Admission Requirements

What is Political science?

Political science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. Politics affects us all in our daily lives. It's easy to think of issues that we all have opinions about. Should government tax the rich to try to achieve greater equality? Should it introduce 'green taxes' in order to protect the environment? Should third-level students have to pay fees? Should abortion be legalised? Should the amount of money the EU spends on the agricultural sector be cut back drastically? How high a priority should third world aid be? All of these questions will be decided through the political process.

The study of politics as an academic subject involves, among other things, thinking about how these decisions get made. If it's not possible to keep everyone happy when some issue has to be decided, whose views prevail and why? If governments do not always make what seems to be the most 'rational' decision on economic policy or some other issue, why not? How much say do ordinary people have in policy-making, and is it feasible to make the decision-making process more open? Can governments do pretty much what they want, or are they so constrained by other actors such as interest groups, the courts, the European Union, the constitution, and the sheer pressure of events, that in practice they have very little freedom of manoeuvre? Questions such as these are at the heart of the study of politics.

And, taking a step back from the debates of contemporary politics, political theorists ponder more fundamental questions, to do with normative issues - the 'should' questions - rather than ones that can be resolved by evidence. These days, pretty much everyone is in favour of justice and democracy - but what do these terms mean? If a society is to be run justly, what would this entail? Such topics have been discussed since the time of the ancient Greeks.

Is this the right course for you?

Politics in the modern world touches everybody in nearly every aspect of their life. If you want to raise your knowledge beyond the level of public affairs, the study of political science will give you the necessary tools.

Course content

See the individual course descriptions for History and political science; Philosophy, political science, economics and sociology (PPES); Law and political science; Political science and geography; and Business, economic and social studies (BESS).

Assessment

Courses are examined by a combination of assessed essays and formal examination. In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year you will have the opportunity to research and write up a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Normally, each course has two hours of lectures and one tutorial per week. Fewer lecture hours are required in the Senior Sophister year to allow time for more independent work.

Study abroad

The Department of Political Science is a partner in Erasmus exchanges with universities in France and Switzerland. Students have the option to go abroad for all or part of their Junior Sophister (third) year.

Career opportunities

There are careers for which a demonstrated interest in politics is a definite plus and gives you a real head start. Journalism, other kinds of media work, the civil service, public relations, anything in business that requires knowing how government works, work in international organisations such as the EU or a not-for-profit organisation, all come into this category. A demonstrated knowledge of how the world works is obviously an asset for many types of career. An increasing number of graduates go on to do further study by means of postgraduate work. And, with a politics degree, you could even get elected as a TD!

Did you know?

• Trinity College Dublin is ranked 45th in the world in Politics and; International Studies (by the QS World University Rankings 2011).

Further information

www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/undergraduate/index.php
Tel: +353 1 896 1651