How have societies interacted with one and other over time? How do we manage the relationships and conflicts between nations? What impact has globalisation had on our political economies and cultures? These are all profound questions of the modern world we live in.To understand the contemporary challenges that exist in our world, we must understand the geographies, politics, histories and relations that have shaped our environment. In this course, you will investigate how democracies operate, how our world is shaped by dominant ideas of capitalism and colonialism, and how historical events affect current affairs.You will study topics including but not limited to:- War, and the war on terror- International relations- Political power- Globalisation- MigrationAt Essex we train our students to be fearless and independent, to question everything and to draw on the broadest possible range of facts and ideas.Based in our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre, you will be taught by experts from a range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences.You will also be taught by academics from our Department of Government – one of the most prestigious in Europe, with an outstanding record of teaching, research and publication. We have always been the highest-rated politics department in the UK for our research (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014) and we are top 5 in the UK for social science research (REF 2014).