Students of politics will learn about elections, constitutions and government, but also about sovereignty, conflict, political economy, human rights and public policy.  In studying politics and international relations, we try to understand what happens, to figure out what should happen, and to determine how this might be realised. Much of political study involves seeking to understand national and international political institutions, systems and forces – parliaments, presidents and power, votes, vetoes and violence – but it also seeks to explain the changes that occur in these and to articulate what further possibilities for change exist.Politics equally involves what is called political theory, examining what institutions, options and lives we ought to have: what justice demands, what freedom requires, what democracy could be. This is equally true on the international scale – we can explain war, trade and global poverty, discuss the existing mechanisms for coping with these issues and examine what moral demands these facts place on individual nations and individual human beings.  Politics students will leave the program with a solid substantive understanding of politics as well as being equipped with the tools to analyse and critically write about contemporary political topics that they gain through lectures and tutorials, and the completion of continuing assessment and exams. The School offers a broad and diverse range of modules across the three levels.  Single honors politics will typically explore modules and develop expertise across the five core areas of the school: international relations, comparative politics, Irish politics and elections, political theory, and political methodology.

1 - • Understand the structure and actors of national and international politics
2 - • Engage with contemporary political debates.
3 - • Analyse political topics with both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
4 - • Identify political rationale for social, political and economic outcomes.
5 - • Think critically and analyse political issues drawing on perspectives from contemporary political theory and the history of political thought.
6 - • Prepare clear and concise written work across a range of political subject areas.
7 - Achieve an in-depth understanding of multiple subject areas within Politics and International Relations
8 - Contribute to political life nationally and internationally through reasoned and critical interventions.

Stage 2 students must take all four core modules. In addition, students must also take 30 credits of option modules. Students attempting POL20050 Research Methods in Pol Sci without completing POL10170 Foundations in Pol Research must contact the school office at spire@ucd.ie.

Stage 3 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from Level 3 modules OR b) 40 credits from Level 3 modules and 10 credits from Level 2 modules.

Stage 4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from Level 3 modules OR b) 40 credits from Level 3 modules and 10 credits from Level 2 modules.

Module ID	Module Title	Trimester	Credits
Stage 2 Core Modules
INRL20040	Theories and Concepts in International Relations	Autumn	5
POL20010	Individuals and the State: The Idea of Freedom in the History of Political Thought	Autumn	5
POL20020	Comparative Politics	Spring	5
POL20050	Research Methods in Political Science	Spring	5
Stage 2 Core Modules
Stage 2 Options - A)6OF: Students must select 6 option modules. Students who will attempt POL20050 in Spring Trimester must take POL10170 Foundations in Pol Research in Autumn.
INRL20080	Irish Foreign Policy	Autumn	5
INRL20160	Introduction to European Union Politics	Autumn	5
POL10170	Foundations in Political Research	Autumn	5
POL20260	Introduction to Chinese Politics	Autumn	5
DEV20010	Topics in Intl Development	Spring	5
DEV20130	Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals	Spring	5
INRL20110	Intro to Middle East Politics	Spring	5
POL10120	Foundations in Global Development	Spring	5
POL20250	Irish Politics	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - A)6OF: Students must select 6 option modules. Students who will attempt POL20050 in Spring Trimester must take POL10170 Foundations in Pol Research in Autumn.
Stage 3 Options - A)MIN40CR: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List. Students who wish to take POL30860 and POL30870 (must be taken together) should apply to the school directly.
INRL30320	Gender in War & Peace	Autumn	10
INRL30370	Terrorism & Political Violence	Autumn	10
POL30640	Deliberative Mini-Publics	Autumn	10
POL30820	Political Risk and Foreign Direct Investment	Autumn	10
POL30860	Advanced Seminar in Politics 1	Autumn	5
POL30880	Capitalism and Democracy	Autumn	10
POL30890	The Politics of Organised Crime	Autumn	10
POL36070	Political Psychology	Autumn	10
POL36120	Gender, Religion & Colonialism	Autumn	10
POL36140	Parties and Party Systems	Autumn	10
INRL30340	Internat. Political Economy	Spring	10
INRL30400	EU Foreign Policy: understanding how the European Union and its member states engage with the world	Spring	10
POL30660	Data Analytics for Social Sciences	Spring	10
POL30680	Gender and Politics	Spring	10
POL30690	Introduction to Asian Politics	Spring	10
POL30840	Electoral Systems and their Consequences	Spring	10
POL30870	Advanced Seminar in Politics 2	Spring	15
POL36100	Strategies of Politics	Spring	10
POL36110	Comparative Political Theory	Spring	10
POL36130	Liberalism & its Critics	Spring	10
POL36150	Feminist Pers. on Social Pol.	Spring	10
Stage 3 Options - A)MIN40CR: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List. Students who wish to take POL30860 and POL30870 (must be taken together) should apply to the school directly.
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN0OF: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List.
INRL20080	Irish Foreign Policy	Autumn	5
INRL20160	Introduction to European Union Politics	Autumn	5
POL20260	Introduction to Chinese Politics	Autumn	5
DEV20010	Topics in Intl Development	Spring	5
DEV20130	Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals	Spring	5
ECON30500	Field Experiments Social Sci	Spring	5
INRL20110	Intro to Middle East Politics	Spring	5
POL20250	Irish Politics	Spring	5
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN0OF: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List.
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN40CR: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List. Students who wish to take POL30860 and POL30870 (must be taken together) should apply to the school directly.
INRL30320	Gender in War & Peace	Autumn	10
INRL30370	Terrorism & Political Violence	Autumn	10
POL30640	Deliberative Mini-Publics	Autumn	10
POL30820	Political Risk and Foreign Direct Investment	Autumn	10
POL30860	Advanced Seminar in Politics 1	Autumn	5
POL30880	Capitalism and Democracy	Autumn	10
POL30890	The Politics of Organised Crime	Autumn	10
POL36070	Political Psychology	Autumn	10
POL36120	Gender, Religion & Colonialism	Autumn	10
POL36140	Parties and Party Systems	Autumn	10
INRL30340	Internat. Political Economy	Spring	10
INRL30400	EU Foreign Policy: understanding how the European Union and its member states engage with the world	Spring	10
POL30660	Data Analytics for Social Sciences	Spring	10
POL30680	Gender and Politics	Spring	10
POL30690	Introduction to Asian Politics	Spring	10
POL30840	Electoral Systems and their Consequences	Spring	10
POL30870	Advanced Seminar in Politics 2	Spring	15
POL36100	Strategies of Politics	Spring	10
POL36110	Comparative Political Theory	Spring	10
POL36130	Liberalism & its Critics	Spring	10
POL36150	Feminist Pers. on Social Pol.	Spring	10
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN40CR: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List. Students who wish to take POL30860 and POL30870 (must be taken together) should apply to the school directly.
Stage 4 Options - B)MIN0OF: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List.
INRL20080	Irish Foreign Policy	Autumn	5
INRL20160	Introduction to European Union Politics	Autumn	5
POL20260	Introduction to Chinese Politics	Autumn	5
DEV20010	Topics in Intl Development	Spring	5
DEV20130	Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals	Spring	5
ECON30500	Field Experiments Social Sci	Spring	5
INRL20110	Intro to Middle East Politics	Spring	5
POL20250	Irish Politics	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - B)MIN0OF: Stage 3/4 Politics Single Major students must take either a) all 50 credits from the 10-credit Options List OR b) 40 credits from the 10-credit Options List and 10 credits from the 5-credit Options List.

		Award		GPA
Programme	Module Weightings	Rule Description	Description
BHACS001	Stage 3 - 50.00% Stage 2 - 50.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47