Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge

The Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge (abbreviated POLIS) is the department at the University of Cambridge responsible for research and instruction in political science, international relations and public policy. It is part of the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science.

Department of Politics and International Studies
Picture of the Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge with a cherry blossom tree in the foreground.
The Alison Richard Building, in which the department is located
Parent institution
Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science
AffiliationUniversity of Cambridge
Head of DepartmentJude Browne (2021- )
Undergraduates612
Postgraduates439
Location,
England
Business Operations Manager (formerly Departmental Administrator)Helen Reynolds (2024 - )
Emma King (2021-4)
Websitewww.polis.cam.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata

History

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The inductive study of political science at Cambridge was pioneered in the 19th century by John Robert Seeley.[1] In 1928, the Rockefeller Foundation endowed the university's first chair in political science, which was situated in the Faculty of History and inaugurally held by Ernest Barker.[2] The Social and Political Sciences Committee was formed in 1970 as an early attempt to unify research and instruction in political science at the university and, in 2004, the Department of Politics was established.[2][3]

POLIS, formed in 2009 by the merger of the former Department of Politics and the Centre for International Studies, is administratively housed at the university's Alison Richard Building on the Sidgwick Site.[4][5]

In 2016, POLIS PhD student Giulio Regeni was killed while carrying out research in Cairo, Egypt.[6][7]

 
The first chair in political science at Cambridge, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, was held by Ernest Barker.

Heads of department

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Degrees and reputation

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Degrees

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Politics and International Studies are taught at the undergraduate level through either the Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos[8] or the History and Politics Tripos.[9] At the postgraduate level, the department offers nine Masters' programmes including:

  • Master of Studies (MSt) in International Relations[10]
  • Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Politics and International Studies,[11]
  • MPhil in Public Policy,[12]
  • MPhil in African Studies Overview[13]
  • MPhil in Development Studies[14]
  • MPhil in Latin American Studies[15]
  • MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies[16]
  • MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies[17]
  • MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History (this MPhil is inter-Faculty: History, Politics, and Classics are the participating departments)[18]

as well as four PhD programmes including:

University rankings
University of Cambridge
Global – Liberal arts
QS Politics[23]7 (2024)

Reputation

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The 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings ranked Cambridge seventh in the world for the study of politics.[24] The 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it sixth.[25] The department has been ranked top in the UK for the teaching of politics by the 2025 Complete University Guide.[26] Its masters and doctoral programmes have been ranked among the 25 "Best International Relations Schools in the World" by Foreign Policy.[27][28] In the 2021 UK government Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the department was ranked 21st out of 56 institutions.[29]

Academic and research centres

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The peer reviewed journal Cambridge Review of International Affairs is published by Taylor & Francis in academic affiliation with the department.[30]

Ten specialised centres are housed within the department.

Centre Focus Director(s) Official website Reference(s)
 
Bennett Institute for Public Policy
Public policy Michael Kenny bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk [31]
 
Cambridge Centre for Political Thought
Political theory Duncan Bell, Richard Bourke, Annabel Brett, Duncan Kelly polthought.cam.ac.uk [32]
 
Centre for Gender Studies
Gender studies Lauren Wilcox gender.cam.ac.uk [33]
 
Centre for Geopolitics
Geopolitics Brendan Simms cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk [34]
 
Centre of African Studies
African studies Adam Branch african.cam.ac.uk [35]
 
Centre of Development Studies
Development studies Graham Denyer Willis devstudies.cam.ac.uk [36]
 
Centre of Governance and Human Rights
Human rights, Social justice Ella McPherson, Sharath Srinivasan cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk/ [37]
 
Centre of Latin American Studies
Latin American studies Pedro Mendes Loureiro latin-american.cam.ac.uk [38]
 
Centre of South Asian Studies
South Asian studies Shailaja Fennell s-asian.cam.ac.uk [39]
 
YouGov-Cambridge Centre for Public Opinion Research
Public opinion Jude Browne yougov.co.uk/cambridge

Notable people

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Alumni

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Notable alumnae of Cambridge's politics and international studies programmes include: (top row, left to right) NATO Military Committee chair Sir Stuart Peach, Nigerian foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar, Oaktree founder Hugh Evans; (middle row, left to right) Pulitzer Prize winner Ronen Bergman, CBS News journalist Roxana Saberi, U.S. Ambassador to Spain Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón; (bottom row, left to right) S&P Global vice chair Daniel Yergin, IAEA chair Chae-Hyun Shin.

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programmes

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Master of Studies (MSt) programme

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes

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Faculty

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Key faculty (by career citation count):


Former faculty:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bevir, Mark (2022). A History of Political Science. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009043458.
  2. ^ a b Gamble, Andrew (2008). The Limits of Politics: An Inaugural Lecture Given in the University of Cambridge, 23 April 2008. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521145985.
  3. ^ Craig, John (25 September 2019). "The emergence of politics as a taught discipline at universities in the United Kingdom". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 22 (2): 145–163. doi:10.1177/1369148119873081. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Welcome to POLIS". Department of Politics and International Studies. University of Cambridge. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  5. ^ "The official launch of the University of Cambridge's new Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) will take place on Tuesday, May 5th. The previously separate Centre of International Studies, with its major postgraduate programme, and the Department of Politics, with its very successful undergraduate course, are merging". cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Giulio Regeni: Cambridge University tribute five years after murder". Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  7. ^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (7 December 2017). "Giulio Regeni murder: Cambridge tutor agrees to speak to Italian investigators". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Human, Social, and Political Sciences - HSPS Tripos, University of Cambridge". Human, Social, and Political Sciences - HSPS Tripos, University of Cambridge.
  9. ^ "History and Politics BA (Tripos), University of Cambridge". University of Cambridge Faculty of History.
  10. ^ "MSt in International Relations, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ "MPhil in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 18 May 2015.
  12. ^ "MPhil in Public Policy, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 20 January 2015.
  13. ^ Weik, Judith (23 July 2013). "MPhil in African Studies Overview". www.african.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  14. ^ Williams, Helen (30 March 2016). "MPhil in Development Studies". www.devstudies.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
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  16. ^ "» MPhil Course". www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  17. ^ Administrator (27 August 2014). "MPhil Overview". www.gender.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  18. ^ "MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History | Faculty of History University of Cambridge". www.hist.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  19. ^ "PhD in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 18 August 2022.
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  27. ^ "The Best International Relations Schools in the World". Foreign Policy. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
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  29. ^ "REF 2021: Politics and international studies". Times Higher Education. 12 May 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  30. ^ "Cambridge Review of International Affairs". cria.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
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  33. ^ "University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies". gender.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Center for Geopolitics". cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
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  37. ^ "CGHR". cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  38. ^ "Centre of Latin American Studies". latin-american.cam.ac.u. University of Cambridge. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  39. ^ "Centre of South Asian Studies". s-asian.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Hugh Evans". luc.edu. Loyola University of Chicago. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
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