As part of this integrated degree, you will benefit from a generous choice of optional modules on historical and political themes which are central to an understanding of public life in the modern world.

In your first year you will concentrate on core modules. In your second and final years you choose from a wide range of optional modules.

Politics as an area of study develops your knowledge and understanding of governments, governance and societies. Politics is central to our everyday lives. It explores people and power and involves drama and events of great significance both today and historically. Think of the electoral struggle between Left and Right, the power play of the Cold War, and the great enterprise of European integration.

Studying for a politics degree means investigating how politics works and delves into how parliaments and governments function while also allowing you to evaluate political ideas such as power, freedom, democracy, conflict, legitimacy and accountability.

The study of history enables you to learn about the different worlds of people in the past and to better understand the present. History gives you an insight into the process of change from Ancient Greece and Rome through the Medieval period to the modern day. You may study the history of societies in diverse parts of the globe, from India and China, through Germany and France, to Britain, Wales and Cardiff.

You will learn to think independently and to analyse a body of material, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and present your conclusions in well-written, lucid prose, as well as verbally.

Distinctive features

The politics department at Cardiff University has unrivalled academic links with the National Assembly for Wales via the Welsh Governance Centre and long established relationships with national and international organisations such as the Westminster parliament, European Union and NATO. This unique status gives students the opportunity to supplement their learning by engaging with political decision makers in the real world.