The study of Politics and International Relations is all about thinking critically and understanding how the world works. If you are interested in national or international current affairs, if you find yourself asking questions about why things are the way they are and how they might change, then Politics and International Relations at UL could be for you. You will learn how to research, how to study and develop your analytical and reasoning skills, and how to apply these skills to the real world. You will learn about Ireland and Europe, their place in the world, how political decisions are made and in whose interest, how states interact in the international system, about what makes a good society and about what doesnt, and how we might tell the difference between the two.<br>In today's globalised world, politics must be understood from the broadest possible perspective. Our staff have a particularly wide breath of expertise across the discipline, and the Politics and International Relations programme at UL stands out for the wide range of subject areas covered. As well as gaining a thorough understanding of Irish and EU politics, students will learn about the wider international system, and will have the opportunity to study the politics of different regions of the world. The deeper philosophical questions about how societies and governments should be organised are also addressed. In the final year, students have the opportunity to specialise in areas of politics that they are particularly interested in.