university of bristol phd politics

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University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2023/24 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Social Sciences and Law > School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies > Politics (PhD)

Programme structure: Politics (PhD) - what's running in 2023/24

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

This section describes which Units you will take in which year of study. It indicates which units are mandatory and where you will be able to choose. The overall pass marks you will need to achieve in order to progress or achieve an award are shown. The full regulations concerning progression and completion are held in the University's Regulations and Code of Practice. Any particular aspects of your programme that are unusual will be highlighted. If any Units are must pass this will be shown below. The linked unit specifications detail any additional requirements.

What do the Levels represent?

What do the teaching blocks (TB) mean?

• Year 1 (2023/24)

Part-time students may take two years to complete the taught component of this programme.

Progression/award requirements

The assessment of the taught component of a doctoral degree is governed by the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and is assessed separately from the research project. Progression to the research project may be dependent on the successful completion of the taught component - please refer to the relevant handbook for the structure of the particular programme.

The pass mark set by the University for any level 7(M) unit is 50 out of 100.

Exit awards

It may be possible to exit the programme with a taught award. For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.

Related links

• Structure by entry cohort
• Specification
• Programmes available in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

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Politics PhD

University of bristol, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Course type.

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced political research in an interdisciplinary school. You will study with internationally renowned Politics and International Relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment. Our research activity is guided by focusing on key themes:

• critical security;
• conflict, peace and violence
• gender and sexuality;
• race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism;
• global knowledge (including expertise, ignorance, and secrecy);
• the climate crisis and green political theory;
• political economy;
• political and social inequalities;
• popular culture and (global) politics;
• political and international theory;
• socio-technical systems and their politics;
• Europe and European governance;
• the Americas, politics and sociology;
• African regional and state politics;
• South and East Asian regional and state politics.

You will join an international community of students working on a range of politics and international relations issues. Our staff also have particular expertise across a range of cultural and social theory and champion diverse research methodologies. You will be assigned two PhD supervisors whose current research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.

We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods at the cutting edge of Politics and International Relations. We produce leading research with an international focus that is relevant to the changing circumstances of an increasingly interconnected world. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

An upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent) and a master's qualification (or equivalent).

PhD Postgraduate Research in Politics

University of east anglia uea, mres postgraduate research in politics, msc environment, politics and development, soas university of london, ma gender, sexuality in global politics (online), ma religion, politics and society.

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University of bristol: politics.

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced political research in an interdisciplinary school. You will study with internationally renowned Politics and International Relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment. Our research activity is guided by focusing on key themes:

critical security;

conflict, peace and violence

gender and sexuality;

race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism;

global knowledge (including expertise, ignorance, and secrecy);

the climate crisis and green political theory;

political economy;

political and social inequalities;

popular culture and (global) politics;

political and international theory;

socio-technical systems and their politics;

Europe and European governance;

the Americas, politics and sociology;

African regional and state politics;

South and East Asian regional and state politics.

You will join an international community of students working on a range of politics and international relations issues. Our staff also have particular expertise across a range of cultural and social theory and champion diverse research methodologies. You will be assigned two PhD supervisors whose current research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.

We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods at the cutting edge of Politics and International Relations. We produce leading research with an international focus that is relevant to the changing circumstances of an increasingly interconnected world. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.

Most students will start in September 2024 or January 2025, however other dates can be considered. Please contact the Postgraduate Student Administrator to discuss the options available.

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

Full-time, 4 years starts sep 2024.

Part-Time, 8 years starts Sep 2024

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Politics PhD University of Bristol

Course options

Qualification.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

University of Bristol

SEP-24, JAN-25

• TUITION FEES
• ENTRY REQUIREMENT
• UNIVERSITY INFO

Course summary

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced political research in an interdisciplinary school. You will study with internationally renowned Politics and International Relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment. Our research activity is guided by focusing on key themes:

• critical security;
• conflict, peace and violence
• gender and sexuality;
• race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism;
• global knowledge (including expertise, ignorance, and secrecy);
• the climate crisis and green political theory;
• political economy;
• political and social inequalities;
• popular culture and (global) politics;
• political and international theory;
• socio-technical systems and their politics;
• Europe and European governance;
• the Americas, politics and sociology;
• African regional and state politics;
• South and East Asian regional and state politics.

You will join an international community of students working on a range of politics and international relations issues. Our staff also have particular expertise across a range of cultural and social theory and champion diverse research methodologies. You will be assigned two PhD supervisors whose current research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.

We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods at the cutting edge of Politics and International Relations. We produce leading research with an international focus that is relevant to the changing circumstances of an increasingly interconnected world. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.

Tuition fees

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£ 20,700 per year

Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.

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University of Bristol, Beacon House, Queen’s Road, Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1QU, England

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Education and the politics of knowing in a community-based school : An ethnographic study in a deprived local area in Santiago, Chile.

• Barbara M Foster Tejero
• Bristol Doctoral College

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

File : application/pdf, 107 MB

Type : Thesis

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Politics PhD

University of Bristol

Discover more 👀

Learn more about this course.

Course Overview - Politics PhD

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced political research in an interdisciplinary school. You will study with internationally renowned Politics and International Relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment. Our research activity is guided by focusing on key themes: - critical security; - conflict, peace and violence - gender and sexuality; - race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism; - global knowledge (including expertise, ignorance, and secrecy); Read more

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced political research in an interdisciplinary school. You will study with internationally renowned Politics and International Relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment. Our research activity is guided by focusing on key themes:<br/><br/><br/>- critical security;<br/><br/><br/>- conflict, peace and violence<br/><br/><br/>- gender and sexuality;<br/><br/><br/>- race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism;<br/><br/><br/>- global knowledge (including expertise, ignorance, and secrecy);<br/><br/><br/>- the climate crisis and green political theory;<br/><br/><br/>- political economy;<br/><br/><br/>- political and social inequalities;<br/><br/><br/>- popular culture and (global) politics;<br/><br/><br/>- political and international theory;<br/><br/><br/>- socio-technical systems and their politics;<br/><br/><br/>- Europe and European governance;<br/><br/><br/>- the Americas, politics and sociology;<br/><br/><br/>- African regional and state politics;<br/><br/><br/>- South and East Asian regional and state politics.<br/><br/><br/>You will join an international community of students working on a range of politics and international relations issues. Our staff also have particular expertise across a range of cultural and social theory and champion diverse research methodologies. You will be assigned two PhD supervisors whose current research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.<br/><br/>We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods at the cutting edge of Politics and International Relations. We produce leading research with an international focus that is relevant to the changing circumstances of an increasingly interconnected world. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.<br/><br/>Most students will start in September 2024 or January 2025, however other dates can be considered. Please contact the Postgraduate Student Administrator to discuss the options available.

Course Information

2 option s available.

Some courses vary and have tailored teaching options, select a course option below.

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Clifton Campus

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Beacon House, Bristol, BS8 1QU

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Bristol is located 170 km from London at the mouth of the river Avon. It is the industrial, educational and cultural center of the Bristol region. It is the eighth most populous city in the United Kingdom, and now has about 430,000 inhabitants. A large number of students and young people choose the city for a great place to live and study, as well as for many restaurants, shops and cafes. In 2018, National Geographic Traveler ranked Bristol 11th on its "Cool List". Bristol is also one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the country.

In 2015, Bristol was declared the green capital of Europe. Declared legally: the city has a lot of greenery, parks, clean water, well-developed public transport. This is one of the first years of bicycles in England: it is maximally adapted for this ecological fork of transport. In addition, the local climate, which is one of the warmest in the UK, is also suitable for Cycling.

The city of Bristol has very good transport links to other parts of the UK. London is within 90 minutes by train. The major hubs are Bristol International Airport, Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and Bristol bus and coach station.

Within the city there are numerous regular bus services and taxi ranks. And of course you can always walk - most of what you will need at Bristol is located within a radius of approximately 20 minutes' walk.

Tim Walz career timeline: From high school teacher to Kamala Harris' vice-presidential pick

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.

The Minnesota governor was selected by Harris to join the ticket over a short list of other contenders, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro , Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly , Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg .

A former teacher, coach, veteran and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Walz was elected as Minnesota's governor in 2018.

He is expected to be introduced as Harris' running mate at a campaign rally Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Here's what to know about Tim Walz.

Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' VP pick: Minnesota governor named running mate: Live updates

April 1964: Tim Walz born in West Point, Nebraska

Walz was born April 6, 1964 in West Point, Nebraska. The 60-year-old Minnesota governor grew up in Nebraska, graduating from Butte High School in 1982.

After high school, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard, according to his Minnesota Governor bio.

He graduated with a bachelor of science in social science education from Chadron State College in 1989. He spent a year teaching abroad before he returned to the U.S. to serve full time in the National Guard, and worked as a high school social studies teacher and football coach.

He graduated with a Master of Science in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2001.

1994: Tim and Gwen Walz marry

Walz married his wife, Gwen , in 1994. The couple has two children, Hope and Gus. The family lived in Mankato, Minnesota for nearly 20 years before moving to Saint Paul when he was elected governor.

Gwen Walz, whose maiden name is Whipple, was born in Glencoe, Minnesota and grew up in western Minnesota, according to her Minnesota First Lady website. She met Walz when she was an English teacher in Nebraska, and the couple moved to Mankato, Minnesota in 1996, where they both worked at Mankato West High School .

As teachers, the Walzs established a summer trip to China for their students, traveling there nearly every summer through 2003.

2004: Tim Walz gets involved in politics

Walz began his political career in by volunteering for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2007, beating the incumbent, Republican Gil Gutknecht.

He was reelected in 2008, again in 2010, and in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

2018: Tim Walz elected Minnesota Governor

Walz was elected as Minnesota's governor in 2018, running after former Gov. Mark Dayton announced he would not seek a third term. He won reelection in 2022.

Olympic Breakdancer Raygun Has PhD in Breakdancing?

Rachael gunn earned a zero in breakdancing at the paris 2024 olympic games., aleksandra wrona, published aug. 13, 2024.

About this rating

Gunn's Ph.D. thesis, titled "Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: a B-girl's Experience of B-boying," did cover the topic of breakdancing. However ...

... Gunn earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies. Moreover, a "PhD in breakdancing" does not exist as an academic discipline.

On Aug. 10, 2024, a rumor spread on social media that Rachael Gunn (also known as "Raygun"), an Australian breakdancer who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, had a Ph.D. in breakdancing. "This australian breakdancer has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture and was a ballroom dancer before taking up breaking. I don't even know what to say," one X post on the topic read .

"Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture," one X user wrote , while another asked, "Who did we send? Raygun, a 36-year-old full-time lecturer at Sydney's Macquarie University, completed a PhD in breaking culture and is a lecturer in media, creative arts, literature and language," another X user wrote .

The claim also spread on other social media platforms, such as Reddit and Instagram . 

"Is she the best break dancer? No. But I have so much respect for going on an international stage to do something you love even if you're not very skilled at it," one Instagram user commented , adding that, "And, I'm pretty sure she's using this as a research endeavor and will be writing about all our reactions to her performance. Can't wait to read it!"

In short, Gunn's Ph.D. thesis, titled "Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying," indeed focused on the topic of breakdancing. However, Gunn earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies, not in breakdancing. Furthermore, it's important to note that a "PhD in breakdancing" does not exist as an academic discipline. 

Since Gunn's research focused on the breakdancing community, but her degree is actually in the broader field of cultural studies, we have rated this claim as a "Mixture" of truths.

Gunn "secured Australia's first ever Olympic spot in the B-Girl competition at Paris 2024 by winning the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney, NSW, Australia," the Olympics official website informed . 

Gunn earned a zero in breakdancing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and clips of her routine went viral on social media, with numerous users creating memes or mocking dancer's moves. "As well as criticising her attire, social media users mocked the Australian's routine as she bounced around on stage like a kangaroo and stood on her head at times," BBC article on the topic read . 

The website of the Macquarie University informed Gunn "is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking" and holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies, as well as a bachelor of arts degree (Hons) in contemporary music: 

Rachael Gunn is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies (2017) and a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Music (2009) from Macquarie University. Her work draws on cultural theory, dance studies, popular music studies, media, and ethnography. Rachael is a practising breaker and goes by the name of 'Raygun'. She was the Australian Breaking Association top ranked bgirl in 2020 and 2021, and represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in Paris in 2021, in Seoul in 2022, and in Leuven (Belgium) in 2023. She won the Oceania Breaking Championships in 2023.

Gunn's biography further revealed that she is a member of the Macquarie University Performance and Expertise Reasearch Centre, and has a range of teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate levels "across the areas of media, creative industries, music, dance, cultural studies, and work-integrated learning." 

Moreover, it informed her research interests included, "Breaking, street dance, and hip-hop culture; youth cultures/scenes; constructions of the dancing body; politics of gender and gender performance; ethnography; the methodological dynamics between theory and practice."

Gunn earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Media, Music, Communications, and Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. Below, you can find the abstract of her paper, shared by the official website of Macquarie University:

This thesis critically interrogates how masculinist practices of breakdancing offers a site for the transgression of gendered norms. Drawing on my own experiences as a female within the male-dominated breakdancing scene in Sydney, first as a spectator, then as an active crew member, this thesis questions why so few female participants engage in this creative space, and how breakdancing might be the space to displace and deterritorialise gender. I use analytic autoetthnography and interviews with scene members in collaboration with theoretical frameworks offered by Deleuze and Guttari, Butler, Bourdieu and other feminist and post-structuralist philosophers, to critically examine how the capacities of bodies are constituted and shaped in Sydney's breakdancing scene, and to also locate the potentiality for moments of transgression. In other words, I conceptualize the breaking body as not a 'body' constituted through regulations and assumptions, but as an assemblage open to new rhizomatic connections. Breaking is a space that embraces difference, whereby the rituals of the dance not only augment its capacity to deterritorialize the body, but also facilitate new possibilities for performativities beyond the confines of dominant modes of thought and normative gender construction. Consequently, this thesis attempts to contribute to what I perceive as a significant gap in scholarship on hip-hop, breakdancing, and autoethnographic explorations of Deleuze-Guattarian theory.

In a response to online criticism of her Olympics performance, Gunn wrote on her Instagram profile: "Don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you":

We have recently investigated other 2024 Paris Olympics' -related rumors, such as:

• Lifeguards Are Present at Olympic Swimming Competitions?
• Hobby Lobby Pulled $50M in Ads from 2024 Paris Olympics?
• 2024 Paris Olympics Are 'Lowest-Rated' Games in Modern History?

Gunn, Rachael Louise. Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-Girl's Experience of B-Boying. 2022. Macquarie University, thesis. figshare.mq.edu.au, https://doi.org/10.25949/19433291.v1.

---. Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-Girl's Experience of B-Boying. 2022. Macquarie University, thesis. figshare.mq.edu.au, https://doi.org/10.25949/19433291.v1.

Ibrahim, Nur. "Lifeguards Are Present at Olympic Swimming Competitions?" Snopes, 8 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/lifeguards-paris-olympics-swimming/.

"Olympic Breaking: Criticism of Viral Breakdancer Rachael Gunn - Raygun - Condemned by Australia Team." BBC Sport, 10 Aug. 2024, https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/c2dgxp5n3rlo.

ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1069-4021. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

Paris 2024. https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/-raygun_1940107. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

Saunders, Grant Leigh, and Rachael Gunn. "Australia." Global Hip Hop Studies, vol. 3, no. 1–2, Dec. 2023, pp. 23–32. Macquarie University, https://doi.org/10.1386/ghhs_00060_1.

Wazer, Caroline. "2024 Paris Olympics Are 'Lowest-Rated' Games in Modern History?" Snopes, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/paris-olympics-lowest-rated-games/.

---. "Hobby Lobby Pulled $50M in Ads from 2024 Paris Olympics?" Snopes, 8 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/olympics-hobby-lobby-ads/.

By Aleksandra Wrona

Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw, Poland, area.

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School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies

How to write a phd research proposal.

In order to help you with your application, the information below aims to give some guidance on how a typical research proposal might look.

Your research proposal is a concise statement (up to 3,000 words) of the rationale for your research proposal, the research questions to be answered and how you propose to address them. We know that during the early stages of your PhD you are likely to refine your thinking and methodology in discussion with your supervisors.

However, we want to see that you can construct a fairly rigorous, high quality research proposal.

We use your research proposal to help us decide whether you would be a suitable candidate to study at PhD level. We therefore assess your proposal on its quality, originality, and coherence. It also helps us to decide if your research interests match those of academics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) and whether they would be able to provide suitably qualified supervision for your proposed research.

Format of the research proposal

Your proposal should include the following:

Title. A short, indicative title is best.

Abstract. This is a succinct summary of your research proposal (approximately 200-300 words) that will present a condensed outline, enabling the reader to get a very quick overview of your proposed project, lines of inquiry and possible outcomes. An abstract is often written last, after you have written the proposal and are able to summarise it effectively.

Rationale for the research project. This might include a description of the question/debate/phenomenon of interest; an explanation of why the topic is of interest to you; and an outline of the reasons why the topic should be of interest to research and/ or practice (the 'so what?' question).

Aims and initial research question. What are the aims and objectives of the research? State clearly the puzzle you are addressing, and the research question that you intend to pursue. It is acceptable to have multiple research questions, but it is a good idea to clarify which is the main research question. If you have hypotheses, discuss them here. A research proposal can and should make a positive and persuasive first impression and demonstrate your potential to become a good researcher. In particular, you need to demonstrate that you can think critically and analytically as well as communicate your ideas clearly.

Research context for your proposed project. Provide a short introduction to your area of interest with a succinct, selective and critical review of the relevant literature. Demonstrate that you understand the theoretical underpinnings and main debates and issues in your research area and how your proposed research will make an original and necessary contribution to this. You need to demonstrate how your proposed research will fill a gap in existing knowledge.

Intended methodology. Outline how you plan to conduct the research and the data sources that you will use. We do not expect you to have planned a very detailed methodology at this stage, but you need to provide an overview of how you will conduct your research (qualitative and/or quantitative methods) and why this methodology is suited for your proposed study. You need to be convincing about the appropriateness and feasibility of the approaches you are suggesting, and reflective about problems you might encounter (including ethical and data protection issues) in collecting and analysing your data.

Expected outcomes and impact. How do you think the research might add to existing knowledge; what might it enable organisations or interested parties to do differently? Increasingly in academia (and this is particularly so for ESRC-funded studentships), PhD students are being asked to consider how their research might contribute to both academic impact and/or economic and societal impact. (This is well explained on the ESRC website if you would like to find out more.) Please consider broader collaborations and partnerships (academic and non-academic) that will support your research. Collaborative activity can lead to a better understanding of the ways in which academic research can translate into practice and it can help to inform and improve the quality of your research and its impact.

Timetable. What is your initial estimation of the timetable of the dissertation? When will each of the key stages start and finish (refining proposal; literature review; developing research methods; fieldwork; analysis; writing the draft; final submission). There are likely to overlaps between the stages.

Why Bristol? Why – specifically – do you want to study for your PhD at Bristol ? How would you fit into the School's  research themes and research culture . You do not need to identify supervisors at the application stage although it can be helpful if you do.

Bibliography. Do make sure that you cite what you see as the key readings in the field. This does not have to be comprehensive but you are illustrating the range of sources you might use in your research.

We expect your research proposal to be clear, concise and grammatically correct. Prior to submitting your research proposal, please make sure that you have addressed the following issues:

• Have you included a clear summary of what the proposed research is about and why it is significant?
• Have you clearly identified what your proposed research will add to our understanding of theory, knowledge or research design?
• Does it state what contributions it will make to policy and/or practice?
• Does the proposal clearly explain how you will do the research?
• Is the language clear and easy to understand by someone who is not an expert in the field?
• Is the grammar and spelling correct?