The aim of the module is to enable students to undertake an extensive piece of research on a topic of their choice in the field of their degree title, and to further develop their skills in research techniques and methods.

The 'fin de siècle' - stretching from the 1880s to the outbreak for the First World War - was defined by the clash between the old and the new. On the one hand, it was an era of scientific, technological, and philosophical innovation that inspired hope for the future as it pointed to humanity's apparently boundless creativity and mastery of the natural world. Yet, on the other, it was a time of febrile anxiety, in which premonitions of degeneration and decay captured the imagination and equally informed political and philosophical life.

'Sex, Death, and Decadence' examines the ways in which this optimism and anxiety shaped the political, cultural, and intellectual life of turn-of-the-century Europe. By engaging with a diverse range of primary materials, students will explore the ways in which, among others, debates over sex, symbols of death and decay, and fear over declining moral and racial standards, demarcate a specific moment in European history. This was a moment in which faith in rationality and progress seemed at once unquestionable, but also worryingly vulnerable.

This module offers students an opportunity to explore how American culture responded to questions raised by the modernisation of the United States between the end of the Civil War and the beginnings of World War 2.

This module examines the role played by the Soviet and post-Soviet security and intelligence agencies in the history of the Soviet regime and its satellites from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the present day. The history of Communism is a key part of the history of the twentieth century; the Soviet Union's security and intelligence agencies played a key role in the history of Communism. The twentieth century was the most calamitously bloody century in mankind's history; the Soviet Union's security services, and those set up in their image, bear of a large share of the responsibility for that.

This Module explores the various vectors of international politics in the Asia-Pacific; and locates this dynamic region within the larger framework of global politics. Students are expected to demonstrate an appreciation of the web of interactions in the Asia-Pacific at the end of the module. Topics include political geography, diplomatic relations, international political economy, and identity politics in East Asia.

The aims of this module are to:

• Outline and discuss important themes in contemporary political philosophy by encouraging reflection on a number of common basic assumptions and intuitions about the nature of politics, the responsibilities of social and political institutions and the principles upon which ideas about politics are founded.
• Encourage you to tackle some of the most profound and enduring questions facing citizens and policy makers in liberal democratic states and to evaluate the various ways in which different philosophical traditions have approached these issues.

The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of new and emerging security threats in the 21st Century. It explores some of the different ways these threats are understood, how they are being responded to and their implications for the politics of security.

This module examines the ethical (including moral, social, and political) dimensions of environmental thought, broadly construed to encompass a range of questions about human relationships with plants, animals, ecosystems, the climate, and the wider nonhuman world. Ethico-political frameworks explored might include ecologism, animal rights, biocentrism, and similar. Practical normative questions explored might include the ethics of diets and food systems; the political inclusion of animals; the question of who is responsible for putting right environmental harm; species conservation; green militarization; and green democracy.

This module introduces students to the nature, causes, types, and threat of terrorism, and the ways in which this threat is countered.

One 10-credit module from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications. Languages offered are:  French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish.

This course examines the emergence, evolution and contemporary existence of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal) since 1945. It explores the moments of incorporation, trajectories of development and marginal spaces, apart from the mainstream of South Asia today.

This module examines the history and politics of Anglo-American relations, from c.1900 to the present.

This module aims to a) give students a sound grounding in leading strands of feminist philosophy; and b) to allow students to be able to position themselves within these debates. It will do this by focusing on texts and debates: students will read texts in preparation for the class sessions, and will be encouraged to critique, compare, contrast, engage and position themselves in relation to the writings under consideration.

The aim of the module is to explore anarchism in the history of ideas and contemporary politics, using a student-designed open syllabus and by completing a project, tailored to individual interests.

The course aims to introduce the students to international conflict management and to foster critical thinking about international interventions aimed at stopping violent conflicts.

One 10-credit module from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications. Languages offered are:  French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish.