MPhil/PhD Duration: 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time plus 1 year writing-up full-time or 2 years writing-up part-time.
The School also offers MPhil and PhD supervision in most subject areas of Politics and International Relations. The doctoral programme is structured around a weekly colloquium. Students are provided with their own workspace, networked computer and access to free printing and photocopying. The research interests of School staff fall mainly within the following areas:
Asia-Pacific The School hosts the University’s Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies (IAPS). Four key themes have been identified for concentrated activity: elections, political communication, social movements and security issues. Details of the Centre and its projects can be found at:
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http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/iaps/ Europe and European Integration The work of the Centre for the Study of European Governance (CSEG) focuses on three areas - the institutional design of European security, Representation and Political Parties, and Industrial Relations. Centre research focuses upon core executives, labour markets, political parties and non-governmental organisations. One of the Centre’s main aims in the future is to promote further joint projects with European partners.
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http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cseg/Democratisation and Regime Transition Work on transitions to democracy in relation to a range of European and other countries is accompanied by major research on institutional design, state capacity and the policy process, political corruption and the nature of the modern state. Other work, such as peace-keeping, civil society and human rights under circumstances of regime transition is a central theme of this research area. There is also comparative research on `failed states`, children’s rights, democratisation and social movements.
Diplomacy and International Security The School has a popular MA in Diplomacy and a new MA in International Security and Terrorism. Several members of staff teach and research in these areas and we welcome research students interested in working in these fields. Particular areas of expertise include Anglo-American relations, diplomatic history, secret intelligence, security relations and the causes of war, peace and neutrality.
Contemporary Political Theory This group specialises in European and North American contemporary political thought. Topics include work on ecological thought, feminist utopian thought, intentional communities, equal opportunities and social theory and the welfare state. Individual thinkers covered include Agnes Heller, Jacques Lacan and John Rawls.
There is a strong emphasis on the interface with social policy and public administration, with work on citizenship, grass root activists, the New Right, the role of think-tanks and policy advisers in national and international perspective, BSE and bio-risk.
Global Justice and Social Movements The new Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice invites applications for doctoral research in the areas of the `global civil society`, new forms of democratic participation and the closely related emergence of new social movements and their struggle against neo-liberal globalization.
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http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cssgj/British Politics With Philip Cowley, Andrew Denham and Steven Fielding, three leading scholars in British Politics, the School of Politics and International Relations is an ideal place for PhD research in this area. In particular, we encourage projects on British political parties, party leadership elections, MPs at Westminster and public sector reform.