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Faculties & Departments
Department of Sociology
BA Politics
The BA in Politics
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This degree allows students to explore the different ways that politics shapes our lives, the various forms that politics takes, and how politics is organised differently around the world. The key distinguishing feature of Politics at Maynooth is its focus on active citizenship. This includes, but goes beyond, the traditional study of parties and elec
tions to include a much broader variety of aspects of politics (including public opinion, community activism, the media, NGOs, new social movements, trade unions etc.) and exploring the tensions between formal democracy, political power and social inequality. We explore how to theorise and research politics and offer thematic strands which take students deeper into exploring the politics of global change, the relationship between politics and culture, and the formation and effects of state policy. The course is thus framed in terms of three interweaving strands: active citizenship, political sociology and political institutions.
Amy says: “I am finding the BA Politics degree to be an exceptionally interesting course, where one can learn about how the world of politics really works. The BA Politics is a new course so the lecturers are very keen to hear student's opinions on the course curriculum which makes for a very comfortable and welcoming class atmosphere. The class size is very small which means that students have the opportunity to voice opinions which can lead to interesting and quite often heated debates! We have also all had the opportunity to get to know one another on a one to one basis as the class was so small, which we would not have the luxury of in other subjects.
Active citizenship
The course is aimed towards those interested in the process of politics and active citizenship - creative involvement in political life whether at a community, national or global level. We have a quota for mature students, many of whom will already be active in this way. Other students are likely to go on to find work in areas such as NGOs, political research, activism, international affairs, journa
lism, development work, community work, public policy, human rights, or other forms of active involvement. Others again may enter electoral and party politics or the European Union.
In first year, you will go on field trips enabling you to experience with a range of political activity, from formal organisations to public protest. The second-year “Active citizenship and participation” core module includes a placement element geared towards active engagement in some area of everyday political life. Your dissertation will also often involve you in a degree of practical work, and may well grow out of your placement. Finally, it is planned to organise an extended field trip or summer school in a European city as an elective module which would substitute for one of your final-year electives (including prior preparation and a subsequent essay).
These elements are an invaluable way of gaining practical experience and developing your own direction for political involvement as well as possible future careers. For mature students with prior experience, they offer the chance to reflect in a more systematic way on their own everyday practice, and to bring research and theoretical skills to bear on the area.
“Hi, Conor here from Laois. 24 year old mature student studying Politics, Economics and Sociology. Have an active interest in politics and the great thing about the course is that it encourages both class room learning and activism in politics, be it going on trips to the Dail or through working class neighbourhoods in Dublin! I chose this course because I knew how engaging Maynooth as a college is and also I wanted to push my interest in politics to another level.”
Political sociology
Political sociology is the study of political inequalities and connection between political and other forms of inequalities across class, gender and ethnicity. Political sociology is therefore interested in power, who has it and how it is used. It includes a broad range of approaches which study the 
relationship between politics and society. It studies how underlying social contexts of class, gender and ethnicity impacts on political actors, pressure groups and social movements and how, in turn, politics shapes social structures.
It examines the central issue of how power is distributed between the state and society, how it is institutionalised and how it is exercised. It examines competing definitions of power including traditional theories of elite power, pluralist power and corporatist power as well as theories of informal power including citizenship, participative democracy, social capital and social movements. In exploring the interdependent relationship between the state and society it examines various arguments for the state to have a more minor or more central role in modern societies.
The modern evolution of the state and society has been made more complex by globalization and the course examines how globalization might impact on state - society relationships, whether it might, for example, diminish the power of the state, whether it gives rise to new forms of power in the shape of new social movements and how it might impact on citizens capacity to be active shapers of their own environment.
”I’m Jim, studying Politics with History & Sociology at NUIM. I'm taking Politics to satisfy a long-held ambition to study systems of governance in Ireland, the EU and elsewhere in the world. I chose my other subjects as I believe they are a "natural fit" with Politics. The course is absorbing, requiring application and interest. Not easy - but rewarding in both its content and teaching excellence. It would be difficult to find a better learning environment or a more friendly place in which to study.”
Political institutions
The study of politics begins with the effort to understand political institutions – the formal mechanisms and instruments employed at local, regional, national and international level, to give expression to the political character of collective (human) groupings. Political institutions are formed by and embedded in specific cultural and historical practices. They reflect both traditional or local sensibilities and important external influences on political ideas and societal organization.
The core courses which you will take will focus on the most important political institutions to be found at loc
al, regional, national and international level, the actors who are most active within them, and the activities which these institutions engage in. These institutions range from local bodies such as Kildare County Council to national institutions such as the Dáil and Oireachteas Committees, to regional institutions such as the European Commission, and international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO.
The study of political institutions is vital to gaining an understanding of how individuals are represented within different types of political systems. It also reveals much about where power is concentrated in given political settings, and how specific political actors and social agents interact to produce policy outcomes. We hope that the study of a diverse range of political institutions, from the local to the global, will provide students with a sophisticated understanding of how politics is constituted in the formal sense in different parts of the world.
“I’m a first year, 19 year old Politics student from Belfast. Studied Government and Politics at A Level at St Marys' Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast. Long standing interest in local Irish politics, and political activism at local level. Hope to enter journalism with a particular emphasis on politics.
Politics at Maynooth so far has proved challenging, but increasingly interesting. In particular it has opened a more global/international slant on politics personally. It has opened my eyes to issues outside of Ireland which are of utmost importance. Thoroughly enjoying studying Politics at NUI Maynooth and am sure I will continue to do so in 2nd and 3rd years.”Politics: a study, a practice and a career
A degree in politics will also provide the knowledge, theories and research skills that will serve students well in any career. The degree equips the graduate with various skills, including the abilities to understand topical issues, to investigate public life through systematic research, to analyse and present information, and to apply these skills to a wide variety of societies around the world.
The course gives you a good overall grounding in key areas of political understanding: active citizenship, formal politics, political theory, political sociology and research methods. You can develop each of these to a greater or lesser extent as well as focussing on one of the three streams of elective modules available: the politics of global change, politics and culture, and social policy.
Admissions
The Politics course is has a limited number of entrants per year. Special consideration will be given to mature students, who (in addition to applying to the CAO) must also submit a separate application form to the University by 1st February 2008 (late applications will be considered up to 14th March 2008). Application forms are available from the Applications Office – tel. (01) 708 3822 or apply online at www.nuim.ie/admissions.
NB that if you wish to take Politics (with two other Arts subjects in first year, and one other in second and third year) you must apply directly for Politics; you cannot apply for Arts and then take Politics. From September 2008, incoming Law students will be able to take Politics as well as one other Arts subject.