Politics and International Relations

Ashley Taylor

I moved from the US to study Arts at UL. The BA in Arts is a great programme for anyone interested in pursuing an arts or social science subject, since you can tailor the programme to suit your interests. I chose Politics and International Relations, with an emphasis on international institutions and how they affect politics on national and international levels. My programme also allowed me to spend a year abroad; I went to California for six months to work for the government as a legislative intern and I lived in Copenhagen for five months during my Erasmus+ placement at the University of Copenhagen. Studying Politics and International relations at UL has also given me an opportunity to develop crucial soft skills, such as written and verbal communication and research and analysis. Additionally, part of my programme involved writing a Bachelor’s thesis, which gave me an opportunity to do specific research in a subject of my choice (terrorist ideology and behavior) and allowed me to contribute to existing academic research.

After graduation, I decided to stay at UL to pursue my MA in Peace and Development Studies. My undergraduate programme at UL has given me extensive preparation for both my graduate degree and for entering the workplace, especially since I was able to complete a full-time six month internship during the course of my degree. UL has also given me international experience, which is a definite benefit for young professionals entering politics today.

Sarah Cusack

Leaving school and deciding what you want to study in college is quite a daunting task. I decided that I wanted to study something that I was interested in. I chose an Arts degree in UL as it offered very broad and different subject choices. At the time, I initially chose UL as it offered the course I wanted but after researching and visiting UL, I saw it was the best for me because of campus environment, its resources and its facilities. Before I started my degree, I knew that politics would be the subject I wanted to study as I have a keen interest in politics. From open days and my own research, I learnt that Politics and International Relations in UL offered many different interesting modules throughout the four years of the degree. These ranged from Issues in World Politics to Comparative European Politics to Irish Politics. For someone who is fascinated with politics, I knew that I would enjoy studying modules as I am interested in politics outside of Ireland. Over the last four years, I have gravitated towards modules that reflect international politics and that fit with the other subject I study, Public Administration and Leadership. I have enjoyed studying Politics and International Relations as not only did it enhance my knowledge in politics, with tutorials providing an excellent space for debates but I was also given the opportunity to make new friends through group projects and small class sizes. For any incoming students, I have two pieces of advice; Firstly, lecturers and tutors are approachable and helpful so never be afraid to ask questions or contact them. Secondly, make sure to pick a subject that you know that you will enjoy studying over the next four years rather than a subject you feel you should study.