Study Overseas

Today's world appears to be shrinking. Global events explode across television screens and force their way onto newspaper headlines at a frightening pace. Electronic communications fly across national boundaries at a press of a button. A fall in the stock market in Tokyo can induce panic in all of the major financial centres of the world. Whether it is famine in Sub-Saharan Africa, ethnic conflict in Central Europe, European Integration, or global trade policy, it is difficult to escape the feeling that local events have a global dimension. Attempting to understand the political implications of these events and how and why they happen is the aim of International Politics.

Often referred to as International Relations, International Politics is emerging as one of the most interesting and exciting subjects to study at University. British Universities, in particular, offer a range of varied and innovative degree schemes that help students understand this fascinating and complex subject. The first university department in the world to study the subject was based at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1919. Students today can still study the subject at Aberystwyth, as well as at other major centres throughout Britain.

The subject grew out of the carnage of World War One. People everywhere wanted to know how and why the war had occurred, and how such a catastrophe could be prevented in the future. The subject was thus born out of war, and to this day one of its major concerns is the avoidance of war and the management of conflict.

However, although the study of war plays a fundamental role, International Politics is much broader than simply the study of war, and encompasses a wide range of issues, as well as investigating how these issues impact on all of us. It deals with great issues: of war and peace, power and justice, rights and duties. The focus is on the most pressing problems of our time: nationalism and ethnic conflict, pollution and the environment, famine and poverty, silences and exclusions, weapons and warfare, world order and disorder. The subject matter is intellectually challenging and touches on law, philosophy, history, economics and sociology. International Politics is vitally important because it explores questions that critically affect the lives of all of us.

Given the breadth of the subject, students can take various differently structured specialist degree schemes. International Politics and Strategic Studies, for example, is concerned with understanding and explaining the military dimension of international relations. The focus of this degree scheme, therefore, is on the threat and use of military force, and the prevention and conduct of war.

Alternatively, students can take a degree in International Politics and Intelligence Studies, which focuses on the role played by intelligence agencies in relation to International Politics. Other degree schemes are those such as Peace Studies, or Third World Studies. In general, first year students are introduced to some of the key ideas, debates and issues in the fields of International Politics, and International History and Politics. These are then developed in a series of core Honours modules in the second and third years, the specific content of which depends upon the degree scheme being followed.

Students studying International Politics and Intelligence, for example, will take a number of specialist intelligence and intelligence-related modules. Whereas students taking a degree in International Politics and International History will take the same introductory module, but will focus in the second and third years of specialised modules dealing with various aspects of International History.

A degree in International Politics allows students to gain a unique set of analytical skills, and a comprehensive understanding of global political and economic processes required in today's globalized world. The necessity of understand how these global processes work is now being recognized by many employers and a degree in International Politics offers graduates a wide choice of careers.

Whether your ambitions direct you towards private business, public service, the voluntary sector or the media, political issues will have a major role to play. A degree in International Politics will provide you with the skills necessary for a career in a number of areas.

In the business and corporate sectors, for example, the transition towards Economic and Monetary Union in Europe will have an impact upon all European companies - whether they are within or outside the new single currency zone. Businesses throughout the world want to employ people who have the necessary knowledge of global political process that will contribute to their success in the global market place.

In the public sector - in local or national government or the diplomatic services - knowledge of how International Politics works is absolutely crucial. Knowledge of International Politics offers future public servants a huge comparative advantage over colleagues without a similar understanding.

The voluntary sector is an area of huge employment growth that recruits many graduates of International Politics. Whether you are campaigning with an organisation such as Greenpeace or working with a local development organisation in your community, political issues will have an effect. How can you lobby decision-making centres on the latest proposed legislation? How can you access funding in support of your proposed community centre? Voluntary organisations need the skills of those who are confident working in an international environment and who have the communication skills to put forward their case convincingly. In the media, the name of the game is communication. If you don't understand how something works, how can you explain it to someone else? For anyone interested in a career in media, International Politics offers the kind of well-rounded and broad base of knowledge that is crucial in this information age. From the foothills of Bosnia to a housing estate in Birmingham, journalists and other media professionals need to know what the issues are and where to go for answers.

International Politics offers students an awareness of the variety of international cultures and understanding of the world's political and economic systems. Understanding global issues and their impact on local events must be one of the most fascinating areas of study in a multicultural world.

Author

Colin Wight