Political sociology is a subject with a long and distinguished history and a thriving contemporary debate. The MSc Political Sociology is designed to look beneath the day-to-day controversies of politics in order to explore the underlying forces that either promote or retard political and social change. The programme will provide you with the analytical tools and the empirical knowledge to understand some of the fundamental forces that have shaped, and are shaping, the world in which we live. It combines a strong core course that explores classic empirical and historical puzzles about the relationship between politics and society, with the flexibility to develop individual interests in a wide range of different areas. It will give you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of politics and society, and to build up special expertise in particular areas. It will also give you the opportunity to develop your capacity for rigorous oral and written argument. Seminar discussion and essay writing will foster a critical approach that will encourage you to re-evaluate commonly accepted ideas, to consider alternative explanations for important social and political developments, and to support your own conclusions with carefully deployed evidence.