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Politics and International Relations 

Welcome to Politics and International Relations at Aston University!


Congratulations on having chosen one of our Politics or International Relations programmes - we will do our best to make the next few years an exciting, challenging, invaluable and unforgettable experience.

During your time with us, you will have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the societal, institutional and economic pressures which shape the world we live in. During your first two years, you will establish a solid foundation of the key elements of the discipline. In your final year, you will have the chance to study more detailed aspects of politics and international relations today, including writing a dissertation on a subject of your choice.

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First Year Modules

In Year 1, you will study introductory modules designed to provide you with the necessary grasp of a range of topics relating to politics and international relations that will enable you to specialise further in your second and third years.

The core first term modules are:

  • LP 1016 Europe and the Making of the Modern World  

  • LP 1019 Introduction to Politics

  • LP 1020 British Politics since 1945

  • LP 1021 Introduction to International Relations

Recommended Reading

Recommended introductory reading:

  • Jones, B. and P. Norton (2010), Politics UK, 7th edition (London: Longman)

  • Heywood, A. (2007), Politics, 3rd Edition (Basingstoke: Palgrave)

  • Stone, N. (2010), The Atlantic and its Enemies: A Personal History of the Cold War (London: Allen Lane)

  • Heywood, A. (2011), Global Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave) or Baylis, J., Smith, S. and Owens, P. (2011)

  • The Globalization of World Politics, 5th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press). 

  • In addition, we recommend that you regularly read a quality newspaper / news periodical, such as the Financial Times and The Economist.

The Aston Centre for Europe (ACE)
In addition to offering successful and popular undergraduate programmes, the Politics and International Relations subject group at Aston is also at the cutting edge of research on Europe and has one of the largest concentrations of staff working on Europe anywhere in the UK. This takes the form of the Aston Centre for Europe (ACE), which not only runs research projects, provides policy advice and offers advanced training programmes, but also hosts high-profile conferences and visiting speakers throughout the academic year. Keep an eye out for emails announcing such events – undergraduate students are always welcome to attend!

We look forward to welcoming you this September!