BSc International Relations and History
About this course
International relations and history is a pairing that insists on taking the past seriously when analysing the present. International relations provides the conceptual frameworks for understanding how states, institutions, and other actors interact in the world system, examining questions of power, diplomacy, conflict, trade, and global governance. History provides the evidence base and the habit of contextual thinking that prevents those frameworks from becoming too abstract. Together they produce graduates who can trace the roots of contemporary crises and engage analytically with the dynamics that shape international order. At the London School of Economics and Political Science this three-year full-time programme examines how the changing dynamics between countries, the uneven distribution of power, wealth, welfare, and knowledge, have shaped foreign policies and the international order across different periods and regions. LSE is one of the world's leading institutions for the study of international affairs and history, and the intellectual environment is serious and demanding. The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different national and academic context, broadening your understanding of how the same events and processes look from different vantage points. The typical entry tariff of 216 points reflects the highly competitive nature of entry. You will develop the ability to construct analytical arguments from historical and contemporary evidence, to work with primary and secondary sources, and to write clearly and persuasively about complex material. These are skills of lasting value in any career that involves research, communication, or judgement. Graduates go on to careers in diplomacy, the foreign service, policy research, international organisations, journalism, law, the civil service, NGOs, and think tanks. Postgraduate study in international relations, modern history, international law, security studies, or area studies is a common and natural next step.
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