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Finding Resources

As a Politics and International Relations student, you are expected to find and use high quality literature. You'll need to use a range of different sources and demonstrate your ability to find good results in order to impress your tutors and to develop your research skills.

Books can be a great place to start your reading around a topic.

Politics and International Relations books are located in the H and HB sections on the first floor of the JB Morrell Library . Many books will also be available online as e-books. Look for the links in YorSearch, under the View It section of each book.

eBook collections

Access to the full text of over 6,000 OECD e-book titles including monographs, series publications, conference proceedings, policy reviews, guidelines and manuals, reference books, statistical annuals and outlooks. Books can be browsed by theme, series, title, year, country and language. For the related statistical databases please see the entry for OECD iLibrary Statistics.

Leftwich collection

Adrian Leftwich (1940-2013) was a Professor in the Department of Politics, and later research director of the University's Development Leadership Programme. He published many influential books, including States of Development: On the Primacy of Politics in Development (2000), Democracy and Development (1995), and Redefining Politics: People’s Nations and Power (1983).

This virtual bookshelf highlights his collection of books which were donated to the Library in 2013. The subject areas include sociology, South African politics (including Apartheid), political development, African history and Economic development.

To find all the items from this donated collection please see the Leftwich collection in YorSearch .

Search for books and journals on YorSearch

Journals & databases

All journal titles are listed on YorSearch , and can be found by searching the journal title.

If you don't have a specific title in mind, you can browse journals in your subject area on Browzine . Journals are organised by field of research, such as:

Browse all Political Science

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European Politics

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Bibliographic databases

To start a more detailed search for articles and other research evidence, you'll need to use online databases. These are collections of resources that allow you to search for articles from hundreds of different journals at the same time.

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Freely available articles

• Vox: the Student Journal of Politics, Economics and Philosophy Published in affiliation with the School of PEP and the Club of PEP at the University of York, to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas between students and academics across the world.
• e-International Relations "The world's leading website for students of international politics", comprising free articles commissioned from experts in the field, plus student essays, interviews and blogs, curated by a volunteer editorial team of scholars from around the globe.
• Stability: International Journal of Security and Development Open-access and peer-reviewed, cultivating research and analysis by policy-makers, practitioners and academics working in the field of post-conflict development and complex emergencies. Started by University of York PRDU Associate and former Research Fellow, Steven Zyck, with an Editorial Board of internationally recognised development experts.
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Ph.d. program in politics.

The Ph.D. program in Politics is an intellectually vibrant home for students interested in pursuing academic careers focused on the analytically rigorous study of politics. The program offers a wide range of opportunities to learn from and work with leading scholars in American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Economy, International Relations, Political Theory, and Methodology, through substantive and methods seminars, research workshops, closely supervised research projects, and scholarly collaborations that often extend well past the end of graduate training.

Our program is unusual in its international diversity. Almost 70% of our current students come from places outside the U.S., including from countries as far-flung as Benin, Korea, Chile, China, Mexico, Russia, and Italy – just to take some examples.

Our job placement record is one of the most successful in the discipline. Recent placements include tenure-track appointments at Stanford, University of Chicago, University of Rochester, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Southern California, UCSD, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, ITAM, Texas 2 A&M, Emory, Vanderbilt and other leading research universities, and postdoctoral appointments at Princeton, LSE, the Harris School, UCSD, IAS-Toulouse, and others.

This Handbook , which was put together with invaluable help from our Ph.D. program staff, lays out some details of the expectations and requirements of the program and provides a guide for students and faculty to various logistical details related to the doctoral training in the Department.

Gwyneth McClendon Associate Professor of Politics Director of Graduate Studies

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The program is summarized by the Politics Doctoral Program Handbook . The Fall 2024 Course Schedule has now been published. Additional information for current students and faculty, including the workshop sign-up sheet and forms, can be found on the Ph.D. program Google site .

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NYU Dissertations Online

All dissertations completed at NYU are indexed in the online database  Dissertations and Theses Global. Users who wish to access NYU dissertations, especially dissertations completed since 1997, would be best served by searching this database. Many (but not all) dissertations will be available in full-text.

Dissertation Search Tip:

When searching the database, you can use the Advanced Search functions to limit your results to only dissertations completed at NYU or you can leave the "institution" field blank to search dissertations completed anywhere. 

Why can't I see the full-text? 

When dissertation authors submit their work to Dissertations and Theses Global , they have the option to  embargo the full-text for up to two years from that point. Authors may choose to embargo their dissertations for several reasons, for example, if they are planning to publish the dissertation (or a version of it) as a book. There are currently no options for NYU students to access the full-text of a dissertation if the author has chosen to embargo.  In some cases, the author can extend the embargo beyond 2 years. It is estimated that approximately 50% of dissertation authors at NYU choose to embargo.

Dissertations that have been embargoed will appear with the note, " At the request of the author, this graduate work is not available to view or purchase" in the upper right-hand corner of record.

• Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window Dissertations and Theses Global contains indexes, dissertations and some theses. Full-text is available for many dissertations and theses, including those from NYU.

NYU Dissertations in Hard Copy

NYU dissertations completed before 2007 are available in both print and microform at Bobst.

Bobst Library does not keep copies of any dissertations from the following programs:

• The Medical School and the Dental School maintain separate collections of their own dissertations
• Master's theses are not kept by Bobst Library. Check with the corresponding department or school to explore whether such theses are held.

Bound copies of dissertations are held offsite and must be requested through the catalog for delivery to the library.

Call number ranges for NYU dissertations (Dissertations from Tisch and Courant are under GSAS):

• LD 3907 .E3 - School of Education
• LD 3907 .G5 - Wagner School of Public Administration
• LD 3907 .G6 - Stern School of Business
• LD 3907 .G7 - Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS)
• LD 3907 .S3 - School of Social Work

Dissertations published before 2008 at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Wagner School of Public Administration, Stern School of Business, Silver School of Social Work, and Steinhardt School of Education are available on microform .

Using the Library Catalog to Find NYU Dissertations

If you already know the author or the title of the dissertation, you can search the Library Catalog with that information to locate our copy and either recall it from offsite storage or find it in the Microforms Center.

Search tip:

For those wishing to search Library Catalog for dissertations on certain subjects, perform an Advanced Search using the words "Dissertation" AND "[desired subject]."

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Please note: NYU dissertations in the Proquest Dissertations & Global Theses database are indexed in Library Catalog regardless of whether or not they have been embargoed. Just because a dissertation record appears in the Library Catalog does not mean that it is available in full-text. 

Dissertations completed at NYU through 2007 are available on microform. Microform copies are located in the Microforms Center on LL2 of Bobst Library. These are arranged chronologically by school. Some of the older rolls of film contain more than one dissertation. These copies are each given a thesis number in chronological, alphabetical order. The thesis numbers are listed on each roll, corresponding to the cataloged location in the Library Catalog.

What are microforms?

Microforms are pieces of film that contain reproductions of magazines, journals, and other materials. Because newsprint and other types of paper often decay, microforms are used as a method of preserving content.  Microforms come in 2 formats: microfilm (on reels) and microfiche (sheets).

Where are the microforms?

Microforms are located on LL2 in the Microforms Reading Room.

Can I get help?

The Microforms Reading Room is staffed. In addition, notebooks with instructions are available.

Can I make copies?

All microform machines have printing capabilities; some machines also allow you to make PDFs.

Offsite Materials

Some of our materials are stored in an offsite facility. 

To get an item that is marked as offsite:

• Search for the item in the Library Catalog
• Click on the Title
• Click on the Availability Status/Call number link
• Click Request

Offsite materials usually arrive within 2 business days. You'll be notified once the item has arrived, and you can pick it up at the Circulation Desk.

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Dissertation, Dissertation, Dissertation

1 March 2017 by Samuel

Hello again! In my blog post last month I told you about some of the things I get up to in my spare time at York – spare time which at the moment is unfortunately becoming scarce! It might seem a long way off for you, but time at university seems to speed by and before you know it, like me, you’ll be writing your third year dissertation!

I thought I’d take you through how it all works for Politics students at York as it’s something I found quite daunting when thinking about coming to university.

Politics dissertations are 8,000-10,000 words long and are on a subject of your choosing (the only condition being if you are doing a course which includes International Relations your dissertation must have some international focus). This seems like a big task, but when you start writing you begin to think you could do with a lot more words!

My own dissertation will explore whether an ‘Obama Doctrine’ can be more clearly defined, in the same way we think about the ‘Bush Doctrine’, for instance. But the possibilities are endless, with some of my peers exploring House of Lords effectiveness, The US-UK Special Relationship, nuclear weapons, new application of International Relations theory and many more.

Each student is allocated a dissertation advisor who is an academic in the Politics Department whose research interests are as closely related as possible to the subject of your dissertation. Advisors are allocated based on a research proposal which you’ll hand in before you start your third year, so it’s worth putting time into making sure your proposal is as good as it can be so you get the best advisor for you!

You meet your dissertation advisor at least twice a term and they give you advice on focusing your project and how best to approach your research question. The advice I’ve been given so far has been invaluable in improving my arguments and the structure of my work!

Throughout the first term of third year there is a weekly dissertation workshop which gives advice on refining your research question, finding literature, structuring each section and general information on writing a good dissertation. These sessions, alongside meetings with my advisor gave me a better idea about how to approach writing my dissertation well.

At the end of first term you have the opportunity to hand in a literature review to your advisor. They will give you feedback on this so you can improve it before you hand it in as part of your dissertation for real.

Each week, in the second term of third year, around 30 students create posters summarising their dissertation, which are displayed in the Department reception. Academics from the Department and other Politics students come and look at other people’s topics and offer advice to the students whose dissertations are being displayed. For me the poster session was invaluable. I was given some really good advice on some of the more specific features of my dissertation which I hadn’t fully discussed with my advisor, and given some new ideas on how to think about the issues I am examining. It was also good to see what other people are researching and talk to them about their projects.

Like at the end of first term, at the end of second term you’ll have an opportunity to hand in part of your dissertation to your advisor for some feedback so you can refine it before handing it in for real. (So by the second week of March I’ll have almost half of my dissertation written and it’s not due until May… I don’t think I’ve ever been this organised in my life!)

So, as you can see you get lots of support at York when you’re writing your dissertation and although it is largely an independent research project you’ll be guided in the right direction to get the best mark you can!

So from now until May it’ll be a busy time for me finishing off my dissertation and other work… Seeing as my time at York is coming to an end, in my next blog post I’ll be giving some advice on moving on from York, getting a job or thinking about further study – so keep your eyes peeled for that! Hope you all have a good few weeks!

About Samuel

Hi, my name is Sam! I'm a third year Politics with International Relations student. I'm originally from Essex but love living in the beautiful city of York. I'm a massive foodie but also enjoy reading, travel and listening to music. I'm a member of the Politics Society committee and am really looking forward to sharing some of my university experiences with you!

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DOJ charges two brothers in Jan. 6 assault on a New York Times photographer

WASHINGTON — The FBI on Thursday arrested two brothers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey accused of assaulting a New York Times photographer and stealing her camera after they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Philip Walker, 52, of Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, and David Walker, 49, of Delran, New Jersey, are ch arge d with forcibly taking an item from a person and assault with the intent to commit another felony, as well as other standard Jan. 6 misdemeanor counts for entering the Capitol. Philip Walker, accused of discarding the camera in a body of water, faces a separate charge of willfully and maliciously destroying personal property.

The photographer in question, who is not named in court documents, is Erin Schaff, who has written about her assault on Jan. 6, in which, she said, rioters inside the Capitol threw her to the floor, broke one of her cameras and stole the other. (Schaff has covered fallout from the riot, including photographing a separate Jan. 6 defendant named Brian Mock for a feature story about Mock's relationship with his son, who turned him in to the FBI and testified at his dad’s trial last year).

Philip Walker, federal authorities said, admitted in an interview with the FBI the week after the Jan. 6 attack that he got into a physical confrontation with a person who he claimed to believe was a member of antifa. Philip Walker said that the person fell to the ground and that he took the person’s camera. “He admitted to leaving the Capitol with the camera, and disposing of it in a body of water while en route to his residence in Pennsylvania,” an FBI affidavit said .

But an account by Schaff, an award-winning photographer, counters the notion that Philip Walker thought she was a member of "antifa" during the assault (although assaulting people and stealing their cameras is a crime regardless of affiliation). Schaff wrote in a piece published in the immediate hours after the attack that her assailants became more enraged when they realized that she worked for the Times.

“Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched," she wrote, referring to other rioters in the Capitol. "At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away."

Schaff wrote that she eventually made her way to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s suite, which other rioters were vandalizing, before she found a location to hide her remaining camera, the one that was broken but not stolen.

Because she did not have her press credentials, which had also been stolen, police who were trying to clear the building did not believe her claims that she was a journalist when they encountered her, Schaff said.

"They drew their guns, pointed them and yelled at me to get down on my hands and knees," Schaff wrote. "As I lay on the ground, two other photojournalists came into the hall and started shouting 'She’s a journalist!'"

Reached Thursday, Schaff referred NBC News to a Times spokesperson, who said the paper is grateful to authorities "for their persistence in pursuing justice in this case."

"Independent, fact-based journalism is a cornerstone of democracy and attacks against reporters should be a grave concern to anyone who cares about an informed citizenry," Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement.

Online " sedition hunters " — the citizen sleuths who have aided the FBI in hundreds of arrests of Jan. 6 rioters — had been frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation after they helped the FBI build the case against the men. NBC News reported this year that federal authorities put out a  public call  for information about one of the suspects in January, even though the sleuths said the FBI already had both brothers' names.

About 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, and federal prosecutors have secured more than 1,000 convictions. Hundreds of defendants have received probationary sentences, and more than 600 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration ranging from a few days behind bars to 22 years in federal prison , the sentence imposed on the Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy.

In court cases, federal prosecutors have laid out extensive video evidence of Donald Trump supporters’ brandishing or using firearms ,  stun guns ,  flagpoles ,  fire extinguishers ,  bike racks ,  batons , a  metal whip ,  office furniture ,  pepper spray ,  bear spray , a  tomahawk ax , a  hatchet , a  hockey stick ,  knuckle gloves , a  baseball bat , a  massive “Trump” billboard ,  “Trump” flags , a  pitchfork ,  pieces of lumber ,  crutches  and  even an explosive device  during the brutal attack, which injured at least 140 police officers.

Trump faces federal criminal charges for his actions on and leading up to Jan. 6, with a federal grand jury indictment alleging he engaged in a campaign to spread " unsupported, objectively unreasonable, and ever-changing " misinformation about the 2020 election to stay in office. He has pleaded not guilty.

While many Jan. 6 defendants still hold on to false beliefs about the 2020 election, several have told judges that they now feel like gullible “idiots” for having fallen for the lies Trump was spreading. At the presidential debate this week, Trump once again refused to acknowledge the fact that he lost the 2020 election and dodged questions about his actions during the Capitol siege.

Trump has referred to Jan. 6 defendants as " hostages ," "warriors" and “ unbelievable patriots ," claiming during the debate Tuesday that Capitol riot defendants had been “treated so badly." He has repeatedly promised to pardon " a large portion " of Jan. 6 defendants and said he would " absolutely " consider pardoning every single Jan. 6 rioter — a group that would include hundreds of criminals convicted of assaulting police officers — if he is elected on Nov. 5.

Ryan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.

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Harris, After a Debate Success, Confronts a Battleground ‘Game of Inches’

Her campaign is riding high, but still sees the race as an exceedingly close grind. Her aides have new hopes of focusing the race squarely on Donald Trump’s fitness for office.

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The reporters cover Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Reid J. Epstein and Erica L. Green reported from Philadelphia, and Nicholas Nehamas from Washington.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s strong debate performance has sent her campaign surging into the final weeks of the race with newfound confidence, sharper ideas about how to persuade the country that former President Donald J. Trump is unfit for office, and a host of questions about what comes next.

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