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PO-209
The State and Political Institutions
This module allows participants to explore and scrutinize some of the key contemporary debates on the state and political institution within the framework of comparative political science ¿ or comparative politics. Comparative politics involves describing, comparing, and explaining political phenomena around the world. It asks questions such as how do different countries¿ political systems compare to one another and why are they similar or different? Why are some countries democratic while others are authoritarian? How do states become democratic? What effect does having a presidential form of government rather than a parliamentary one have on public policy outputs? How do rules for elections differ across countries and what effects do they have on politics? Why do some countries have a multiparty political system while others have a two-party system?
This course will help you answer these questions and will provide you with the tools to tackle more complex questions in comparative politics. Rather than studying a handful of countries in detail, we will concentrate on taking a scientific approach to studying comparative politics. We will emphasize important concepts, theories, and empirical questions and research findings. You will have the opportunity to focus on politics in one specific country (see country assignments below). However, the goal is not to make you experts on specific countries, but rather to give you the tools to study countries comparatively and help you to understand why politics looks the way it does around the world.
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PO-209A
The State and Political Institutions
This module allows participants to explore and scrutinize some of the key contemporary debates on the state and political institution within the framework of comparative political science ¿ or comparative politics. Comparative politics involves describing, comparing, and explaining political phenomena around the world. It asks questions such as how do different countries¿ political systems compare to one another and why are they similar or different? Why are some countries democratic while others are authoritarian? How do states become democratic? What effect does having a presidential form of government rather than a parliamentary one have on public policy outputs? How do rules for elections differ across countries and what effects do they have on politics? Why do some countries have a multiparty political system while others have a two-party system?
This course will help you answer these questions and will provide you with the tools to tackle more complex questions in comparative politics. Rather than studying a handful of countries in detail, we will concentrate on taking a scientific approach to studying comparative politics. We will emphasize important concepts, theories, and empirical questions and research findings. You will have the opportunity to focus on politics in one specific country (see country assignments below). However, the goal is not to make you experts on specific countries, but rather to give you the tools to study countries comparatively and help you to understand why politics looks the way it does around the world.
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PO-249
Global Summit Simulation
`A Global Summit is to be held bringing together leaders of governments and states to negotiate a new peace agreement, trade deal, or climate goals. Each leader has their own interests based on the situation in their country (military, economic, public opinion) but some have a stronger interest in coming out of the Summit with a new agreement than others. Against the backdrop of an active, mobilised global civil society campaigning for change in people¿s lives (e.g. peace, prosperity, sustainability), government leaders come together for a two day Summit behind closed doors to find common ground and negotiate an agreement.¿
This module is practice-oriented and provides an opportunity for students to investigate real-world actors and their interests on a selected global issue. Each year, one global issue will take centre stage for the simulated negotiation following the format of a Global Summit. Individually or in small groups, students will develop a strategy for the assigned actor argue, defend and try to find common ground during the 2-day negotiations at the Summit.
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PO-3329
Project - Global Challenges
This module serves as the Capstone final year project course for the Leadership for Global Challenges programme. The module allows students to undertake in-depth and applied research project on an academic or practical topic. Students undertake an independent research project in small groups. Each group will be provided with a project from a real organisation / office (your project provider) that has been facilitated by the employability team.
The project will be focused on solving a real challenge identified by your project provider. These are real challenges that the provider needs assistance with. The student¿s role is to work in a group and to use their academic knowledge and primary research to address the challenge, generating a report with recommendations evidenced by data and academic analysis.
The module runs across two terms. In the first term, students will learn about key stages of the policy-making process and discuss ways in which different actors can influence the process. Students are tasked to research the given problem, identify feasible solutions, research the potential impact of these solutions, and give recommendations to the project provider based on their research findings.
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POLM10
Democracy in Motion: Building, Breaking, and Rebuilding Political Regimes
How do the rules and structures of government shape the way democracies function¿or falter? This course invites you to explore the foundations of democratic governance and the real-world impact of constitutional and institutional choices.
Since the 1970s, the number of electoral democracies has grown significantly. Yet, many longstanding and younger democracies face serious challenges. Today, debates about the health of democracy are everywhere¿some argue that liberal democracy is under threat, while others point to the rise of populism and challenges to human rights. Events like the Arab Spring have shown just how difficult it can be to build stable democratic institutions, and many countries have undergone incomplete or fragile democratic transitions.
What will you learn?
¿ The core principles and processes behind constitutional design
¿ How institutional choices affect accountability, participation, and representation
¿ The impact of institutional design on welfare, peace, and the quality of democracy
Key questions we¿ll explore:
¿ How do countries approach constitutional design, and what goals do they pursue?
¿ What mechanisms can strengthen democratic governance?
¿ How do different institutional elements interact?
¿ What are the consequences of institutional choices for good governance?
Interactive Activity: As part of the course, you¿ll take on the role of a constitutional advisor. You¿ll be given a scenario involving a country in democratic crisis and tasked with designing a new institutional framework to help stabilise the situation. This hands-on exercise will challenge you to apply theoretical insights to real-world problems and think critically about the trade-offs involved in institutional design.
By the end of the module, you will:
¿ Be familiar with major debates in comparative politics about democracy and institutions
¿ Understand both theoretical frameworks and practical implications of institutional choices
¿ Be able to assess reform proposals and democratic transitions in a comparative context
Whether you¿re interested in political science, international relations, or simply want to understand the forces shaping today¿s democracies, this course will equip you with analytical tools to engage with the big questions[H.
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POLM16
People, Place, and Democratic Innovation: Investigating Local Democracy in Comparative Perspective
This module explores the foundations, challenges, and innovations shaping local democracy today. You will discuss key theories and work with survey data to research different perspectives on what local government is expected to deliver, how well it is doing, and how citizens and representatives engage with each other for improving democracy.
Key topics and questions we¿ll explore:
¿ We will start with the bigger questions ¿ Why do we ¿go local¿? What makes local democracy unique? ¿ and discuss theories like Public Choice or Democratic Participation, and key ideas about the `optimal¿ level of decentralisation.
¿ Political elites and role perception: Who are the people behind local politics? How do they understand their roles? What motivates them to choose this career and how do their career paths look like? What are their experiences in the job (e.g. influence, satisfaction, workload, or abuse)?
¿ Elections and participation: How do citizens engage at the local level? Are there variations between and across countries? We¿ll look at voting behaviour and democratic innovations involving citizens more directly in decision-making processes.
¿ Places and communities: Does where you live shape your political experience? Explore urban¿rural divides, perceptions of being ¿left behind,¿ and how these influence policy priorities.
¿ Practical research skills: You¿ll work with real datasets on local autonomy, councillor careers, and citizen participation and learn how to use descriptive statistics, cross-tabs, and interpret statistical outputs often used to inform policy-making and political analysis.
Skills you¿ll gain:
- Critical understanding of local governance theories
- Data analysis skills using real political datasets
- Ability to design and test research questions
- Interpretation of statistical outputs for political science
This module will be suitable for you if you are interested in exploring arguments and evidence about how citizens and political elites view democracy and decision-making processes in different contexts. By the end, you¿ll not only understand the theories and structures of local governance but also gain hands-on experience with data analysis and research design. This is your chance to connect political ideas with real-world evidence¿and maybe even challenge some assumptions about local democracy[H.
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POLM17
Dissertation
Throughout your MA course, you¿ve been developing towards this point ¿ the dissertation. You are emerging scholars with fresh insights and depths of knowledge, and this is the time to put these to work and produce an original contribution to the field that you can be proud of.
Over the late spring and Summer, with the extensive support of a supervisor expert in your area (and building on your existing methodology modules), you¿ll scope out, design, and conduct an independent project of study on a topic of your choosing, pursuing the questions that motivate your interest in the subject. You might be poring over declassified intelligence agency archives looking for evidence of complicity in mass violence, charting the everyday politics of energy and logistics that (quite literally) keeps the lights on, or answering the big questions about where we¿re going in an increasingly precarious twenty-first century ¿ this is a chance for you to truly spread your wings and research what interests you.
Between this extended project, and the accompanying presentation of your findings, this represents the culmination of your studies, building on all the modules you¿ve studied and skills you¿ve gathered. This is a great opportunity to develop detailed knowledge of a particular field, hone competencies that will make you a skilled researcher and policy advocate in the real world, give you skills managing a major research project.
