Teaching in the Department of Politics, People and Place
The Department of Politics, People and Place provides outstanding, research-informed, and award-winning teaching across many subject areas, from politics, public policy and international relations, to human resource management, project management, transport management, and the creative and cultural industries. We offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, apprenticeships and corporate programmes. On this page you can find out more about our outstanding, innovative teaching, and the courses we offer. We welcome enquiries from prospective students and employers.
'The Department of Politics, People and Place at DMU allowed me to find my political voice; the way I view world issues now was shaped by the fantastic lecturing at DMU. All my knowledge acquired whilst studying there pushed me further to do my masters [at a Russell Group university in London], and I will be forever grateful for the department’s help’
Anthony Oluwatomilola Ilesanmi, International Relations and Politics BA (Hons), Graduating Class of 2019.
‘The variety of students at DMU really helps to bring us closer to the multicultural reality we are, and increasingly will be, living in. And the classes are a wonderful opportunity to create a space where exchanging similarities and differences between us can clearly enrich and transform our minds [...] This is helping me to better deal with the multicultural and transnational challenges in my daily work’
Mildred Hauck, International Relations MA, Graduating Class of 2016.
Our courses
Undergraduate degrees
Postgraduate degrees
We also support a range of postgraduate research degree options.
Our approach to learning, teaching and assessment
We offer a range of programmes and delivery types. For instance on some courses you have the option to study full-time, part-time or via online distance learning.
Across the department there are innovative approaches to learning, teaching and assessment to meet the needs of our students. There is a mix of academic and ‘authentic’ assessments aligned to employability.
Staff in the department also contribute to the development of learning and teaching in their subject area, for example, through engagement with the Learning and Teaching Network of the Political Studies Association.
Our learning, teaching and assessment is strongly aligned to the university’s Universal Design for Learning framework.
- CURA has an active PhD researcher community and an excellent track record in winning scholarships for talented students.
- The LGRC has an active community of PhD researchers, and strives to offer opportunities for scholars and practitioners keen to undertake doctoral studies.
- POWI members strive to bring their research into their teaching and see our students as a major audience where they can also have real impact. This is reflected, for example, in research outputs which provide valuable resources for teaching and learning:
- Hammer, A. and Fishwick, A. (Eds.) (2020) The Political Economy of Work in the Global South: Reflections on Labour Process Theory, London: Red Globe Press.
- Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2016) Skills in the Age of Over-Qualification: Comparing Service Work in Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Our staff
The staff in our department are recognised for their teaching skills and knowledge. For instance:
A full list of staff in the Department of Politics, People and Place is available here.
In 2019, the university launched its Decolonising DMU initiative, which aims to address institutional racism in higher education and ultimately to build an ‘anti-racist university’ at DMU. Even before this, staff in the Department of Politics, People and Place were working on decolonising our subject areas. In 2019, Dr Ben Whitham was awarded the national Political Studies Association’s (PSA) prestigious Bernard Crick Prize for Outstanding Teaching. This was awarded in recognition of Ben’s contribution to decolonising the international relations theory curriculum at DMU (through changes to the reading, structure, and assessment of his module POPP2004 Contemporary International Theory) and his setting-up of
a student-led, staff-student anti-racist reading group. The PSA wrote that: ‘The judges were particularly impressed by the winning nominee’s commitment to inclusion and innovation in teaching and learning – in particular, their commitment to address the BME student attainment gap through an active engagement in decolonising the curriculum and extra-curricular activities’. Ben has since been seconded to Decolonising DMU on a part-time basis as a Fair Outcomes Champion. In 2020 Ben was interviewed about these initiatives and how white people can work toward anti-racism by BBC Radio Leicester’s Aminata Kamara, herself a DMU graduate and host of The VIBE, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the new wave of Black Lives Matter protest.
‘I absolutely loved my time studying International Relations (BA) within the department of Politics, People and Place. All of the staff were incredibly helpful and patient, and I always felt comfortable going to them for support. The content was engaging, the lectures were enjoyable, the seminar discussions were always lively and the assignments allowed a lot of freedom to explore your interests. All in all, I would recommend anyone to study at DMU within the Department of Politics, People and Place’
Maison Wilsher, BA (Hons) International Relations, Graduating Class of 2019.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my time at DMU within the Politics department. Not only were the lecturers supportive, they also encouraged me to be honest and expressive. The effort that is put into ensuring that you get the most out of your course whilst simultaneously developing your knowledge is very admirable. I still miss some of my classes at DMU’
Florence Lamptey, BA (Hons) International Relations and Politics, Graduating Class of 2019.
‘When I finished my undergraduate degree in International Relations at DMU, I had achieved so much more academically than what I had originally anticipated. My grades were undoubtedly a result from the incredible support that I had received from my lecturers in the Department of Politics, People and Place. Not only did they give me the confidence to continue my studies at a Master’s level but financially, they allowed me to do so with the DMU 50% Master’s scholarship. For me, it was during my Master’s degree that I achieved the most personal, professional and academic growth — this has enabled me to move confidently forwards into a career where I understand my value and know what I can achieve’
Yasmin Dalton, MA Diplomacy and World Order, Graduating Class of 2019.