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FY-019
Social Science
In a complex, ever-changing world, social sciences offer a way to understand contemporary social, political, and cultural life.
You will be introduced to the critical and exciting field of social science. In a world that appears at times complex, at times changing, social science promises to help us explain and understand important structures, behaviours, and issues that impact our very lives. You will engage in a diverse range of disciplines: politics, international relations, development studies, education, early childhood studies, and linguistics.
You will query: what is power and how does it affect society and me? What is the purpose of education, and how should we understand childhood? Is war inevitable, is progress? What is the nature of language and how does it evolve?
You will practice: critical thinking and dialogue with peers, in-depth analytical and writing skills on a focused topic in your degree programme, as well as communication and confidence-building skills in presenting.
You will conclude: in what ways do the social sciences make sense of our world today?
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PO-222A
Global Justice and Human Rights in the Age of Globalisation
In a globalised world, defined as much by its problems as its promises ¿ by those who have, and those who have not ¿ global justice and human rights offer a compelling opportunity to imagine a better future. But what role, if any, can global justice and human rights play?
Globalisation has transformed our world. Yet whether it is a `just¿ world, where the most vulnerable and marginalised have their most basic human rights protected, is increasingly uncertain. Globalisation has made us more aware, and more capable, of responding to¿human suffering, but it has also exposed us to profound challenges from political disillusionment to political extremism, from ongoing conflicts to the climate emergency, from widening inequalities to the rise of China. How we attempt to alleviate human suffering and pursue global justice is one of the defining moral, political, and legal challenges of our globalised world.
You will explore:
¿ Perspectives and paradoxes of globalisation and how we might navigate the tension between `progress¿ and global justice
¿ Human rights as a central pillar in a nascent global constitutional order and the role they play in shaping global justice
¿ Real-world case studies of (in)justice
You will ask
¿ What inequalities, and opportunities, does globalisation create and perpetuate?
¿ To what extent do we, as individuals, have a moral duty to help others?
¿ What role do states, the UN and international law, and human rights defenders play in promoting and protecting our human rights?
¿ Can our best intentions be reconciled with the realities of¿recent wars, democracy in crisis, and persistent inequality between the Global North and Global South?
And you will conclude: where do global justice and human rights fit in our globalised world?
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POL2002
Global Justice and Human Rights in the Age of Globalisation
In a globalised world, defined as much by its problems as its promises ¿ by those who have, and those who have not ¿ global justice and human rights offer a compelling opportunity to imagine a better future. But what role, if any, can global justice and human rights play?
Globalisation has transformed our world. Yet whether it is a `just¿ world, where the most vulnerable and marginalised have their most basic human rights protected, is increasingly uncertain. Globalisation has made us more aware, and more capable, of responding to human suffering, but it has also exposed us to profound challenges from political disillusionment to political extremism, from ongoing conflicts to the climate emergency, from widening inequalities to the rise of China. How we attempt to alleviate human suffering and pursue global justice is one of the defining moral, political, and legal challenges of our globalised world.
You will explore:
¿ Perspectives and paradoxes of globalisation and how we might navigate the tension between `progress¿ and global justice
¿ Human rights as a central pillar in a nascent global constitutional order and the role they play in shaping global justice
¿ Real-world case studies of (in)justice
You will ask
¿ What inequalities, and opportunities, does globalisation create and perpetuate?
¿ To what extent do we, as individuals, have a moral duty to help others?
¿ What role do states, the UN and international law, and human rights defenders play in promoting and protecting our human rights?
¿ Can our best intentions be reconciled with the realities of recent wars, democracy in crisis, and persistent inequality between the Global North and Global South?
And you will conclude: where do global justice and human rights fit in with our globalised world?
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POLM04
Humanitarian Affairs
In this module, you¿ll explore the questions of international conflict and humanitarian response. Mass violence and atrocity killing plagued the twentieth century, and the twenty first century seems to be little different. When we¿re confronted with this, we want to do something about it. But what? Through an empirically rich multidisciplinary approach ¿ including history, international law, genocide studies, and security studies ¿ you will examine the promises and pitfalls of humanitarian thought and action today. Can we stop genocidal movements before they even emerge? When is it right to intervene in another country¿s civil war (and who decides)? Are reconciliation and justice possible in a world dominated by vested interests and political power[DJ4.1]?
You¿ll begin with an overview of the field, looking at the frameworks that have emerged to govern this field, such as human rights, humanitarian law, and `just war¿ theory. After this, you¿ll use these to look at what these mean in practice - examining the mechanics involved in non-military and military interventions, and the actors, agencies, and forces involved. Finally, you¿ll look at future developments in humanitarian action and global justice. What challenges and opportunities are offered by our shared and uncertain future?
This module is aimed at a diverse audience, and designed to be useful for a wide range of future plans. Whether you¿re interested in a career in the humanitarian. International policy, or NGO sector, you want to pursue further academic research in a wide variety of fields, or you¿re simply passionate about the subject, you¿ll find the skills, knowledge, and insights to pursue your interest in the topic here.
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POLM07
Rights-based Approaches to Development
In a world divided, defined as much by its problems as its promises ¿ those who have, and those who don¿t ¿ human rights-inspired approaches to development offer a compelling opportunity to reshape the world for the better. But what role, if any, can RBADs play?
Development is changing ¿ since the dawn of the new millennium the incorporation of human rights into development discourse and policy and practice has changed how we think about, and `do¿, development. In this module you¿ll consider how rights-based approaches to development (RBAD) have emerged as part of a new orthodoxy with respect to international development policy. RBADs provide a distinctive language for analysing poverty as a complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon and for analysing governance as a process that responds directly to people¿s claims, entitlements, and rights. They direct attention to aspects of poverty traditionally neglected in development policy at national and international levels and to contested phenomena such as `the capabilities approach¿ (Amartya Sen and others) and `structural violence¿ (Galtung 1968, Farmer 2005 and others). Nevertheless, RBADs remain uncertain. You will critically debate key tensions and challenges that persist in both their ethics and application. You will negotiate challenging case studies amidst the recent rise of populist, nativist and atavistic nationalism, threats to democracy, and the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic, which represent significant threats to the protection and promotion of human rights and to the implementation of rights-based approaches to development throughout the world.
You will explore: 1/ the emergence of RBAD and their promise, 2/ the policy commitments of donors and governments and the obligations imposed on donors and governments by international human rights law, 3/ real-world case studies, in particular a focus on the impact of RBADs on the ongoing challenges presented in the right to water and sanitation.
You will query: How does the protection and promotion of human rights advance the cause of international development? How does a rights-based approach to development contrast with other approaches to development, such as needs-based or supply-driven development or orthodox development strategies such as structural adjustment and ideological frameworks such as neoliberalism? To what extent are rights-based approaches to development underpinned by international law, and operationalised in development policy and practice and what dilemmas arise? How successful have attempts to enhance and protect the rights of women and children been, or to assert the fundamental right to water and sanitation[DJ1.1]?
And you¿ll conclude: to what extent do RBADs offer a genuinely fairer, `developed¿ world for all?
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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.
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SSR100
Being a Social Scientist
This interdisciplinary module provides you with an introductory foundation to research methods relevant to the social sciences, with a particular focus on contemporary issues across criminology, sociology, politics, education, economics, international relations, philosophy and social policy. It is designed to support you in developing the critical academic skills necessary for success in higher education and beyond.
Through engaging with real-world case studies and current debates, you will learn how to gather, evaluate, and interpret information from a wide range of sources¿including academic texts, journal articles, policy documents, digital media, and news outlets. The module encourages you to think critically about how knowledge is constructed and communicated within different disciplines and societal contexts.
You will explore key themes such as justice, inequality, social problems and global issues, while developing practical research and academic skills including literature reviews, data analysis, referencing, and academic writing. The module also provides structured opportunities to reflect on and strengthen core study skills such as academic reading, note-taking, argument construction, and effective communication.
Designed to be intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking, this module aims to broaden your perspective, deepen your understanding of pressing social issues, and equip you with the tools to conduct independent research and contribute meaningfully to academic and policy discussions.
