BA POLITICS

The study of Politics at UEA will help you develop your critical thinking. Taught by staff who are active researchers and experts in their field, you’ll spend your time with us asking difficult questions, debating the answers with fellow students and expert academics, and formulating your own ideas. 

You’ll study political ideas and how politics fundamentally works, and you’ll look at these topics in the context of other countries and regions in the US, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa. You’ll get to grips with the negotiation and bargaining processes of politics. You’ll examine who is involved in political discussions, who wins and who loses, the constraints some face – and the power others possess. And you’ll come to understand why the personal and social are political too, because studying politics is about the role of gender, class and race and their relationship with political processes and outcomes. 

Our flexible programme will give you a solid grounding in the key themes of politics and allow you to concentrate on the aspects that interest you most. You might focus on systems of democratic representation, or perhaps security issues. Whatever subject grabs your attention, the course will enable you to gain a sophisticated understanding of how the world works. 

You will develop skills such as how to argue persuasively, analyse carefully and make well informed and well-reasoned decisions. You will also learn to challenge received wisdom, and different views, thoughtfully and respectfully. These are important skills for navigating the turbulent and multi-faceted world, serving you well in any number of future careers. 

UEA also stages talks from high-profile politicians that you can attend. In the past, guest speakers have included Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), John Bercow (Conservative MP, and Speaker of the House of Commons), Caroline Lucas (Green), Douglas Carswell (formerly of UKIP) and Vince Cable (Liberal Democrats). 

About

Who gets what, when and how? This is one of the central questions of politics. On this course you will uncover the negotiation and bargaining processes of politics, who is involved in political discussions, who wins and who loses, what constraints different actors face, and whether certain actors like business and the media have privileged access to power. You will also study the role of gender, class and race and their relationship with political processes and outcomes. The study of political behaviour will enable you to think about the processes of governance and democracy, the causes of war, the impact of the media, and the effects of globalisation. 

You will explore important ideas in politics: liberal democracy, the idea of freedom, and the capitalist economy, to take just a few. You will also examine how politics works, examining the role and behaviour of officials, governments, political parties, interest and campaign groups, and the public. 

Placement Year and Study Abroad

During the course you will have the opportunity to take part in study trips, internships and placements in Britain and Europe (see our Careers and Employability pages). 

You’ll also have the opportunity to broaden your horizons and experience the political climate of another country first-hand with the option to spend a semester studying abroad. For further details, visit the Study Abroad section of our website. 

After the Course

A Politics BA from UEA will equip you with the knowledge and skills for a large choice of careers directly related to politics, and well beyond. 

You could find yourself working for an international organisation, parliament or political party, or the civil service. Or you could take your skills and apply them to journalism, marketing, advertising, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, think-tanks or research institutions. 

You could even choose to return to academia to study for a postgraduate degree. 

Career destinations

Examples of careers you could enter include:

• Policy analyst

• Consultant

• Lobbyist

• Strategic advisor

• Communication officer

• Subject specialist