Why study Political Science BA at Birmingham?
The Department of Political Science and International Studies, which teaches this programme, is one of the largest and best departments of its type in the UK.
It has been ranked as high as fifth in recent years in the National Student Survey in terms of overall satisfaction, and 85% of the research conducted in POLSIS was evaluated as being internationally recognised in the latest Research Assessment Exercise.
The Department also has an excellent record in the Guardian League Table for Politics.
We are currently rated 12th and have been consistently viewed as one of the best departments in the country since the Guardian started publishing their League Tables in 2000.
The Department has a balance of expertise that covers all areas of the discipline and has long-established strengths in the fields of political theory, European politics, international relations theory, security studies, diplomatic studies, political sociology, political economy, Pacific Asian politics, environmental politics and British politics.
Teaching and Learning
The University of Birmingham’s Vision for Learning states that ‘At Birmingham, we are committed to enabling all our students to profit from a culture of learning, aligned with our research ethos, which is based upon critical enquiry, debate and self-motivation.’ We uphold this vision in the Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) and add to it the unique inflections and insights that can be gained only from pursuing further education in Politics and International Studies.
Teaching and learning in POLSIS is:
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Student-centred
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Research-led
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Committed to social justice
Student-centred
In POLSIS we prioritise the needs of the student learner in our efforts to provide a quality learning experience. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity across our curriculum and to widening participation in our degree programmes. We see our student learners as participants in the production of knowledge, not as customers or consumers, and we pursue the implementation of a curriculum responsive to each student’s individual needs. We are strongly motivated to facilitate the development of transferable skills and every degree programme is designed to encourage student preparedness upon graduation for the pursuit of future career goals.
Research-led
We bring our research expertise as a Department to bear on every aspect of curriculum design, ensuring that students are taught by and learn with experts in their fields. However, this is only one aspect of the concept of research-led teaching. POLSIS prioritises learning-by-doing and aims to foster a spirit of critical thought and active enquiry in all our student learners. In this way, learning in POLSIS is not about the transfer of knowledge but about its production, a process in which student learners are active partners.
Committed to social justice
The principles of learning in POLSIS require a commitment to social justice as a corollary to the subject matter with which we are all engaged. Irrespective of our disciplinary differences, we are all concerned with issues of equality, inclusion, responsibility and reflexive awareness in our research, and these issues inform our pedagogical practices as well. We have a culture of learning in POLSIS that adheres to an ideal of democratic decision-making, with the consultation of all student learners about all aspects of their learning experience through formal and informal channels.
During their programme of study, students are encouraged to enhance their existing strengths in a range of ways. Every student will perform tasks that may be assessed and can always be used as a measure of progress. Every student will receive written and oral individual and group feedback that can be used to improve performance.
More about teaching and learning at the University
Employability
What is ‘employability’?
Employability has been defined by the Confederation of British Industry as
A set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should posses to ensure they have the capacity of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy.”
In the Department of Political Science and International Studies, we seek to enhance this definition and work with an holistic vision of ‘employability’ that recognises the talents and skills that students already have when they begin their programme of study. We seek to empower and enable students to identify and enhance their strengths. This complements and goes beyond the definition of employability provided above.
We see employability as a broad-based set of individual strengths that students can build on and enhance during their time at the University of Birmingham. The benefits of employability accruing to the individual student and to society more broadly include (but are not limited to) a capacity for reflexive and independent learning, the ability to motivate self and others, and a positive engagement with civic culture.
Our understanding of employability underpins our Principles of Learning.
The strengths that we focus on in the Department are derived from those identified by Universities UK, and there are seven of particular relevance to POLSIS students.
How can the POLSIS Graduate add more to their experience?
POLSIS runs a range of in-house activities that vary by year and are designed to complement the curriculum, including an Annual Student Conference, a Research Assistance Scheme (where students are paired with a member of staff to help them in specific research tasks), the opportunity to participate in simulation exercises using real case examples, and a study trip to Brussels for taught postgraduates. Other activities have included simulation events and research visits to local and national places of interest. The Department is committed to enhancing these extra dimensions to the student experience in the years to come, cooperating with elected student societies to find new ways of enriching students time at Birmingham.
POLSIS also designs modules and programmes in consultation with the Careers and Employability Centre, and the POLSIS Graduate has benefited from this close co-ordination.
The Careers and Employability Centre can help you find appropriate work experience, both paid and voluntary. Work Experience enables you to:
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Develop valuable transferable skills like team working, communications, networking and project management
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Get hands-on experience of organisational working practices
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Learn about an occupation and decide whether it is for you
The Honey Pot provides financial support to undergraduate students at the University of Birmingham to undertake work experience over the summer vacation period. Students can apply for up to £800 to support low or unpaid work experience placements.
Students can also register for the Personal Skills Award. The Personal Skills Award (PSA) is the University's award winning employability programme for undergraduate students. Celebrated by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) and endorsed by a range of employers, the PSA can enable students to develop, recognise and articulate skills effectively in preparation for the graduate job market. Students can complete the Personal Skills Award by completing accredited skills modules or through involvement in extra-curricular activities. Please explore the information provided on the website of the Careers and Employability Centre about the PSA 'pathways'.