International Relations

Why study BA International Relations at Goldsmiths

Our International Relations degree investigates the dynamics of a constantly changing world and develops your knowledge and skills to address the global challenges of the 21st century.

• A degree in international relations will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the processes and outcomes of world politics, including the relations between states, security and conflict, and global cooperation and governance.

• At Goldsmiths you will study these themes in a way that reflects the College’s reputation as an institution at the forefront of critical thinking in the arts, humanities and cultural studies.

• Our programme provides you with a contemporary perspective on international relations, one that prioritises Non-Western and Global South actors, institutions and ideas that challenge the post-Cold War liberal international order.

• Not only will you study the ‘high politics’ of international relations – war, multilateral cooperation and international trade and finance – but international politics 'from below', focused on climate change, migration, human rights, human security and indigenous demands for global justice.

• In line with our interdisciplinary approach to politics, you will encounter ‘the international’ in diverse sites of cultural practices, including the politics of vision, non-Western political thought and music.

• Studying international relations at Goldsmiths you will acquire a wide range of transferable academic and research skills suitable for the workplace or postgraduate study.

• You can put your knowledge into practice with our work placement module. Work with organisations in the international relations sector, such as policy think-tanks, development agencies and NGOs and get real experience before you graduate.

• Studying an international relations degree in London means that Westminster, global business, and diverse diasporas are all in easy reach.

• When you join Goldsmiths you will become part of a global academic family, with students from more than 130 countries and alumni around the globe.

Course Modules

Year 1
You will study the following compulsory modules:

• World Politics

• Colonialism, Power, Resistance

• Everything is a Text

• Researching our Lives and Worlds

• Political Theory and Ideologies

Year 2
You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Researching Politics

• Global Governance and World Order

• Rough Politics

• The Goldsmiths Elective

Optional modules
You will also choose optional modules to the value of 60 credits from a list approved in History, Politics and International Relations.

Year 3
You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Dissertation

• Security Studies

Optional modules
You will also choose 75 credits of optional modules.
Current examples include:

• Colonialism and Non-Western Political Thought

• Migration, Technology, and Humanitarianism

• The Politics of Memory

• Ethics and Economics of Environmental Protection

• Fascisms, Old and New

• The Politics of Popular Music

• Work Placement (Politics)

Work Placement module
This optional module gives students experience of working in a range of organisations in the NGO sector such as charities, think-tanks and pressure groups, bodies connected with international organisations, appropriate businesses, and political parties.

There will be a pool of guaranteed places which will be allocated on the basis of appropriateness of the placement to the student's interests. However, we also encourage you to take the opportunity to find your own placements and will support you in that process. We would hope that all students will be able to take up the opportunity should an appropriate placement be found.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, examinations, group work and projects.