Description

Please read the following information carefully when choosing and registering your modules.

Your total credits must reach 120 for the year. All optional modules in your third year should be at level 6.

Certain modules may not to be available to students from certain programmes. If a module is unavailable to your programme,
this is either because:

(a) There is significant content overlap with a compulsory module on your programme;

or

(b) There is programme-specific prior learning necessary to succeed on the module and other students would therefore be at a
disadvantage.

If you do not meet the required pre-requisites, you are not eligible to take the module.

Semester 1 modules

Semester 2 modules

Full year modules

 Table of contents

Semester 1
6SSPP314
6SSPP315
6SSPP317
6SSPP329
6SSPP330
6SSPP332
6SSPP333
6SSPP343
6SSPP358
6SSPP365
6SSPP378
6SSPP386
6SSPP387
6SSPP398
6SSPP406
6SSPP407

Semester 2
6SSPP306
6SSPP309
6SSPP342
6SSPP348
6SSPP349
6SSPP353
6SSPP360
6SSPP363
6SSPP373
6SSPP375
6SSPP376
6SSPP384
6SSPP389
6SSPP393
6SSPP397
6SSPP403
6SSPP404

Full Year
6SSPP352
6SSPP394
 Semester 1

The modules in this section run in Semester 1.

Module Code Module Name

6SSPP314 Advanced Texts in the History of Political Thought

6SSPP315 Political Economy of the Middle East

6SSPP317 Political Islam

6SSPP329 The Economics of Crime

6SSPP330 Economic Policy-Making

6SSPP332 Behavioural Political Economy

6SSPP333 Development Economics

6SSPP343 Topics in Advanced Microeconomics

6SSPP358 The Politics of International Trade

6SSPP365 Advanced Macroeconomics

6SSPP378 American Foreign Policy

6SSPP386 Statistics for Political Science 2

6SSPP387 Ideology and Identity In World Politics

6SSPP398 Critical Theory

6SSPP406 Political Economy of Global Finance

6SSPP407 States and Societies in the Global South

 6SSPP314

Advanced Texts in the History of Political Thought

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

History & PE

Economics

Liberal Arts (3 places)

ECS (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenors: Dr Paul Sagar and Professor Robin Douglass

Pre-requisites: None. However, this is an advanced module, so having previously studied some history of political thought
(especially 5SSPP202/5SSPP294) is a major advantage.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay (100%). Students may also submit an optional formative essay, on which they will receive
feedback before submitting their summative essay.
Teaching format: 2-hour seminar every week. Seminars will be run in a reading group format, based on selections from
primary-text material.

Overview

This is a specialist module where we engage in a sustained and close reading of one main text, which, for next year, will be
Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments. As its title suggests, The Theory of Moral Sentiments is a work of moral
philosophy, and one of the questions that we will consider is how it relates to Smith’s more famous work of political economy,
The Wealth of Nations. Please be aware, however, that the focus of this module is Smith’s moral philosophy, rather than his
political economy.

We will spend several weeks reading The Theory of Moral Sentiments slowly and carefully, as one of the main aims of the
module is to give students the opportunity to study a canonical text in the history of moral and political philosophy in far
greater depth than on other modules. In some weeks, we will also look at selections from other philosophers that Smith
responded to, such as Bernard Mandeville and David Hume, or his critics, such as Sophie de Grouchy. We will also read some
selections from Smith’s Lectures on Jurisprudence and The Wealth of Nations.

There are no specific prerequisites for this module, but students must be comfortable reading, probing, and analysing
complex works of moral and political philosophy in considerable detail. This will be particularly valuable experience for anyone
considering studying political theory or related disciplines at postgraduate level. The two-hour seminars (without any lectures)
allow us plenty of time to analyse the texts very closely, and students who regularly attend and participate will thus benefit
from this format (while students who do not complete the reading and attend regularly will find it very difficult to keep up and
struggle in the assessment).

Provisional schedule

Week 1: Mandeville on the Origin of Virtue

Week 2: Hume on Self-love, Justice, and Utility

Week 3: Smith on Propriety and Sympathy

Week 4: Smith and Grouchy on the Distinction of Ranks and Moral Corruption

Week 5: Smith on Justice

Week 6: Smith on Duty and the Impartial Spectator

Week 7: Smith on Utility and Custom

Week 8: Smith on the Character of Virtue

Week 9: Smith on Liberty and Slavery

Week 10: Smith on the Duties of the Sovereign

Core reading

Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP315

Political Economy of the Middle East

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Ferdinand Eibl

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2,500-word essay (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

What is the role of the state in Arab economies? How have colonialism and early Islamic institutions shaped development in
the region? How has oil wealth affected economic development and politics in the Middle East? How has politics shaped Arab
labour markets and social policies? The course seeks to answer these and related questions by critically examining theoretical
approaches in the field of political economy and applying them to the Middle East.

Designed as a broad introduction to the political economy of the region, the course is organised thematically and analyses
various Middle Eastern case studies through the lens of political economy. Doing so will familiarise students with key concepts
in the field of political economy, such as rentier and developmental state, crony capitalism, patronage and clientelism, while
assessing their applicability in the context of the Middle East. We will do so both from a macro and micro perspective, looking
at the institutions and actors that have shaped Middle Eastern political economy.

The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the theories and practices of Middle Eastern political regimes
and their approaches to economic development, thus enabling them to appreciate and participate in the debates and
discussions on the region.

Aims

This module will give students:

1. To provide students with the tools to address the theoretical approaches underpinning the development of Middle
Eastern countries, with special focus on the role of the state and its institutions in the development process.

2. To provide students, through case studies, with an understanding of the political actors and economic forces that affect
and determine the levels of economic growth in the Middle East region.

3. To provide students with the opportunity to develop their analytical, research, presentation and writing skills.

4. To provide students with the relevant employability and professional skills.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding by being able to:

1. Critically assess the political and economic forces that determine the development process in Middle Eastern countries.
2. Apply the theories and methods of political economy to the Arab world.
3. Appreciate the relationship between political reforms, politics, and economic development.

Intellectual, practical, affective, and transferable skills by being able to:

1. Apply rigorous political economy theories to the political and economies realities in the Middle East.
2. By writing assignments, presenting in class, and by participating in class discussion, students will develop skills of
analytical and integrative thinking, and learn to communicate effectively and creatively.
3. Students will develop their research skills by improving their literacy of socio-economic indicators and quantitative
research.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP317

Political Islam
Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

PPL

History & PE

KBS (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Michael Farquhar

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 500 Word Formative Essay (unassessed), 2,500 Word Summative Essay (90%) & Class Participation (10%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module introduces students to key debates about the nature and characteristics of “political Islam”. The module assumes
no prior knowledge of Islam or political Islam; it is designed to be accessible to those who have not studied these themes
before whilst also allowing those with some prior knowledge to further develop their thinking on the topic. While grounded in
a political science approach, it draws on a variety of other disciplines (including history, anthropology, sociology, religious
studies and international relations) to provide a diverse set of analytical tools for making sense of this complex and
multifaceted phenomenon. The course is structured around a set of themes which are central to understanding the
relationship between Islam and contemporary politics. The choice of themes takes in debates about the role of Islam in regard
to the state, political ideology, popular political activism, and political violence. At the same time, the chosen themes also
account for the ways in which Islam may be implicated in politics as it plays out in other dimensions of social life, including
gender relations, the market and identity construction. Along the way, the course will examine key Islamist movements and
currents, and students will be invited to engage directly with works authored by influential Islamist thinkers of recent decades.
The course concludes by considering possible future trajectories of political Islam, at a moment in history which has seen
some influential social scientists insisting that Islamism is essentially a spent project even as a self-declared Islamic State came
to rule territory spanning Syria and Iraq. The module rejects simplistic readings of political Islam, instead seeking to open up
critical questions about the diverse, complex and shifting ways in which Islam may intersect with politics in today’s world.

Using comparative contextual analysis this course explores the nature and characteristics of political Islam, with particular
reference to the contemporary Middle East. Specifically, the module is designed to:

help students obtain a critical awareness of diverse approaches to the study of the relationship between Islam and
politics

provide students with the ability to critically differentiate between variant ideological currents of Islamist thought and to
situate them within contemporary intellectual debates and political contexts

provide in-depth historical analysis of key Sunni and Shi’i Islamist movements

situate these case studies within broader scholarly debates over jihad, takfir, revolution, international terrorism, Western
interventionism, political participation and democratization
 examine and explore the relationship between Islamist ideology and the state in comparative perspective, analysing state
building failures and challenges to the state by Islamist movements

provide students with the intellectual tools to address the theoretical discourse pertinent to academic debates concerning
Islamism, violence and political power

continue to develop the student’s analytical, research and writing capacities

give students the opportunity to develop oral skills through class participation, group work and presentations

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to demonstrate transferable intellectual and practicable skills appropriate
to a level 6 module and in particular will be able to:

critically assess the major scholarly debates concerning contemporary political Islam in its militant and non-militant
forms

apply rigorous theory to comparative case studies of political Islam

develop a capacity to ask relevant, substantive and probing questions of political Islam in relation to the state, regional
politics, and Western policy and interventionism

develop and strengthen a range of relevant skills – including empirical and normative research abilities, the capacity to
engage critically with primary sources, and analytical and written skills – through the discussion and presentation of
original work

demonstrate a capacity to form opinions through comparative analysis and discourse analysis regarding Islamism

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP329

The Economics of Crime

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Anja Shortland

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2-hour in-person exam (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lectures & 1-hour seminar weekly

This course uses economics to understand crime. It examines when criminals choose to commit crimes, how they respond to
law enforcement, and how criminal markets are organised. The course will examine current and historical episodes of crime
around the world. Anja Shortland is an internationally renowned expert on piracy, kidnap for ransom, art crime and
ransomware.

The course will appeal to students who are interested in economics and enjoy the economic way of thinking. It is designed to
encourage students to apply the economic framework to unusual - but important - real world problems. The course does not
use highly formal models or advanced statistics but largely relies on graphical analysis and analytic narratives. Seminars are
reading-intensive and discussion-based. Students who do not complete the readings each week will struggle to do well.

Preparatory reading:

Shortland 2019. Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business; Oxford University Press (£18.99)

Paolo Buonanno, Paolo Vanin and Juan Vargas. 2022. A Modern Guide to the Economics of Crime Elgar

The module will cover the following topics:

1) What can economics bring to the analysis of crime?

2) How do illicit markets work?

3) How do criminals communicate and organise?

4) Criminal law and policing from an efficiency perspective.

5) Private crime control

6) Does prison work?

7) Organised crime and mafias

8) Case study I: the market for hostages

9) Case study II: the art market

10) Case study III: cybercrime and ransomware

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP330

Economic Policy-Making
Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

PPL

History & PE

KBS (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Julian Limberg

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2-hour in person exam (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module aims to provide an introduction to the theory and practices of economic policy-making. To understand economic
policy-making, we will take a political perspective. In other words, this is not an economics module. We will use the toolkit of
comparative political economy to focus on the rationale behind economic policies, and will seek to understand major changes
in economic policy, and variation in policies across countries. We will also look at individual preferences for these policies, and
their implications for the policy- making process. In the process, we cover areas such as economic liberalisation, financial
regulation, labour market policies, taxation and social insurance. The module takes an empirical and comparative approach,
and its focus is generic, though most of the literature is concerned with policy-making in EU and OECD countries.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

name the core actors that are involved in economic policy-making, and the different factors that play a role in the policy-
making process

identify and contrast the core features of the different types of explanations of change and variation in economic policy

apply the different types of explanations to cases of economic policy-making which have not yet been assessed in the
literature

critically evaluate the strength and weaknesses of the different types of explanations, particularly in relation to change
and variation in specific policy areas

make reasoned arguments – both orally and in writing – on the reasons behind the introduction of economic policy,
variation in such policy, and policy change.

Key Readings
Peter A. Hall (1997). “The role of interests, institutions, and ideas in the comparative political economy of the industrialized
nations.” In Mark I. Lichbach and Alan S. Zuckerman (Eds.). Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture and Structure (pp. 174–
207). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Beth A. Simmons, Frank Dobbin and Geoffrey Garrett (2006). “Introduction: The international diffusion of liberalism.”
International Organization 60(4): 781-810.

Peter A. Hall and David Soskice (2001). Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, Chapter 1.

Paul Pierson (1996). "The new politics of the welfare state." World Politics 48(2): 143-179

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP332

Behavioural Political Economy

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Shaun Hargreaves Heap

Pre-requisites: Forbidden combination with 6SSPP385 Experimental Economics

Assessment: 2-hour online timed exam (70%) & 1,000-word essay (30%) & seminar presentation (formative)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

Experiments in economics have generated new insights into how people behave. Together with earlier psychological work,
they have spawned a new field in economics: behavioural economics. This module is concerned with how the insights from
this new field contribute to some key debates and issues in political economy. In particular, we will examine how the
experimental (and survey) evidence on behaviour contributes to the following questions.

Was Hobbes right when arguing that in a State of Nature life would be ‘poor, nasty, brutish and short’? (In other words,
do we always need a State to solve collective action problems?)

Does inequality harm cooperation and trust?

Was Rawls right when arguing that individuals would be guided by maxi-min from behind a veil of ignorance

Was Mill right to argue that freedom is essential to wellbeing?

Do markets discourage morality?

Do men and women behave differently?

Do other-regarding motives depend on the existence of groups?

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP333

Development Economics
Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

Economics

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Amrita Dhillon

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken Microeconomics, either 5SSPP221 or 5SSPP217 or equivalent.

Assessment: 2-hour in-person exam (90%), Attendance and Participation in seminars (10%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture and 1-hour seminar weekly

Module Description:

This module aims at providing a fairly rigorous and mathematical introduction to Development Economics. Approximately half
the module is on growth models and half is on selected topics in Micro Development theory such as credit and microfinance,
gender and development, trade/environment and development.

Aims and Objectives:

The aims of this course are to:

Understand the use of formal microeconomic modelling in development.

Understand the links between formal models and empirics.

Gain knowledge of the latest seminal debates in development.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

Provide succinct summaries of existing literature

Establish a persuasive argument in favour of or against a suggested policy, using the tools of formal modelling.

Employability skills:

Analytical thinking

Group work

Presentation skills

Knowledge of policy debates relevant for jobs in the development sector.

Lecture Schedule

Lecture 1: Overview, Leading development indicators, measuring GDP, relationships between per capita income and other
development indicators.

Lecture 2: Growth Theories (based on factor accumulation)

Lecture 3: Solow model with technical progress and the convergence debate.

Lecture 4: Institutions vs Geography to explain growth.

Lecture 5: Structural Change models: the Lewis model and the Harris Todaro model.

Lecture 6: Growth and inequality.

Lecture 7: Credit markets in developing countries:

Lecture 8: Microfinance: Theory and Practice.

Lecture 9-10: Behavioral Development Economics.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP343

Topics in Advanced Microeconomics

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Alberto Vesperoni

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: take-home exam (20%) & 1-hour in-person written exam (80%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lectures & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module explores the contributions made by economic theory to several important economic problems. Although there
are no formal prerequisites, the module is quite technical and students with weak quantitative background should be willing to
catch up with constrained optimization (e.g., Lagrange & Kuhn-Tucker methods) and intermediate microeconomics (e.g.,
competitive markets vs monopolies). While the list of topics is generally quite flexible, the underlying theme will be the use of
game theoretic modelling and the use of mathematical modelling and equilibrium concepts developed in economic theory.
This year the main topics will be on Information Economics: how the fact that different agents have access to different
information can affect their behaviour in markets. Thus, firms do not know the ability of applicants while the applicants do, the
owners of used cars have much more information on the cars than the buyers and so on. The topics covered will be under the
broad headings of:

Static bilateral contracting: problems of hidden information: (a) screening, (b) signalling.

Static bilateral contracting: problems of hidden action: moral hazard.

Applications: insurance markets, used car market.

Empirical evidence.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP358

Politics of International Trade

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE

PPL

Economics

DID (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr James Scott

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 1,500-word book review or similar written assignment (35%), 2,350-word essay (55%), Seminar participation
(10%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

Trade is an issue that has always sat at the heart of political economy. While Adam Smith famously made the case for free
trade, arguments in favour of an interventionist state that actively seeks to change areas of comparative advantage have never
gone away. Meanwhile, other critics have argued that the trade system is exploitative of the developing world and deliberately
structured in ways to preserve the dominance of Western, industrialised countries. This module engages with these timeless
debates. It also provides a detailed examination of the World Trade Organisation and the crisis that it has experienced for the
last decade. By completing this module, you will understand the contours of current tensions within the trade system, the
debates concerning the distributional impact of global trade and why trade has been such a controversial topic since the
creation of the discipline of political economy. The module draws from International Political Economy theory in places.

Aims

This module aims to provide third year students with a detailed and advanced examination of the politics of international
trade. It will engage critically with the evolution of the global trade system post WWII, the institutions that have governed that
system, particularly the WTO and GATT, and the tensions that characterise this highly political process. Students may find that
the theories of International Political Economy (IPE) / International Relations that they have learnt in other modules (notably
4SSPP106 World Politics, 5SSPP223 Issues in International Politics and 5SSPP237 An Introduction to International Politics, or
equivalents elsewhere) will be useful and complement the analysis within the module. However, this is not a pre-requisite and
it is possible to do well without such a background, though students should strongly consider reading a textbook on these
theories in advance.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and methodological awareness
commensurate with expectations for level 6 module participation. In particular, they will develop:
 An understanding of how the global trade system is understood through key theoretical traditions of IPE;

An understanding of the contemporary problems of the global trade system and why the WTO’s ability to function as a
site of trade negotiations is in crisis;

The ability to think critically about how trade is governed and in whose interests;

The ability to situate their own thoughts about how the trade system should function within established academic
literatures and analytical approaches;

An understanding of the impact that China and other so-called ‘rising powers’ are having on the global trade system.

Lecture Schedule – INDICATIVE ONLY. THINGS CHANGE.

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: Liberal Trade Theory, comparative advantage and the gains from trade

Lecture 3: Industrialisation and protectionism

Lecture 4: From GATT to WTO: The institutions of global trade governance

Lecture 5: Trade and agriculture

Lectures 6: Trade and Intellectual Property Rights

Lecture 7: Trade and gender inequality

Lecture 8: Global Value Chains

Lecture 9: Mega-regionals

Lecture 10: Dispute Settlement

Key Readings

George, Clive. (2010). The Truth About Trade. (Zed Books)

Wilkinson, Rorden. (2014). What's Wrong with the WTO and how to Fix it. John Wiley & Sons.

Chang, Ha-Joon. (2008). Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism.

(New York: Bloomsbury)

Amrita Narlikar, Martin Daunton, Robert M. Stern (2012). The Oxford handbook on the World Trade

Organization. (New York: Oxford University Press).

Sonia Rolland. (2012). Development at the World Trade Organisation. (Oxford: OUP)

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP365

Advanced Macroeconomics
Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

History & PE

KBS

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Martin Weale

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken either 5QQMN937 or 5QQMB205 or 5SSMN931 or 5SSPP220. Students are
recommended to have taken 4SSMN901 or 5SSPP232 or 4QQMN503.

Assessment: 1 ½ -hour written exam (70%), 5-minute video (30%)

Teaching format: 2-hour weekly lecture & 1-hour fortnightly seminar

The course aims to take students beyond the standard IS/LM approach to undergraduate economics. A key theme is the
importance of expectations. This is illustrated with reference to the exchange rate, wage and price behaviour, consumer
spending and the budget deficit. The course also focuses on some of the issues raised by the financial crisis of 2008/9 and
more recent developments. In particular it discusses the financial accelerator and macroprudential regulation, unconventional
monetary policy, the re-emergence of inflation, and the weakness in productivity growth which has emerged since the crisis.
The course is taught by means of ten two-hour lectures and fortnightly seminars. The latter focus on problem-solving.

Educational Aims

To provide an economic analysis of modern macroeconomic modelling

To introduce students to some of the most important open questions in macroeconomics

This course will utilise and enhance skills that began to be developed in Intermediate Microeconomics, Macroeconomics
and Mathematics for Economists

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module:

Students will have a solid knowledge of the core subjects of macroeconomic theory.

Will have developed analytical skills, such as intertemporal maximization.

Will have a more thorough understanding of the policy issues facing advanced economies.

Topics Covered

1. Analysing the IS-MP-PC model

2. Taylor principle, the zero lower bound and the liquidity trap

3. Consumption

4. Fiscal Policy

5. Growth and Productivity

6. The Open Economy

 7. The Real Rate of Interest

8. Inflation, Inflation Expectations and Monetary Independence

9. The Financial Accelerator and Macroprudential Regulation

10. Monetary Policy and Inflation

Reading List

As appropriate for a third-year course, the main reading is provided by primary sources rather than core text books and the
course is not suitable for students who do not feel comfortable with this method of teaching.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP378

American Foreign Policy

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE

PPL

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Keith Smith

Pre-requisites: None (Note if you have not taken 4SSPP102, 5SSPP223 or 5SSPP237 you may be disadvantaged vis-à-vis those
that have)

Assessment: 500-word think-tank essay (30%) (due reading week-ish) & 2,500-word essay (70%) (due end of semester 1)

Teaching format: TBC

The United States is arguably the most powerful nation in the international system. It is the only state with a truly global reach
and continues to play a pivotal role in global governance. In traditional metrics (i.e., hard and soft power), the United States
remains a global hegemon. The actions the United States takes and how it relates to other actors in world politics should
therefore be of great interest to students of international politics. Therefore, this module provides a contemporary analysis of
United States foreign policy.

The module begins with a brief historical overview, sketching out America’s rise to a global power and considering the major
schools of thought–or traditions–that have influenced American foreign policy, before outlining the major explanatory
frameworks utilised in studies of United States foreign policy. Subsequently, the module explores contemporary strategic
debates; considers the main points of divergence and convergence between different presidential administrations; and
explores some of the main instruments (and their effectiveness) of foreign policy and grand strategy. In the final two weeks,
students are invited to begin applying these theories and concepts in order to evaluate American foreign policy in specific
regional settings.

By the end of this module, students will have acquired a theoretical and historical grounding in US foreign policy. They will be
able to apply theory and concepts to contemporary foreign affairs issues and critically evaluate America’s actions abroad. The
module should be of interest to students interested in international politics, foreign policy analysis, strategic studies and the
United States.

Aims

The aims of this course are:

to acquaint students with the origins and contemporary development of US foreign policy;

to explore critically the main theoretical and conceptual approaches to United States foreign policy;

to analyse and evaluate contemporary strategic and policy debates with regards to United States foreign policy;

to familiarise students with the points of convergence and divergence between different policymaking administrations;
 to overview the major instruments of foreign policy, their applications and their consequences;

to work collaboratively in the research and presentation of a group-based project.

Learning Outcome

By the end of this module, students should be able:

to demonstrate a systematic understanding of United States foreign policy, both historical and contemporary, in order to
consider its development over time;

to identify, apply and assess critically the main theoretical and conceptual approaches to United States foreign policy,
assessing the relative importance of the external and domestic sources of foreign policy;

to locate the main strategic debates, to evaluate their propositions and to consider their potential consequences;

to demonstrate a critical appreciation for the major actors involved in the foreign policymaking process

to show an appreciation of the range of policy instruments, and to consider their relative utility;

to evaluate foreign policies in accordance with the theoretical and conceptual literature.

Key Reading

There is not one set book for this module but those listed below are extremely useful for background knowledge, especially
the Cox and Stokes textbook.

Brooks, S. and Wohlforth, W. (2016) America Abroad: The United States’ Global Role in the 21st Century (Oxford: OUP)

Cox, M. and Stokes, D. (eds.) (2012) US Foreign Policy (Oxford: OUP)

Dueck, C. (2015) The Obama Doctrine: American Grand Strategy Today (Oxford: OUP)

Dumbrell, J. (2009) Clinton’s Foreign Policy: Between the Bushes (London: Routledge)

Haass, R. (2017) A World in Disarray (London: Penguin)

McCormick, J. (ed.) (2015) The Domestic Sources of US Foreign Policy (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield)

Moens, A. (2016) The Foreign Policy of George W. Bush (London: Routledge)

Parmar, I. et al (eds.) (2009) New Directions in US Foreign Policy (London: Routledge)

Witkopf, E. et al (eds.) (2007) American Foreign Policy: Patterns and Processes (Belmont: Thomson).

Useful journals include (disclaimer: many are written for a specific political audience):

International Security, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy Analysis, The American Interest, American Diplomacy, The
Atlantic, The National Interest, World Affairs, International Affairs, The Political Science Quarterly

Indicative Lecture Schedule

Week Topic/reading

Week 00 No reading. Introductory pre-recorded lecture.

GRAND STRATEGY
 Week 01 Bomberg, “The environmental legacy of President Trump”

FOREIGN POLICY BEGINS AT

HOME

Week 02 Trump & the blob (Norloff, “Hegemony and inequality”

THE BLOB Porter, “Why America’s grand strategy has not changed”)

Week 03 Obama & private actors (Leogrande, “Normalizing US-Cuba relations”

INTEREST GROUPS AND Parmar, “The big 3 foundations and American global power”
STRATEGIC CHANGE
Van Apeldoorn and De Graff, “Corporate elite networks and US post-Cold War grand
strategy from Clinton to Obama”)

Week 04 Bush & the legislature (Marsh, “The intersection of war and politics”

THE POLITICS OF TROOP SURGES McHale, “A tale of two surges”)

Week 05 Clinton/Bush & public opinion (Baum, “How public opinion constrains the use of force”

INTERVENTIONS IN SOMALIA AND Rice, Tough Love, select chap.

RWANDA

Week 06 READING WEEK

Week 07 Reading to be confirmed

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

Week 08 Alliance politics (Risse-Kappan, Cooperation amongst democracies, select chapter

EUROPE AND ALLIANCE POLITICS Potheir, “Joe Biden’s post-Transatlantic moment”

Week 09 Lobbying (Khatib, “Arab Gulf lobbying in the United States”; Bard, “The Arab Lobby”;
Mearsheimer and Walt, “The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy”
THE MIDDLE EAST AND
LOBBYING

Week 10 Activism (Tate, Drugs, thugs and diplomats, select chapter

LATIN AMERICA AND THE WAR ON Mendez, Colombian agency and the making of US foreign policy)
DRUGS

Week 11 Entrapment (Yeh, “Diversionary behaviour for weak states: a case study of Taiwan”;
Xiying, “Unbalanced deterrence: coercive threat, reassurance and the US-China rivalry
THE TAIWAN STRAIT AND THE
in Taiwan strait”
POLITICS OF COMMITMENTS

Week 12 REVISION WEEK

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP386

Statistics for Political Science 2

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE (compulsory for BSc pathway)

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Raluca Pahontu

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken 4SSPP109 or 4SSPP111 or 5SSPP245; Forbidden combination with 5SSPP241.

Assessment: 2,000-word research paper draft (40%) & 2,500-word research paper with 250-word response to feedback (60%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This 3rd year UG module is designed to provide students with particular analytical tools to better understand the problems
and questions studied in political science. The main goal is to train students in the use of regression analysis, the dominant
quantitative technique used in political science. Students will learn how to conduct quantitative research using regression
analysis. The module combines theoretical lectures with practical sessions in the pc-lab where students will enhance their
existing knowledge of Stata.

This module assumes some previous basic knowledge of regression analysis, inferential statistics and some basic school
algebra like derivation. The module, however, is not designed to learn the mathematical apparatus behind regression analysis.
Rather, the emphasis will be on understanding the logic and intuition behind regression. In this regard, the module is highly
dependent on particular examples from political science.

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP387

Ideology & Identity In World Politics

Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits
Module convenor: Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard
Pre-requisites: None. Student is recommended to have taken 4SSPP102 World Politics Since 1945 or 5AAOB205 International
Relations or 5SSPP237 Introduction to International Politics
Assessment: 2-hour exam (50%) & 1,800 word essay (50%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the role of ideology and identity in different aspects of contemporary
world politics, including political violence and conflict, climate politics, globalization, politicised religion, gender politics, and the
recent growth of populism. For many scholars, contemporary world politics is deeply shaped by diverse ideological worldviews
and identities – such as liberalism, jihadism or communism, and religious, ethnic or sexual identity. Yet other scholars are
sceptical, and suggest that the role of ideology and identity is easily exaggerated.

Students will examine these debates, considering how we conceptualise ideology and identity, and engaging with both
theoretical readings and concrete empirical case studies of ideology and identity politics in practice from political contexts
across the globe. In the process, students will be introduced to an interdisciplinary range of theoretical approaches to the
study of ideology and identity, spanning political science, history, political psychology and critical political theory.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP398

Critical Theory
Semester 1

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE

PPL

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: TBC

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2,000-word essay (50%) & 2,000-word essay (50%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module provides an advanced engagement with critical social theory and approaches to the study of politics inspired by
critical theory. Critical theory is a tradition of European political thought concerned with developing a critique of relationships
of domination throughout society. Developed initially by the scholars associated with the Institute for Social Research (the
Frankfurt School), critical theory represents a broad effort to rethink Enlightenment ideals of universal human emancipation
for contemporary societies distinguished by new forms of capitalism and subjectivity. In the first half of the module, we will
examine the roots of critical theory in thinkers such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche, its development by Frankfurt School
thinkers such as Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, and Jürgen Habermas, and the challenge posted by critics of the
Enlightenment such as Michel Foucault. In the second half of the module, we will examine more recent work that has sought to
adapt critical theory approaches to a variety of contemporary political challenges. Topics could include: the welfare state;
feminism; queer theory and identity politics; race and racism; post-colonialism and Eurocentrism; capitalism and
neoliberalism.

Aims

Develop in-depth knowledge of the critical theory tradition and debates within critical theory

Understand the philosophical basis of critical theory in Kantian, Hegelian, and Marxian traditions

Understand how critical theory relates to other approaches in political theory and political science

Be able to apply ideas and approaches from critical theory to the study of politics and to specific topics like capitalism, the
welfare state, gender, race, and colonialism.

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP406

Political Economy of Global Finance

Semester 1

Available to:

Politics

PPE

Political Economy

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Raphael Cunha

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 3,000-word essay (100%)

Teaching format: 1 hour lecture & 1 hour seminar every week

Module description

This module examines the political economy of global monetary and financial relations. It is structured around such questions
as: What is the global financial system and what purposes does it serve? What are the choices of monetary and financial
policies open to national governments, and what determines governments’ different policy choices? How do governments and
markets interact in the arena of global finance? How do private actors influence the governance of international finance? When
and why are efforts to regulate global markets successful, and what are the distributional consequences of such efforts? What
are the political causes and effects of global financial crises? In seeking answers to these questions, this module focuses on
empirical and theoretical political economy models of money and finance.

Educational aims

Provide students with an authoritative understanding of the main concepts and analytical tools in the political economy of
global finance, drawing from different disciplines, including: global capital markets; the interplay of interests, institutions,
and ideas in shaping financial policy; national and international currencies; the monetary policy trilemma; theories of
global financial instability; and global financial governance;

Offer students a policy-relevant perspective through which they are challenged to deepen their understanding of the
contemporary challenges posed by global financial integration;

Discuss the determinants of monetary and financial policy, with a view towards understanding the costs and benefits of
alternative policy choices;

Equip students with transferable skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, communication, and the
ability to translate academic knowledge into policy-relevant insights.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

 Demonstrate knowledge of the analytical tools used to study global monetary and financial relations, drawing from an
interdisciplinary perspective;

Analyse contemporary developments in finance and financial regulation at the national and global levels;

Critically evaluate the political and economic trade-offs implied by different monetary and financial policy options;

Transfer the skills they learned – including critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, and communication – to a
professional environment.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP407

States and Societies in the Global South

Semester 1

Available to:

Politics

PPE

Political Economy

Economics

History & PE

PPL

KBS (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Kevin Mazur

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2,500-word essay (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar every week

Module description

This module examines the fundamental questions of comparative politics with a view to the Global South. Specifically, it
investigates why some polities are relatively democratic and others are not; why the state is heavily involved the lives of its
subjects throughout its territory in some polities and nearly absent in others; why popular demands are channeled through
political institutions in some cases and made in the streets—often descending into violence—in others. It complements
4SSPP103 “Introduction to Comparative Politics” (a core module from Year 1), expanding the module’s geographical focus and
bringing in a broad range of social theory.

Educational aims

expose students to forms of political organization and their relation to economic and social forces beyond the
industrialized West,

build knowledge of non-institutional theories of governance and economic development,

strengthen students’ ability to apply ideas from various traditions of social theory to empirical cases and adjudicate which
best accounts for observed outcomes.

Learning outcomes

identify crucial factors promoting/inhibiting economic growth and democratization in the Global South,

develop cogent arguments for why polities of the Global South have generally followed different trajectories from those in
the Global North, and explain variation among those in the Global South,

state and critically analyse the arguments put forward in several of the main theoretical traditions explaining political
systems of the Global South.
Employability skills

improve students’ ability to read a text critically, including extracting vital information, capturing main argument,
explaining how examples support that argument, and providing assessment of its plausibility,

strengthen writing skills through composition of essays and discussion of how to develop thesis and structure in
seminars,

develop critical thinking skills by making students adjudicate between explanations for political outcomes offered by
several theoretical traditions.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 Semester 2

The modules in this section run in Semester 2.

Module Code Module Name

6SSPP306 Democracy and its Critics

6SSPP309 Religion and Politics

6SSPP342 International Institutions and Global

Governance

6SSPP348 Twentieth Century Global Political Thought

6SSPP349 Empirical Political Economy

6SSPP353 Politics and Justice in International Law

6SSPP360 Elections and Voting Behaviour

6SSPP363 Advanced Topics in Economic History

6SSPP373 The Political Economy of Inequality

6SSPP375 Race and Racism in Political Theory

6SSPP376 Women and Politics

6SSPP384 Environmental Economics

6SSPP389 Corporate Lobbying in the Global Economy

6SSPP393 Advanced Microeconometrics

6SSPP397 The Politics of Science Fiction and the Science

Fiction of Politics

6SSPP403 Advanced Game Theory

6SSPP404 African Politics: Ideas and Issues

 6SSPP306

Democracy and Its Critics

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

PPL

History & PE

15 credits

Module Convener: Dr Samuel De Canio

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 2,500-word essay (50%) & 2,500-word essay (50%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lectures & either a 1-hour seminar or 1-hour workshop weekly

The term ‘democracy’ has passed into the vocabulary of everyday life, reaching beyond the sphere of formal politics into areas
as diverse as education, work and family life. Fundamentally, most people who talk about democracy hold the assumption
that it is a ‘good thing’, which is to be promoted as widely as possible. This is an important point; a fully-functioning democracy
is held as proof of the success of developed societies, even as justification for war against nations which do not reach the
democratic ideal. And so it might seem remarkable that there are those who would argue against its value as an idea, and as a
means of organising society, yet an extensive body of literature has developed which raises a number of serious objections to
many of the established features of democratic thought. It is this tension which provides the focus of this module.

This module aims to bridge democratic theory and practice. It traces the development of the ideas of democracy with a
particular emphasis on the institutions, past and present, which have been influenced by these evolving theories. Students
taking the module will be encouraged to develop their knowledge and critical understanding of the place of democratic ideas
and practice in modern political thought.

Teaching on the module will be a little different to the kinds of class previously encountered in the degree. The term is split
into two parts. The first few weeks of classes will be taken up with lectures, accompanied by either seminars or informal
workshop sessions. The lectures will provide an introduction to the development of democratic thought, focusing on some of
the major themes of the literature. As well as providing a foundation to the major elements of theory, these sessions will help
to guide students’ reading of the prominent texts in the field. Some topics will be accompanied by a related seminar session,
which will deal with institutional developments, focused on a particular question or problem which relates to the overarching
theme of the week. So, for example, an introductory lecture on democratic theory is accompanied by a seminar session
examining the competing claims over the origins of the term, and their importance to later critiques of democracy. Students
will be assigned tasks to complete in advance of these sessions and will be expected to lead discussion on the topic. The
workshop sessions will focus on simulations, where the class work through scenarios which examine the real-life applications
of democratic theory.

The second part of the module introduces some of the numerous critiques of democratic institutions, including, for example,
those who favour minimal forms of democracy over widespread participation, the varying critiques of deliberative democracy
and the results of empirical analyses of democracy in practice. This part of the module follows a more conventional lecture-
seminar format, with students preparing for a group discussion of a different critique each week.

The workload involved in the module, and the assessments, have been designed to encourage scholarly engagement with, and
critical evaluation of, core literature in the field, both past and current. If you take this module you will encounter a diverse
range of material, and will need to be comfortable with a reading load which is, in places, demanding. The module will suit
students interested in the connections between political theory and empirical political science, as well as anyone who wonders
why most people aren’t interested in democracy, and whether this matters.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP309

Religion and Politics

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

History & PE

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Humeira Iqtidar

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 2,000-word essay (50%) & 24-hour take home exam (50%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture and 1-hour seminar weekly

This module is designed provide students with a thorough understanding of the key issues related to religion and politics. The
rise in public manifestations of religions in the last two decades in all parts of the world has led to much rethinking and
reconsideration of the relationship of religious thought and practice to political structures and processes. The first part of the
course will deal with theoretical debates and the later part with look at a few case studies in some detail.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand emerging debates in conceptualizing and defining religion in social sciences.

2. Understand the limitations of previous frameworks for assessing the role of religion in political processes.

3. Develop a broader and deeper understanding of transformations in different religious traditions.

4. Apply a nuanced understanding of theoretical developments in studying religion and politics to different political contexts.

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP342

International Institutions & Global Governance

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE

PPL

Economics

15 credits
Module convenor: Dr James Scott
Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: Seminar participation (10%) and 3000 word essay (90%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lectures & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module aims to provide an advanced introduction to global governance and the key international institutions that form
the basis of global governance. It will give a detailed knowledge of the institutional landscape through which international
political and economic interaction is mediated. The analysis is grounded in the theories of International Political Economy (IPE)
/ International Relations (which you are expected to be familiar with – if you have not covered these elsewhere you will need to
catch up in advance).

The specific aims of the module are to:

• Build upon the IPE theory undertaken in other modules (e.g. Issues in International Politics; World Politics etc);

• Provide an understanding of the ways in which these theoretical traditions analyse the nature of global governance;

• Explore the range of actors that are engaged in global governance;

• Provide an historical background to the evolution of global governance;

• Engage critically with the manner in which global politics and economic issues are governed within the state system; and

• Understand contemporary challenges to existing governance structures brought about by the ‘rising powers’, particularly
China.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will have:

a sound understanding of the theoretical concepts related to the study of global governance;

a detailed and in-depth knowledge of formative periods in the development of international political and economic
governance;

an ability to analyse current issues in global governance in a theoretically informed and critical manner.

Indicative Lecture Schedule (which may be subject to change)

1. Theoretical approaches to global governance

2. The Origins of International Organisations: From the League of Nations to the UN

3. UN Security Council Reform

4. The UN and the use of Private Military Contractors

5. The governance of sovereign debt

6. The International Labour Organisation and the governance of labour

7. The International Criminal Court

8. Global Health Governance

9. Outer Space Governance

10. The IMF and global economic governance.

Key Readings

Thomas Weiss and Rorden Wilkinson (eds.) (2013) International Organization and Global Governance. (Abingdon:
Routledge).

Harman, Sophie, and David Williams. (2013). Governing the World?: Cases in Global Governance. (Abingdon and New York:
Routledge).

Anthony Payne and Nicola Phillips, (2014), Handbook of the International Political Economy of Governance, (Edward
Elgar)

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP348

Twentieth Century Global Political Thought

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

History & PE

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Humeira Iqtidar

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 2,000-word essay (50%) & 2,000-word essay (50%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture and 1-hour seminar weekly

This module is designed for students who are interested in deepening their understanding of trends in political thought and
political theory from Asia, Africa and South America. The module brings together thinkers from different regions and engages
with cutting edge research on non-western political thought. From key trends in Islamic Political Thought to the many facets of
20th century anti-colonial thought, from the use of ethnography for reassessing categories to the influence of post-colonial
political theory, the course is for final year students focusing on political theory. A key intention is for students to read some
primary texts in detail.

However, please note that it is NOT a comparative politics course in the sense that we do not discuss questions of political
dynamics and comparison across different countries. Moreover, there is a strong expectation that students will engage in a
wide ranging and active discussion of the material selected.

Module Aims

Students in the course will:

Develop a nuanced understanding of the implications of Eurcentricity of existing approaches to Political Theory and
Political Thought.
Develop an understanding of key trends in political theory and political thought from Asia, Africa and South America
Develop an understanding of trends across select religious traditions with a special focus on Islamic political thought.
Develop an understanding of new methodological options in political theory

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP349

Empirical Political Economy

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Gabriel Leon

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken 5SSPP213 Econometrics or 5SSPP241 Statistics For Political Science II or 4SSMN902
Statistics For Economists.

Assessment: 1.5hrs exam (60%) & 1,000-word essay (40%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module covers the main empirical methods used for causal inference in economics, political economy, political science
and development: randomised controlled trials, natural experiments, instrumental variables and regression discontinuity
design. Students will learn how to use these methods to address important questions in the social sciences.

The emphasis is on applications and not on the derivation of estimators. This module follows the model of ‘learning by
example’, and so we study a large number of articles published in leading journals in economics and political science. We
consider the research question these articles address, how they address it, what data they use and the strength and
weaknesses of their approach.

Each seminar is organized around one research article that students are asked to read in advance. The seminar will revolve
around a critical discussion of this one article. By the end of the semester students will be able to read, understand and assess
recent research articles published in leading academic journals.

Students will be:

Introduced to four of the most widely used empirical methods in economics, political economy and political science.

Equipped with the skills to read and understand empirical papers in economics, political economy and political science.

Enabled to formulate their own empirical studies – including data collection, the empirical specification and its
implementation.

Guided in interpreting empirical results and how these results can inform existing theories in economics, political
economy and political science.

Lecture Schedule [indicative]

1. Introduction to the potential outcomes framework. Example: career choices

2. Introduction to randomised controlled trials. Example: women as policy markers

 3. Problems with randomised controlled trials. Example: health insurance

4. Natural Experiments. Example: John Snow and cholera

5. Natural Experiments. Examples: impact of taxation, minimum wages, incidence of UK housing benefit

6. Natural experiments. Examples: Do leaders matter? Climate shocks and exports. Who pays the sales tax?

7. Review of instrumental variables. Examples: The impact of dams on development. Colonialism and income.

8. Instrumental variables. Examples: The long-run impact of the Vietnam war. Income and democracy.

9. Regression discontinuity design. Examples: Incumbency advantage in the US House of Representatives.

10. Regression discontinuity design. Examples: Coercive labour market institutions.

Key Readings
Angrist, Joshua and Joern-Steffen Pischke, 2009. Mostly Harmless Econometrics, Princeton University Press.

Freedman, David, 2009. Statistical Models: Theory and Practice, published by Cambridge University Press.

Stock, James and Mark Watson, 2012. Introduction to Econometrics, Pearson Education.

Wooldridge, Jeffrey, 2003. Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach, South-Western College Publishing.

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 6SSPP353

Politics and Justice in International Law

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

Economics

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Carmen Pavel

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 2,000-word essay (50%) & 2 hour in-person exam

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

The module is structured around a series of questions about the nature, sources, justification, and effects of international law.
Should the different countries obey international law? Is international law really ‘law?’ It is just? Who should enforce it? It will
use international law cases to explore advanced philosophical and empirical questions about the character of international
law. The module aims to equip students with an understanding of different perspectives on the value and purposes of
international law, the ability to explore the assumptions and implications of each perspective, and to assess the way in which
they inform debates about actual legal institutions and rules.

By the end of the semester, the course will help you advance several general and topic-related skills. On the topical skill side,
you will understand and be able to describe at least two different perspectives on the value and purposes of international law.
An important skill is to explore the assumptions and implications of each perspective and the way in which they inform
debates about actual legal institutions and rules. On the general skill side, the goal is to help you extract value from the
material by developing the language and conceptual machinery necessary to discuss the theoretical and practical issues that
arise in international law. You will do so by engaging, understanding, interpreting, critically evaluating, and comparing the
arguments presented. As writers, you will work on formulating and developing an effective argument on a normative topic,
and you will practice the elements of writing a successful paper.

Textbook
Jeffrey Dunoff, Steven R. Ratner, David Wippman, International Law: Norms, Actors, Process: A Problem-Oriented Approach
(Aspen Casebook) 5th Edition.

List of Topics Covered

LIST OF TOPICS

1. History of International Law

 2. Monism and Dualism

3. International Criminal Law

4. Human Rights

5. Transitional Justice

6. READING WEEK

7. Humanitarian Intervention

8. International Law of the Sea

9. International Economic Law

10. International Environmental Law

11. Compliance

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP360

Elections and Voting Behaviour

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

EIS (5 places)

Liberal Arts (5 placec)

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Krzysztof Krakowski

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: unseen written exam (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

The module examines in detail the act of voting in contemporary democracies (mostly, Western democracies mostly, but also
non-Western democracies). The topics covered include how voters form preferences for parties/candidates, how they translate
these preferences into a vote (or an abstention), and how they react to electoral campaigns and the state of the economy. It
also covers how parties decide upon their electoral program, and how this affects their electoral performance.

The module focuses on the scientific study of elections. The lectures present the scientific theories developed to make sense
out of elections that go beyond mere journalistic takes. During seminars, students are expected to critically analyze scientific
papers examining elections. They go in the details of the paper covering methodological issues such as data, measures, and
research designs. There is no pre-requisite for this module, but students are expected to know basics of quantitative methods
(or statistics) or be willing to learn them as these will be required to analyze the scientific papers covered in class.

By the end of the module students will be able to:

Actively read, fully understand, and critically appraise the scientific literature on elections.

Mobilize and articulate this scientific literature on elections to form an informed judgement about the state of elections in
contemporary democracies and analyze new elections. Independently catch up with the latest developments of the scientific
literature about elections.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP363

Advanced Topics in Economic History

Semester 2

Available to:

· Political Economy

· PPE

· Economics

· History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Gabriel Leon

Pre-requisites: Students are highly recommended to have taken 5SSPP213 Econometrics or 4SSMN902 Statistics For
Economists and Microeconomics (5SSPP221 or 5SSPP217).
Assessment: 1.5hrs exam (60%) & 1,000-word essay (40%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module is for students who are interested in economic history and wish to understand (i) the questions and debates that
motivate current research and (ii) the methods used to address these questions.
This module covers a number of key events or developments in the economic history of the world. Each week focuses on one
event (e.g. the Black Death) or one topic (e.g. trade). We learn about the historical context but also how the studies draw a
connection to existing work in economics, political economy, political science and development. We also consider the
challenges these studies face, including the unavailability of data. We discuss the most appropriate methods for the study of
each specific research question (e.g. game theory, econometrics / statistics, a case study).
Each seminar is organized around one research article that students are asked to read in advance. The seminar will revolve
around a critical discussion of this one article. By the end of the semester students will be able to read, understand and assess
recent research articles published in leading academic journals.

The module will:

• Discuss some of the most important events and episodes in economic history.
• Use examples to introduce students to the methods most commonly used in the economic analysis of historical events.
• Prepare students to read and understand recent research articles in economic history.
• Enable students to formulate their own historical research.
• Help students learn how the past can provide us with valuable lessons for the present.

By the end of the module the students will be able to:

• Read and engage critically with recent articles and books in economic history (including those focusing on periods they are
unfamiliar with).
• Formulate research questions in a way that allows for empirical analysis.
• Conduct their own historical research, interpret the results, and draw lessons that are of value for today.

Lecture Schedule [indicative]

1. Property rights and trade: Medieval guilds, Atlantic trade
2. Knowledge, beliefs and technology: the printing press, the Protestant reformation, universities
3. The Black Death
4. Conflict and the origins of the state
5. Path Dependence
6. The Glorious Revolution and the French Revolution
7. The slave trade in Africa, colonial legacies
8. The extension of the franchise
9. The Great Divergence between China and western Europe
10. The Second World War and social capital
Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP373

The Political Economy of Inequality

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

PPL

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr David Hope

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 3,000-word essay (100%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

It is one of the enduring political-economic puzzles of our time that the advanced democracies of Western Europe, North
America and the Asia-Pacific region have such widely different levels of income inequality, despite being similarly rich and
prosperous. Among the advanced democracies, the UK and the US stand out as particularly unequal, while the Nordic
countries occupy the other end of the scale. This module takes a comparative perspective and uses insights from both
economics and political science to shed light on these dramatic cross-national differences in income inequality. It also looks at
the economic, political and institutional factors that have shaped the evolution of income inequality over the entire post-WWII
period, such as technological change, education, industrial relations, partisanship, electoral systems, and the welfare state.
Additionally, the module investigates how the transition to the knowledge economy in the advanced democracies has affected
inequality on many different dimensions, such as income, gender and race. The latter part of the module assesses the political
and economic consequences of rising income inequality, as well as the policy options for addressing it.

Aims

This module will give students:

The ability to critically engage with academic literature on inequality from a range of disciplines including comparative
political economy, labour economics, economic geography, sociology, and political science.

A solid grasp of the data on income inequality, as well as highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.

The competencies, knowledge and empirical evidence necessary to carry out a detailed analysis of the causes and
consequences of inequality in advanced democracies, and to critically evaluate the potential policy responses.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

Summarise the similarities and differences in the evolution of income inequality across the advanced democracies over
the post-WWII period.

Identify and critically evaluate the competing theories in economics and political science on the determinants of income
inequality.
 Assess the links between income inequality and political and economic institutions, such as electoral systems, trade
unions, and the welfare state.

Explain how the transition to the knowledge economy has affected inequality on many different dimensions, such as
income, gender and race.

Demonstrate knowledge of the political and economic consequences of rising income inequality, as well as the identifying
the underlying mechanisms.

Evaluate the policy options for addressing income inequality while taking account of national context.

Conduct rigorous analysis on income inequality in the advanced democracies using the academic literature and relevant
empirical evidence.

These skills will be valuable in a number of contexts

Gathering cross-country data from publicly available sources and analysing it descriptively.

Critically engaging with the academic literature and applying it to real-world contexts.

Formulating policy recommendations to address socio-economic challenges.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP375

Race and Racism in Political Theory

Semester 2
Available to:
• Political Economy
• Politics
• PPE
• PPL
• History & PE
• Economics
• ECS (5 places)
15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Adrian Blau

Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: 2,500-word essay (50%) & 2,500-word essay (50%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

PLEASE NOTE: the assessments have been designed to deter AI essays (and to encourage attendance). If you work hard and
think hard, you will love this module and could do really well: last time, 21% of essays got Firsts (including the highest mark I’ve
ever given). But if you cut corners, you will get in trouble: last time, due to AI, 11% of essays failed, and a number of students
got into serious trouble. That’s why I’m giving a warning this time – I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake that some
students made last year!

PLEASE NOTE: you will probably find this module easier if you have studied some political theory at university, especially at
level 5 or 6. If you are not sure, read one of more of the suggested preparatory readings at the end of this module description.
If you don’t understand it or don’t enjoy it, you should take a different module. If you do understand and enjoy it, please take
this module – you will love it!

MODULE DESCRIPTION: This module analyses the place of race and racism, primarily in ‘Western’ political theory. Many of the
great, classic Western political thinkers make controversial comments on racial issues, e.g. offering apparently universalistic
claims about all humans being equal or perfectible, but also denigrating certain ethnic groups or supporting racialised slavery.
Yet Western academics have mostly overlooked these tensions, as if political theory can be detached from questions of race.

This module will thus discuss such matters as: when did racism originate, and how far back in history does it go? What
different kinds of racism are there? How racist are the great thinkers of Western political thought and philosophy, and to what
extent can their racism can be separated from their other moral/political arguments? What can we learn about race, and about
political theory more generally, from oppressed/marginalised Western and non-Western theorists? What does it mean when
these issues and thinkers are overlooked? And what can we learn from depictions of race and racism in art, music and
literature, historically and today? (This last topic will be an enjoyable way to end the term but will not be part of the
assessments.)

PROVISIONAL LIST OF TOPICS

1: Pre-modern racism: ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe and beyond
2: John Locke and Thomas Jefferson
3: Immanuel Kant and David Hume
4: Frederick Douglass
5: John Rawls
6: Charles Mills
7: Danielle Allen
8: Miranda Fricker and epistemic injustice
9: Beyond racist Western political theory
10: Race and racism in the arts

Suggested reading (optional)

Not sure if you want to take this module? Or want to do some preparatory reading? Here are some references:
Robert Bernasconi, ‘Will the real Kant please stand up’, Radical Philosophy 117 (2003). A short and bitingly critical account of
Kant’s racism, whether Kant’s racism can be excused because he was ‘just a child of his time’, why Kant’s racism can’t be
separated from his political theory, and what it means when most philosophers ignore this. Online here.
Charles Mills, The Racial Contract (1997, or 2nd edition, 2022 – either is fine) is a readable and fairly short book, which attacks
mainstream political theory for its inattention to race.
For more detail, see Naomi Zack, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Race (2017), which has excellent coverage.
Access through KCL library.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP376

Women and Politics

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

PPL

Economics

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Anna Gwiazda

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 3,000-word essay (100%)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

This module examines feminist politics through the lens of comparative politics, using examples from diverse regions and
historical periods to analyze similarities and differences across cases. It addresses key topics in the study of women, gender,
and politics, examining issues such as women’s participation in social movements and political parties, their roles as voters,
candidates, representatives, and leaders, as well as women’s descriptive and substantive representation. The module also
covers gender equality, gender mainstreaming, and feminist policies, including gender quotas, reproductive rights and
combating violence against women. By comparing political outcomes across varied cultural contexts at national and sub-
national levels, this module offers a comprehensive exploration of critical issues in feminist comparative politics.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP384

Environmental Economics
Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

Economics

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Karlygash Kuralbayeva

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken Mathematics For Economists (5SSPP232 or 4SSMN901). Students are recommended
to have taken Microeconomics (5SSPP221 or 5SSPP217).
Assessment: 2-hour examination (70%) & 2,000-word essay (30%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

Environmental economics is a comparatively young, but by now well-established, branch of economics, which has attracted
more and more students. Environmental economics provides theories and techniques, which help students understand some
important and controversial issues, such as climate change, nuclear power, recycling policy, and traffic congestion charging.
Frameworks taught at the course can be used to evaluate various important policy questions such as: should air regulations be
tightened or loosened? Does economic development necessarily result in a high environmental price? Is there a "Race to the
Bottom" in environmental regulation? Are we running out of oil and other natural resources? What are the costs of climate
change in the UK and other countries?

Provisional Lecture Outline

Environmental externalities and the theory of market failure

Economics of pollution control

Economics of natural resource use

The environmental consequences of economic growth

Evolving issues in environmental economics: health and the environment; insights from behavioral economics

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP389

Corporate Lobbying in the Global Economy

Semester 2

Available to:

Politics

PPE

Political Economy

Economics

History & PE

PPL

DID (5 places)

KBS (5 places)

15 credits

Module convenor: Professor Anne Rasmussen and Dr Raphael Cunha

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 3,000-word essay (90%) and 10-minute Group Campaign (10%)

Teaching format: 1 hour lecture & 1 hour seminar every week

Module description

This module examines how private corporations and citizen groups are involved in the governance of the global economy and
public policy formation. It is structured around several fundamental questions: What role do these groups play in policymaking
and what is the nature and extent of their authority? How powerful are these groups in politics and how do they affect political
representation? Finally, how do the shifting forces of globalization (and anti-globalization) affect the power business wields to
shape public policies? In seeking answers to these questions, this module covers both theoretical and empirical perspectives
on how, when, and why interest groups can access and influence policymakers at the national and international level.

The module has two parts. First, it reviews different theoretical approaches to analyzing how interest group influence in
national and international public policymaking operates, and what challenges we face in understanding these dynamics.
Second, it reviews scholarship on lobbying dynamics in a variety of different areas in governance, such as financial regulation,
internet and technology, and global environmental politics.

Educational aims

The course teaches students how to think critically about lobbying and influence in public policymaking. Students learn how to
identify and understand the different means that interest groups use to shape different aspects of governance. Using multiple
case studies, students learn how some of the most important facets of politics and the economy today are being shaped by
private sector actors. Students are also encouraged to think analytically and critically about the role of citizen groups,
corporations, lobbyists, market forces, and how governance operates by exploring the limitations to private sector influence.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, student should be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of the role of interest groups in politics and the global economy in the broader context of social,
political, and economic transformations as well as how this relates to academic work in political science, public policy,
communication studies, and economics.

Meaningfully engage in debates about political representation, globalization, and corporate power, as well as the other
themes of the module.

Appraise the role of interest groups in governance processes and public policy-making

Employability Outcomes and Transferable Skills

Identify key policy public policy challenges and the promises and perils of interest group activity

Professionally communicate policy advice in the form of policy briefs and policy pitches as well as interviewing industry
and policy leaders.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP393

Advanced Econometrics
Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

Economics

History & PE

15 credits

Module convenor: Elisa Cavatorta

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken either Econometrics 5SSPP213 or Applied Econometrics 6SSMN961 or equivalent
study abroad module.

Assessment: technical exercises (30%) & data analysis project (70%)

Teaching format: 2-hour weekly lecture & 6 seminars

In this course we study advanced econometrics methods for cross-sectional and panel data that are not covered in
Econometrics 5SSPP213, Statistics for Political Science II (5SSPP241), Empirical Political Economy 6SSPP349 and Applied
Econometrics 6SSMN961.

The course focuses on modern econometrics techniques, addressing both theory, practical applications, and programming.
Applications feature real policy evaluations in the field of health, conflict resolution and skill development. Topics studied
include: linear and non-linear estimation, Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), power calculations and interpretation of null
results, panel data, (fixed effects, random effects), difference-in-differences design, methods for causal inference, discrete
choice models (binary and categorical outcomes), meta-analysis and measurement.

This is a module for students keen to develop their quantitative method and data analysis skills. It will be particularly useful to
students who aspire to postgraduate studies in economics, computer science, data analytics. Teaching consists of a lecture (2
hours) and 6 lab tutorials (using STATA).

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP397

Politics of Science Fiction and the Science Fiction of Politics

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

History & PE

PPL

Economics

Liberal Arts (2 places)

15 credits

Module convenors: Dr James Scott (convenor) co-taught with Dr Virginia Preston & Prof Santiago Sanchez-Pages
Pre-requisites: None
Assessment: Participation 10%; Presentation 20%; Essay (2,500 words) 70%.
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture & 1-hour seminar weekly

Contemporary science fiction offers a compelling means of interrogating the current challenges of global governance and
political economy. As Brad Torgersen (2013) says, “much of the Science Fiction being written in the 21st century concerns itself
strictly with materialistic concerns: climate change, global warming, the decay of governments and the onset of dystopian
hegemony, or anarchy”. This module provides students with an exploration of the nexus between science fiction and political
economy. It uses science fiction literature as a means of understanding, exploring and critiquing concepts and theories from
across Political Economy, including international relations, economics and politics.

Through this, students will apply the knowledge gained in other modules within political economy, applying key theories and
techniques of analysis in novel areas in an engaging but rigorous way. The proposed module directly relates to a growing area
of cutting-edge research, namely the interplay between popular culture and political economy.

It is strongly recommended that students come with a prior knowledge of and interest in science fiction to avoid being at a
disadvantage. It is preferable that at least some of that knowledge comes from reading SF books, rather than just from TV and
films.

The economics of weeks 5 to 7 is very introductory, requiring no prior knowledge.

Indicative Weekly Outline (based on previous years) – subject to change

1. Intro and SF/popular culture and political economy links

Week 1 serves two purposes. First, we will talk through the organisation of the module (presentations, expectations,
assessment etc). Second, we examine the academic literature on the links between popular culture, particularly science fiction,
and political economy broadly defined. It serves to set out the principle analytical framework of the module. It asks whether
science fiction and popular culture (a) merely provide useful pedagogical examples (that is, simply encourage student interest
in a topic) and a means of considering alternative political economy possibilities; (b) affects the context in which policy takes
place, increasing or decreasing public support for particular policies; or (c) directly affects public policy through impacting key
decision makers.

2. Contact
A recurrent theme in SF is that of ‘first contact’ with alien species, sometimes presented as having a positive impact on politics
(e.g. Star Trek), breaking down divisions between states and cultures, elsewhere being seen in a more negative light, triggering
conflict, fear and division. Discussion of these differing visions of contact with ‘the other’ will be used to springboard into
debates over ‘the other’ in real world IR. This will include whether discourse about ‘the other’ justifies imperialist policies
(Weldes 1999).

3. Colonialism/empire/decolonisation

Science fiction frequently engages with the meeting of different groups, or races, frequently at different stages of technological
sophistication. SF has been explicitly a reaction to, and critique of, colonialism (e.g. Ursula le Guin, The Word for World is
Forest). Elsewhere, it explores the ‘inevitability’ of colonialism when humans meet other races, reflecting a Hobbesian view of
human nature. Tade Thompson’s recent Rosewater trilogy examines neo-colonialism in Nigeria via an alien invasion that
initially seems beneficial. Meanwhile, Iain M Banks’ highly influential Culture series provides an avenue for exploring the
imperialism inherent in liberalism, in an otherwise utopian vision of the future. Such literature enables an exploration of
empire, colonialism and decolonialism.

4. Gender

This week explores how science fiction provides a space to think through radically different gender roles and identities and
gives insights into the complexity of defining gender. It discusses the relevance of gender in contemporary real-world politics
and how feminist science fiction enables a critique of prevailing theories of International Relations and their (gendered)
assumptions. It also questions whether SF literature has been able to pre-empt major changes in thinking about gender, or
whether it merely reflects contemporary thinking.

5. The Economics of Dystopia

In SF, as in life, scarcity shows up everywhere. In the decisions characters face, the time and financial constraints limiting their
choices and influencing their relationship with other characters. Economic models and SF tell stories about imaginary
characters who make decisions over a finite horizon and live finite lives constrained by limited amounts of time and money. In
this lecture, we will revise the extreme economies portrayed in post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. These sub-genres are
the ones that have best-reflected conflicts over scarce resources, the social unrest due to rampant income and wealth
inequalities, and the negative economic consequences of the lack of an effective rule of law and state regulation.

6. A.I.

Artificial intelligence is both a recurrent trope of SF and an area of increasing attention within political economy. The impact of
AI on employment, inequality and other aspects of the economy is raising fundamental questions about the future of
capitalism. Again, there is a sense in which this is SF within the academic literature, since it inevitably involves speculation
about possible futures. This week examines the impact of AI, using key SF literature as a way into the discussion, particularly
around whether the advent of AI will be to liberate humans from work or exacerbate inequalities.

7. The Economics of Utopia

SF influences the way we imagine the future. SF offers us seeds of hope if we look closely enough. Some SF texts describe
better futures, better economic systems, and fairer societies. The SF that we will be discussing in this lecture explores what
utopia means from an economic point of view and the role (if any) of economics in a utopian society.

8. Philip K Dick on Capitalism

In this lecture, we examine Philip K. Dick's short stories through the lens of capitalism. Delving into themes of consumerism,
corporate power, and societal control, we explore the implications of his narratives for economic discourse.
9. Green politics, terraforming, built environment

Science fiction frequently deals with the effects of climate change and technology, as well as how humans might establish new
homes on other planets. Writers and filmmakers also examine the effect of the natural and built environment on the people
and political systems they are home to, both imagined utopias and dystopias. Here we reflect on how this can help us to think
about the environmental challenges currently being faced.

10. Political Systems: World government and beyond

World government was once a lively debate within IR and beyond (much taking place in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) and
has returned more recently (e.g. Craig 2008; Wendt 2003). In a sense, this is at times science fiction within IR. The SF literature
provides multiple avenues for discussing alternative forms of world government, routes to achieving it and the problems
engendered. Iain M Banks’s Culture is a multi-planet liberal utopia, where world government is almost meaningless as habitats
are guided by the Minds, while other authors consider the possible fragmentation of systems, for example micro-state
franchises in Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash, and the Revelation Space universe of Alastair Reynolds.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP403

Advanced Game Theory

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

Politics

History & PE

PPL

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Mehmet Ismail

Pre-requisites: Students must have taken 5SSPP227 Game Theory and Strategic Decision Making.

Assessment: 70% (1500-word project) & 30% (presentation of the project)

Teaching format: 1-hour lecture weekly & 8x seminars

This module covers non-cooperative game theory and briefly cooperative game theory, with a focus on developing analytical
and strategic skills for understanding complex economic and political processes. Students will learn how to formulate strategic
interactions in normal form and extensive form, as well as how to apply solution concepts like Nash equilibrium, maximin
strategies, and other behavioural solution concepts. The course will also briefly cover cooperative game theoretical concepts
such as the core, and matching theory and its applications such as the stable marriage problem. Upon completion of the
module, students should be able to understand and apply game theory to models in political economy, sports, and real-world
competitive games. Additionally, they should also understand the connection between game theory and its contribution to
recent developments in artificial intelligence.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP404

African Politics: Ideas and Issues

Semester 2

Available to:

Political Economy

PPE

Politics

History & PE

PPL

Economics

15 credits

Module convenor: Dr Portia Roelofs

Pre-requisites: None, but students are encouraged to have taken 5SSPP258 African Political Economy
Assessment: 500 word formative mini-essay (0%), 3500 word essay (100%)
Teaching format: 1-hour lecture weekly & 10 x seminars

This module provides students with an in-depth exploration of politics in African countries. It focuses on politics as
contestation: the struggle to define the key terms of political debate and possibility. Over the course of ten weeks the lectures
and seminars will explore a series of key ideas including democracy, development and nationalism; controversial issues of
populism and patronage; and utopic/dystopic visions based on environmental politics, technocracy and socialism. For each
idea we will consider theory from African political thinkers and activists as well as work from beyond the continent that takes
African political practice (in all its heterogeneity) as its starting point. These conceptual debates will be explored through in-
depth empirical and ethnographic studies of key elections, campaigns, and debates over the past 60 years.

In contrast to the common tendency to view politics in Africa as pathological or in need of external intervention, the course
takes seriously politics as seen from the point of view of African voters, street traders, intellectuals, community leaders,
politicians, businesses, traditional rulers and Africans in the diaspora. The course offers students new insights on political
concepts from both the writings of major political thinkers such as Mahmood Mamdani and Peter Ekeh and leaders such as
Nyerere and Nkrumah, combined with a “worms-eye” view of politics from below. These ideas will in turn be interrogated in
practice through a study of current debates via newspapers, media and popular campaigns.

Module Aims

This module aims to:

Introduce students to key concepts in African politics including; development, democracy, ethnicity and nationalism,
populism, patronage, modernity, environmental politics, states and markets, and technocracy.

Explore the key issues and ideas of 21st century democracy through the lens of political contestation in Africa, as they
relate to politics in and between African countries.

Analyse the way these key concepts have been debates by leading African thinkers, leaders and political practitioners at
key moments since 1960, highlighting their contested nature and the impact of historical, social, economic and cultural
factors.

Explore the diversity and heterogeneity of political experiences among different countries and regions on the African
continent, including an appreciation of African politics as a site of political innovation.

Connect debates about key concepts to political competition on the ground at the national, sub-national and local level, as
well as interrogating the influence of regional and international factors.
 Enable students to contextualise debates about politics in the wider landscape of knowledge production within and
about Africa, including pertinent issues of decolonisation, state intervention in higher education, and evolving
contemporary north-south relations.

Evaluate and assess different theoretical, methodological and empirical perspectives on key debates within African
politics.

Hone critical reading and analytical tools to make sense of diverse sources and texts, including academic articles,
speeches, press reportage, social media postings and political popular culture.

Information may be subject to minor changes.

 Full Year

The modules in this section run in Semester 1 & 2.

Module code Module name

6SSPP352 The Department of Political Economy

Dissertation

6SSPP394 The Political Economy Group Dissertation

 6SSPP352

The Department of Political Economy Dissertation

Semester 1 & 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

30 credits

UG Dissertation Coordinator: Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 1,500-word proposal (10%) & 8,000-word essay (90%)

Teaching format: 6 hours of lectures, 1 workshop

This module gives you the opportunity to develop and undertake an independent research project on a topic of your own
choosing, to pursue your own interests in greater depth than before. In the course of doing so, you will have the chance to
draw on the skills and knowledge you have acquired earlier in the degree in order to formulate and answer a specific, focused
research question. You will receive support, both in the form of lectures/workshops and guidance from you supervisor. And
you will also demonstrate autonomy in carrying out your research project – a valuable intellectual skill which is also helpful in
the job market. In this way, the module aims to help you develop your capacity for independent research. The dissertation
thus contributes to future research and employment needs by helping you foster your skills in critical thinking, research, and
extended writing. It is, for many people, the culmination of your degree.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.
 6SSPP394

The Political Economy Group Dissertation

Semester 1 & 2

Available to:

Political Economy

Politics

PPE

Economics

History & PE

30 credits

UG Dissertation Coordinator: Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard

Pre-requisites: None

Assessment: 1,500-word proposal (10%) & 8,000-word essay (90%)

Teaching format: 6 hours of lectures, 1 workshop

For information only, this module cannot be selected during module registration period.

Last updated February 2025

Information may be subject to minor changes.