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MSc - Master of Science
Houghton Street
Full Time
SEP-25
1 year
Select a course option
MSc - Master of Science
Houghton Street
Full Time
SEP-25
1 year
MSc - Master of Science
Houghton Street
Part Time
SEP-25
2 years
Select a an exam type
Political theory is the study of how we do and should think about the nature and organisation of political life and its limits. It is a contested, and exciting field of inquiry, featuring historical, normative, comparative and applied approaches that are often informed by adjacent debates in moral philosophy, legal theory, historical studies, and political science.
Central normative research questions for contemporary political theory include: How might a legitimate or just state be constituted? What gives rulers the authority to rule, and do citizens have a duty to obey? How much, if any, inequality is just? At the same time, political theory constantly finds itself revising its substantive concerns and theoretical assumptions – both in response to actual political developments and by following the dynamic of its own critical inquiry. Thus, feminist thinkers have queried the classic private/public distinction and with it received conceptions of “the political”. Theorists of global justice interrogate the limits of state-bounded political morality. Post-colonial theory and comparative political theory explore alternative traditions and marginalized voices to re-think mainstream assumptions.
Currently, there are eight political theorists in the Department of Government, which is one of the largest concentrations of specialists in the world. Staff research interests are in diverse areas including comparative political theory, contemporary normative theory, the history of political thought, feminist theory, and rational and social choice theory. Our aim is to expose students to a wide array of different normative issues and methods of inquiry and thereby to enable them to engage critically and constructively with the challenges of an increasingly global political context.
Careers
This programme is a good preparation for further research work or for a career in education, public administration or the private sector.
Upper second class honours degree (2:1) or equivalent in any discipline with a considered interest in the relevant areas covered by the MSc.
Students living in
Domestic
£27,480 per year
Students from Domestic
This is the fee you pay if the University is in the same country that you live in (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
£27,480 per year
Students from EU
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from somewhere in the EU.
£27,480 per year
Students from International
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from a country outside the EU.
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