Philosophy and International Relations

Philosophy and international relations is a combination that addresses some of the deepest questions about power, justice, and the obligations of states and peoples toward one another. Philosophy develops rigorous habits of critical argument, asking what we can know, how we ought to act, and what we mean when we make claims about truth, value, and reality. International relations examines how the global political system actually works: how states pursue their interests, how institutions moderate or fail to moderate conflict, and how norms of international law and human rights develop and are contested.

At the University of Dundee, this four-year full-time programme has a distinctive character. The philosophy teaching specialises in continental European philosophy and teaches key texts from the European tradition, including phenomenology, critical theory, post-structuralism, and political philosophy, which gives the programme a different emphasis from the analytic-focused approach found in most UK philosophy departments. This continental orientation is particularly productive in combination with international relations, since many of the most important theoretical frameworks for thinking about power, sovereignty, colonialism, and justice draw on continental philosophical traditions.

You will study the major thinkers of the continental tradition alongside the theories and empirical study that international relations requires, developing an unusual and intellectually rich perspective on global affairs. The programme includes a year abroad, placing you in a different academic and cultural environment.

Graduates from philosophy and international relations programmes go on to careers in the civil service, international organisations, diplomacy, journalism, the charity sector, research, policy analysis, and academic philosophy. The combination of critical philosophical thinking and political analytical skills is valued in roles that require sophisticated engagement with complex ethical and political questions. Further study at postgraduate level in philosophy, international relations, political theory, or ethics is a natural route for those who wish to pursue specialist expertise.