Research
The Department, one of the largest of its kind in the UK, includes more than 30 academic staff engaged in research, and has won international repute for its research on:
- Aristotelian political and moral philosophy
- the protection of human rights
- globalisation, development and democracy
- religion and politics
- European politics and policy
- women and international politics
Including lawyers, political scientists, political philosophers, international relations theorists and contemporary historians, research in the department also covers a variety of other areas (see Research News for recent notices and the web pages of individual staff members for further details).
The value of the research undertaken has been recognised by the support extended by major funding bodies such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the British Academy, the Council of Europe, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the European Commission, the MacArthur Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation.
Research Centres
The Department hosts four research centres:
- the Centre for Comparative European Survey Data (CCESD)
- the Centre for the Study of Religion, Conflict and Cooperation (CSRCC)
- the Centre for Contemporary Aristotelian Studies in Ethics and Politics (CASEP)
- the Centre for International and Comparative Tax Law (CICTL)
There is a regular research seminar series in politics and international relations and, in addition, CSRCC and CASEP host conferences and symposia. A well established series of occasional lectures takes place under the auspices of the Mansfield Law Society.
The Department also hosts the websites of the London Universities’ Consortium on Religion, Politics and Society and the International Network for Tax Research.
University Research Institutes
The Department plays a major role in two university Research Institutes, in which the University has invested some £1 million:
- the Human Rights and Social Justice Institute (HRSJ) and
- the Global Policy Institute (GPI).
The Department also hosts the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), established with European Union funding, and several members of the department are involved in the Institute for the Study of European Transformation (ISET).
The Women’s Library
The Department’ s research activity has been supported by the establishment in 2002 of the Women’s Library with a £4.2 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
ESRC 1 + 3 Recognition
Complementing its strong taught postgraduate offering - the MA in International Relations and Globalisation has been recognised by the ESRC as an approved postgraduate methods training course - the department has a growing number of both full- and part-time research students. In 2006-7 a university social science consortium was formed and launched a three-year doctoral training programme which was particularly commended by the ESRC for its strong supervisory arrangements and skills training.
Research Degrees
Those interested in inquiring about applying to undertake a research degree in the department should contact the Research Students Coordinator, Dr. Wendy Stokes and apply through the Graduate School. Details of staff expertise can be found on the Department’s academic staff list. Subjects for recent doctoral theses have included international child abduction, US political scandals from Watergate to Monicagate, EU relations with Ukraine, the internet as a Habermasian public sphere, the British monarchy, and politics and aid in Sierra Leone.
