Sociology, Politics and International Studies study guide 2023/24

Sociology, Politics and International Studies at Bristol

SPAIS – the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies – is an interdisciplinary research and teaching environment with close to sixty academic staff, where prominent scholars of sociology and politics and international relations teach and research on pressing theoretical questions and engage in cutting-edge empirical research. SPAIS staff are internationally renowned in their fields; their ideas are published in academic books and journal papers, policy reports, blogs and newspaper articles, and are discussed in lively debate across the School. Our research and teaching in SPAIS addresses some of the most important topics that face everyone today: questions of globalisation, risk and uncertainty; issues of security and the resilience of states; of gender and social inequality; problems of migration, ethnicity and citizenship; and dilemmas of global development and sustainability. We address these with reference to our research conducted in areas as diverse as the societies of East Asia, the European Union and the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East.

Unit structure

The school offers many classes that are based in a single semester, and can therefore accept unit requests from Study Abroad students who want to join Bristol for just the autumn or spring semester.

Unit levels

The school offers units across all undergraduate levels of study: year 1 (level C/4), year 2 (level I/5), and year 3 (level H/6) units. Postgraduate units are not available.

Unit codes

Unit codes in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies begin with 'POLI' or 'SOCI'. This is followed by a number indicating the year (1, 2, 3). For example:

POLI10000/SOCI10000 = year 1 unit
POLI20000/SOCI20000 = year 2 unit
POLI30000/SOCI30000 = year 3 unit.

For more information about each unit, check the University's unit catalogue for 2023/24. Applicants on all study abroad programmes must review the unit details on the catalogue before listing unit choices on their application form. This includes checking the format of assessment for each unit. The unit catalogue for 2023/24 is updated by April 2023.

Your unit choices cannot be guaranteed. Some units may not have capacity to accommodate all of the unit requests we receive. Registration on a unit also depends on whether you meet the pre-requisite conditions through prior study at your home university.

Study Abroad (Subject pathway)

If you have been nominated to Bristol on the Study Abroad (Subject pathway), you must take the majority of your credits in this department.

Units available on the study abroad programme in 2023/24

The following units from the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies are open to inbound Study Abroad students.

Year 1 (level C/4)

Politics:

TB1

Issues in World Politics (TB1) - POLI10001
The Politics of the Global South (TB1) - POLI10004
Thinking Politically (TB1) - POLI10005

TB2

Theories of International Relations (TB2) - POLI10003
Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction (TB2) - POLI11103
Political Concepts (TB2) - POLI11101

Sociology:

TB1

Introducing Culture (TB1) - SOCI10010
Social Identities and Divisions (TB1) - SOCI10007
Thinking Sociologically (TB1) - SOCI10004

TB2

Doing Social Research (TB2) - SOCI10005
Key Social Thinkers (TB2) - SOCI10006
Sociology in a Global Context (TB2) - SOCI10008

Year 2 (level I/5)

Politics:

TB1

Comparative and International Political Economy (TB1) - POLI20012
Contemporary International Relations (TB1) - POLI20002
Contemporary Political Theory (TB1) - POLI22202
Co-operation and Integration In Europe (TB1) - POLI21214
Democracy and US Government (TB1) - POLI21226
Modern British Government and Politics (TB1) - POLI20014
Russian Politics (TB1) - POLI20006
The Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa (TB1) - POLI21231
The Politics of the Environment (TB1) - POLI20018

TB2

Conducting a Research Project using Secondary Data (TB2) - POLI20001. Please note that SOCI20069 Principles of Quantitative Social Science is a pre-requisite for this unit.
Development Studies (TB2) - POLI21213
Global Justice (TB2) - POLI20010
Investigating Society (Politics) (TB2) - POLI20019
Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in South Asia (TB2) - POLI20009
NGO Development & Practice (TB2) - POLI20004
Power Politics & International Relations of East Asia (TB2) - POLI29008
The History of Western Political Thought (TB2) - POLI20007
Understanding Genocide (TB2) - POLI20005

Sociology:

TB1

Conceptualising the Social (TB1) - SOCI20016
Digital Society (TB1) - SOCI20077
Principles of Quantitative Social Science (TB1) - SOCI20069
The Sociology of Gender (TB1) - SOCI20042
What is a Society (TB1) - SOCI20075

TB2

A Sociology of Crime and Justice (TB2) - SOCI20073
Art and Society (TB2) - SOCI20087
Class and Social Divisions (TB2) - SOCI20045
Ethnicity and Racism (TB2) - SOCI20017
Investigating Society (Sociology) (TB2) - SOCI20079
Sociology of Health and Illness (TB2) - SOCI20035

Year 3 (level H/6)

Politics:

TB1

Apocalypse or Ecotopia? (TB1) - POLI30037
Contemporary Chinese Foreign Policy (TB1) - POLI30023
Gender and Security (TB1) - POLI30032
Politics of Rebellion (TB1) - POLI30038
Popular Culture and World Politics (TB1) - POLI31378
Populism (TB1) - POLI30039
Secrecy, Power, Politics (TB1) - POLI30033
The Holocaust - History and Legacy (TB1) - POLI30016
The Political Economy of China (TB1) - POLI30009
The Politics of Contemporary Labour Party (TB1) - POLI30024
The Politics of Human Rights (TB1) - POLI30026

TB2

Contemporary Feminist Thought: Debates and Issues (TB2) - POLI30001
Critical Security Studies (TB2) - POLI31384
European Foreign Policy (TB2) - POLI30014
How to win a Political Argument (TB2) - POLI30020
Justice between generations (TB2) - POLI30005
Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Transition in Latin America (TB2) - POLI30036
Philosopher Queens (TB2) - POLI30041
Power, Politics and Food (TB2) - POLI30027
States and Markets (TB2) - POLI31559
The Politics of Gender (TB2) - POLI31351
The Politics of Post Apartheid South Africa (TB2) - POLI31381
US Foreign Policy (TB2) - POLI30017

Sociology:

TB1

Consumption and Sustainability (TB1) - SOCI30106
Gender and Migration (TB1) - SOCI30091
Nations and Nationalism (TB1) - SOCI30082
Religion and Politics (TB1) - SOCI30107
The Sociology of Popular Music (TB1) - SOCI30048

TB2

Cultural Representation (TB2) - SOCI30063
Feminist Sociology of Food (TB2) - SOCI30104
Perspectives on Power (TB2) - SOCI30062
Public Opinion and Democracy (TB2) - SOCI30072
Queering Sexuality and Gender (TB2) - SOCI30105
Risk, Danger and Disaster (TB2) - SOCI30098

Year 4 (level M/7)

None available

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

Auditing

Students cannot audit units. Study abroad students are fully registered on units for credit purposes and must attend teaching only for classes that they are registered on.