians and civil servants in democratising countries, and commentating on political events in national and international media.
On this course you’ll be taught by staff from around the university, active researchers who study Latin America, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe, as well as issues that stretch across regions. Get to know us.
Specialist facilities
- Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the largest of its kind in Europe
- Our Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence provides a forum for pan-European research
- Our Albert Sloman Library’s collections of Latin American, Russian and Eastern European materials are of national significance
Your future
Our graduates are well-placed to address the complex issues which confront the modern world. You can gain a diverse set of skills as well as a wide-ranging knowledge of the world’s most current and significant problems.
Our course provides you with an excellent basis for going onto a career in media, education, politics, the Civil Service, international organisations such as the UN and NATO or non-governmental organisations, and many other fields.
Our Centre’s recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of desirable roles including an events co-ordinator for Age UK, a business provision manager for BT, an accountant in London, and an account executive for Bluesky PR.
We also work with our Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Why we’re great
- We equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed at Essex and beyond.
- Guarantee your place on your chosen course if you successfully complete your foundation year at Essex.
- Small class sizes allow you to work closely with your teachers and classmates.
Structure
Course structure
We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists.
Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore all modules listed are subject to change. Your course structure could differ based on the modules you choose. To view the compulsory modules and full list of optional modules currently on offer, please view the programme specification via the link below.
Teaching and learning disclaimer
Following the impact of the pandemic, we made changes to our teaching and assessment to ensure our current students could continue with their studies uninterrupted and safely. These changes included courses being taught through blended delivery, normally including some face-to-face teaching, online provision, or a combination of both across the year.
The teaching and assessment methods listed show what is currently approved for 2022 entry; changes may be necessary if, by the beginning of this course, we need to adapt the way we’re delivering them due to the external environment, and to allow you to continue to receive the best education possible safely and seamlessly.
Placement
On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.
Year abroad
On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.
Teaching
- Taught through lectures plus seminars of about twenty students
- You take a one-hour lecture and a one-hour class for each of your modules every week
Assessment
- Assessed through a combination of written coursework and end-of-year examinations
- Other assessment methods will depend on your individual combination of subjects
