Why Study Politics?

When you study politics, you will not be taught what to think, but how to think. In other words, you will learn:

  • How to collect evidence and marshal it in logical and clear argument
  • How to deepen your understanding of a range of political situations and contexts
  • How to form independent judgements about major controversies in contemporary times (the causes of the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, the impact of globalisation, the consequences of war in Iraq and so on...)

You will also learn how concepts central to the study of politics are contested between differing political views (what constitutes fairness or equality? how do we measure democratic freedoms? what is the link between economic growth and political power? and so on...). Moreover when you put these ideas and arguments together in essays, presentations, debate and discussion, you will develop a range of practical skills that set you apart in the job market (such as communication, argumentation, IT and presentation skills).

There are a variety of ways to study politics at UL. The BA in Politics and International Relations is the most obvious, but politics is also central to the BA in Politics and Public Administration and may be taken as a major or minor option in the general arts degree BA HPSS.

Potential Politics and Public Admin Students. 

Undergraduate Programmes

The PEADAR KIRBY Prize for Best Undergraduate Final Year Projects

WINNER OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2023

NATO and Democracy

Brian Manning - Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations

WINNER OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2022

A Road Not Taken? Economic Ideology and the Articulation of Policy Alternatives in Irish State Economic Policy-making, 1948-1958

Frank Fitzgerald - Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Public Administration

WINNER OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2021

Why is North Korea pursuing nuclear weapons rather than economic development?

Patrick Rea - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science an Applied Languages

WINNER OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2020

The Effect of Public Opinion on Climate Policy Performance in the 28 EU Member States

Enda James Walshe - Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Psychology

 

WINNER OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2019

Do Support Parties Extract More Policy Benefits Then Typical Opposition Parties Under Minority Governments?
Alice Sheridan, BA Politics and Public Administration

WINNERS OF THE PEADAR KIRBY PRIZE FOR BEST FYP 2018

“Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast'? An Examination of Performance Management in the Civil and Public Service”
Cian Devane: Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations

“How to influential is the European Central Bank? A Quantitative Analysis on the Banking Union”
Thomas Beales: Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations

“Did the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund have a positive impact on the development of renewable energy during the funding period of 2007 – 2013? An assessment of the impact of Cohesion Policy on climate change mitigation”

Tom J. Wright: Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations