Our world is increasingly globalised, and modernisation has led to a partitioning of the world into so-called developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries. You consider the development of the state and its influence over a society in the wake of globalisation in relation to the non-western world.

Is torture ever morally justified? Should pornography be banned? Should prostitution be legalised? Take part in the intellectual search for the moral principles that should govern how we answer these questions and others in governing public policy.

Understand how different statistical and experimental methods can be used to answer questions about political phenomena. You evaluate the assumptions of standard statistical tests and the linear regression model, consider alternatives to those, and learn about causal inference.

This module is about modern political economy, meaning analytical approaches to study how economic and political incentives interact to create constraints and opportunities that shape larger political and economic behaviour and outcomes. The module introduces students to the use of logic and evidence in order to understand classical political economy issues as well as to address contemporary policy issues in domestic settings. Some of the substantive topics that will be covered include: the origins of the state and state capacity, the political determinants of economic development and inequality, and democracy and redistribution.

How do interest groups influence the trajectory of a country's foreign policy? Who benefits and gains from globalisation and how does this affect their political beliefs? In this module, we will explore how domestic politics and interests influence government's decisions in the international arena, and how international politics affect domestic politics.

Authoritarianism: This module examines authoritarianism, one of the biggest challenges to modern-day democracy. We start by defining autocracy and evaluating alternative measurements of regime type (dictatorship vs. democracy). We then examine the factors that drive politics in dictatorships. In particular, we focus on why dictators often rule with nominally democratic institutions. We analyse why and how such institutions are set up, what explains variation in how they are utilised, and what the effects of such institutions are on regime longevity and government performance. Lastly, we consider the conditions under which regime failure (e.g., democratic transitions) are more likely to occur.

“Globalisation” encompasses a wide range of phenomena, including increasing global trade, deeper integration of financial markets, increasing foreign direct investment, the spread of multinational corporations, reduced travel, transportation and communication costs, and the emergence of global cultural trends. Globalisation impacts people in many different ways, both positively and negatively. It can enrich our lives, but it may also spur disruption and backlash.

In this module you will examine corruption, a global problem that is present in dictatorships as well as democracies, in developing and more developed societies alike. In particular, you'll focus on the impact of corruption on democratic regimes. At the extreme, corruption hampers economic development, reinforces social inequality, and undermines democratic development generally. You will start by defining corruption and discuss alternative tools to evaluate the extent of corruption within a given polity. You'll then examine the causes and consequence of corruption (both political and bureaucratic). Last, but not least, you'll evaluate existing strategies to contain and control this problem.

The relationship between the media and politics is a complex and important means by which the public are informed on and engaged by political activity. You consider the role of the media and democracy in the UK, and also explore how this functions elsewhere.

This module aims to provide students with a detailed knowledge of how the UK Parliament works (in both theory and practice). Subject to validation, this module is co-taught by staff at the Houses of Parliament and has the support of The Speaker and the Clerk of the House in the House of Commons, and the Lord Speaker and the Clerk of the Parliaments in the House of Lords. The module content is delivered collaboratively by the Houses of Parliament and the University of Essex, with the University providing academic and theoretical content and Parliament providing practical and vocational teaching about the work, processes and business of Parliament.

Politics is about people. Everything – angry tweeting, constitutional design, environmental lobbying, states going to war – boils down to the opinions, decisions and behaviour of individuals, and understanding those is the territory of psychology. Political psychology is a growing and thriving subfield, to which this module provides a wide-ranging introduction.

The field of security studies has become increasingly important over the last decade. While old conflicts are reigniting and new ones are emerging, scholars and decision-makers debate about changes to the concepts of security, the redundancy of military force, and the centrality of the state in order to face these ever-important issues.

Theories of justice are still being worked on and developed today. You question contemporary theories of justice through applying them to some of the most controversial issues dominating contemporary politics.

This module explores the nature and foundations of international obligations. It asks what we owe to people in other countries, and what they can demand of us as a matter of right. Questions to be addressed include the following: Who owes what to the very poor? Are citizens of affluent countries complicit in the creation and maintenance of world poverty? Does justice demand the elimination of global inequality? Is the promotion of human rights a form of western cultural imperialism? When is international trade unfair? Do states have a right to close their borders to outsiders? Under what conditions (if any) is it permissible to wage war? We will address these questions by considering the answers that they have received in important recent works of normative political theory.

International migration is at the forefront of academic and policy discussions. You'll explore the multiple dimensions of human development linked to international migration, and the determinants and dynamics of international migration and its economic and social effects on both sending and receiving countries.

Study one of the most important contemporary societal and political issues that require urgent policy action: climate change. You consider the state of the natural environment and growing concerns related to the climate crisis. You will also explore environmental and climate policies, regarding how they shape and are shaped by individual attitudes, social movements, institutions, parties and international diplomacy.

This module explores key elements of international environmental politics, the actors, means of cooperation, and its consequences. A lot of emphasis is given to the role of international environmental institutions as major actors of international environmental politics. In addition, we will explore climate change and some of its major consequences in international relations, namely, conflict and migration. The module also offers the opportunity to students to learn how to write a policy brief and a policy report. Such transferrable skills are highly demanded in the job market.

Prepare an 8,000 word dissertation which researches the political topic you are most passionate about.

International Current Affairs (or Understanding Our World) aims to introduce you to cutting edge debates in international politics and media in the age of misinformation and post-truth. The module aims to prepare Essex students to be new generation of solution-focused graduates with a sophisticated understanding of the complexities of our interconnected world. Beyond the focus on the global North that usually dominate our understanding of international politics, the module will also provide insight into major events and crises in the global South, while reflecting on policies, how they are developed and their impact on the everyday life of citizens around the world.

This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. It is aimed primarily at students looking to develop a research career in journalism or media studies as well as those students looking to acquire a critical approach to journalistic practice. It will also be interesting to students of Government and Sociology who are interested in understanding the big debates around the media and the relationships with politics and society. Each week a current event will be discussed in the seminar as well. The module will equip students with the knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and critical tools to unpack the complexities of contemporary networked newsrooms. It will provide the conceptual framework required to analyze and comprehend our interconnected communication sphere. The module will be open to students from LIFTS who want to critically reflect on the professional practice and to students from Government and Sociology who would be eager to acquire analytical tools that would support their interdisciplinary research.