Sociology, Politics and International Studies Study Guide 2025/26
What you can study
The interdisciplinary School of Sociology, Politics, and International Relations provides an international perspective on the social and the political. We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.
- culture and society
- migration and multiculturalism
- conflict, peace, violence, crime, and justice
- gender and sexuality
- race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism
- the environment
- class, political and social inequalities
- specific regions: Africa, the Americas, Europe, South and East Asia
Pre-requisites
At UK universities, students specialise from their first year and rarely take units outside their degree subject. This means that:
- Year 1 units are suitable for all students.
- Year 2 units require some university study in the discipline.
- Year 3 units require a strong background in the discipline.
Subject pathway students
If you have been nominated to Bristol on the Study Abroad (Sociology, Politics & International Studies pathway), you must take the majority of your credits from this guide.
Politics
Year 1
Pre-requisites: suitable for all students
Teaching Block 1
Teaching Block 2
Teaching Block 4
Year 2
Pre-requisites: some university study in the discipline.
Teaching Block 1
- Contemporary International Relations - POLI20002
- Contemporary Political Theory - POLI22202
- Co-operation & Integration in Europe - POLI21214
- Global Justice - POLI20010
- Power Politics & International Relations of East Asia - POLI29008
- Russian Politics - POLI20006
- The Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa - POLI21231
- The Politics of the Environment - POLI20018
Teaching Block 2
Year 3
Pre-requisites: strong background of study in the discipline.
Teaching Block 1
- Critical Security Studies - POLI31384
- How to Win a Political Argument - POLI30020
- Peacebuilding: Theory & Practice - POLI31557
- Populism - POLI30039
- The Political Economy of China - POLI30009
- The Politics of Gender - POLI31351
- The Politics of Human Rights - POLI30026
- US Foreign Policy - POLI30017
Teaching Block 2
- Britain and the EU: The Politics of Brexit - POLI30042
- Northern Ireland: Conflict and Resolution - POLI30040
- Philosopher Queens - POLI30041
- Popular Culture and World Politics - POLI31378
- Power, Politics and Food - POLI30027
- States and Markets - POLI31559
- The Politics of Post-Apartheid South Africa - POLI31381
- The Politics of the Contemporary Labour Party - POLI30024
Sociology
Year 1
Pre-requisites: suitable for all students
Teaching Block 1
Teaching Block 2
Teaching Block 4
Year 2
Pre-requisites: some university study in the discipline.
Teaching Block 1
- Class and Social Divisions - SOCI20045
- Conceptualising the Social - SOCI20016
- East Asian Societies: Alternative Modernities - SOCI20076
- Principles of Quantitative Social Science - SOCI20069
- Sexuality and Society - SOCI20072
- The Sociology of Childhood and Rights - SOCI20078
Teaching Block 2
Year 3
Pre-requisites: strong background of study in the discipline.
Teaching Block 1
- Consumption and Sustainability - SOCI30106
- Feminist Sociology of Food - SOCI30104
- Public Opinion & Democracy - SOCI30072
- Religion and Politics - SOCI30107
- The Sociology of Popular Music - SOCI30048
Teaching Block 2
You may also be interested in:
Application queries
Contact the Centre for Study Abroad inbound team if you have any queries about the application process for the study abroad programmes:
Phone: +44 117 39 40207
Email: cfsa-inbound@bristol.ac.uk
What you can study at Bristol
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Study Guides
Study Guides are updated every April for the following academic year.