Politics and Chinese

Politics and Chinese is a combination with considerable strategic logic in the contemporary world. China is now a central player in global politics, economics and international institutions, and the ability to understand its political system, foreign policy and domestic dynamics in depth, combined with the language skills needed to engage directly with Chinese sources and interlocutors, is genuinely rare and genuinely valuable. Politics provides the analytical frameworks for understanding power, institutions, ideology and international relations, while Chinese language study gives you access to a civilisation and a rapidly evolving political and cultural landscape that cannot be understood at second hand.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies, this four-year full-time degree benefits from the institution's specialist expertise in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which means the Chinese dimension of the programme is taught with depth and cultural understanding that few institutions can match. The programme includes a foundation year, which provides the contextual and analytical skills needed before you progress into the main degree. You will develop your Chinese language to a high level while studying political theory, comparative politics, international relations and the specific politics of China, East Asia and the international order.

Graduates with this combination of political science training and Chinese language proficiency are sought by government departments, diplomatic services, international organisations, financial institutions, think tanks, businesses operating in Chinese-speaking markets, journalists and NGOs working on China-related issues. The demand for people who can engage analytically and linguistically with China is likely to grow. Further study in Chinese politics, international relations, East Asian studies or Chinese language and literature is a natural route for graduates who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue academic careers.