Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge

Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge
Name	Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge
Type	Academic department
Parent	University of Cambridge
City	Cambridge
Country	United Kingdom
Established	20th century

Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge The Department of Politics and International Studies is an academic unit within the University of Cambridge located in Cambridge, England, offering teaching and research in political and international affairs. It engages with scholarship related to comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public policy while interacting with institutions such as the Faculty of History, the Judge Business School, the Centre of Development Studies, the Institute of Criminology, and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.

History

The department traces its origins to initiatives in political instruction at the University of Cambridge during the early 20th century and institutional developments influenced by figures associated with King's College, Cambridge, Trinity College, Cambridge, St John's College, Cambridge, and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Its growth reflected broader scholarly trends following events such as the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, and the formation of institutions including the United Nations and the European Union. Key milestones involved collaborations with centres linked to the Royal United Services Institute, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the UK Parliament, and international partners like the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Academic Programs

The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees aligned with traditions at colleges including Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Clare College, Cambridge, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Queens' College, Cambridge. Undergraduate pathways interact with modules drawn from works by scholars associated with John Rawls, Hannah Arendt, Max Weber, Alexis de Tocqueville, Niccolò Machiavelli, and debates sparked by texts such as The Prince and On Liberty. Postgraduate programmes include master's and doctoral training that connect to professional routes used by alumni entering institutions like the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and NGOs such as Amnesty International and Oxfam.

Research and Centres

Research streams are organized around themes comparable to projects at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Chatham House, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Affiliated research centres and units collaborate with entities such as the Cambridge Centre for Political Thought, the Centre for Geopolitics, the Centre of Development Studies, and interdisciplinary partners including the Department of Economics, University of Cambridge, the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, the Cambridge Judge Business School, and the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction. Research agendas engage with case studies involving the United States, China, Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa, and regional arrangements like NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the African Union.

Faculty and Notable Staff

Faculty appointments have included scholars with connections to institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, London School of Economics, Stanford University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago. Notable academics affiliated by research collaboration or fellowship include individuals whose work intersects with debates on concepts advanced by Karl Marx, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Hobbes, and contemporary analysts who have contributed to discussions alongside commentators from outlets like the BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, and The Times. Visiting fellows and emeritus staff have come from centres including the Wilson Center, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Student Life and Admissions

Students are drawn from colleges across the University of Cambridge system and participate in student societies such as the Cambridge Union Society, the Cambridge University Conservative Association, the Cambridge University Labour Club, the Cambridge University Liberal Association, and the Cambridge Students' Union. Extracurricular engagement includes debates, internships with bodies like the European Commission, the International Criminal Court, the Council of Europe, and placements with think tanks including Policy Exchange and the Institute for Government. Admissions are coordinated with college-based procedures that reference standardized qualifications like the A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, and graduate selection norms seen at institutions such as Oxbridge and other leading research universities.

Rankings and Reputation

The department is consistently cited in league tables alongside the London School of Economics, King's College London, University of Oxford, Sciences Po, and Yale University, with performance metrics reflected in assessments comparable to the Research Excellence Framework and international rankings produced by organisations such as Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, and subject listings by The Guardian. Its reputation is reinforced by alumni working in roles connected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the European Parliament, the United Nations Security Council, and major international organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross and corporate policy units at firms like BP and Shell.

Category:University of Cambridge