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BCL Law With Politics

The BCL Law With Politics Degree 

The BCL (Law with Politics) is an exciting four-year interdisciplinary law degree that combines the BCL curriculum with the undergraduate Politics course. The primary objective of the degree is to provide students with a thorough academic exposure to the discipline of Law and to show how that discipline relates to the discipline of Politics.

Professor David Farrell
BCL Law with Politics Degree Coordinator


Structure and Modules 2023-24

Students must complete two core modules in Stage 1 and four in Stage 2. Stage 3 and 4 students are to choose four modules from the list below. 

Stage 1 Core Modules
  • INRL10020 Foundations of International Relations (Autumn)
  • POL10180 Foundations of Political Theory (Spring)
Stage 2 Core Modules
  • INRL20040 International Relations (Autumn)
  • POL20010 Individuals and the State (Autumn)
  • POL20020 Comparative Politics (Spring)
Stage 2 Option Modules

Select one module.

Autumn

  • POL10170 Foundations in Political Research
  • INRL20080 Irish Foreign Policy
  • INRL20160 Introduction to EU Politics
  • POL20260 Introduction to Chinese Politics

Spring

  • POL10120 Foundations in Global Development
  • DEV20010 Topics in International Development
  • DEV20130 Sustainable Development Goals
  • INRL20110 Introduction to Middle East Politics
  • POL20250 Irish Politics

Stage 3 & 4 Modules

There is no core module. You must complete 20 credits in each of Stage 3 and 4. 

Stage 3 students may select either A) TWO 10-credit modules or B) ONE 10-credit module and TWO 5-credit modules. Stage 4 students must select TWO level-3 modules.

Autumn (10 Credits)
  • INRL30320 Gender in War & Peace
  • INRL30370 Terrorism & Political Violence
  • POL30640 Deliberative Mini-Publics
  • POL30820 Political Risk & Foreign Investment
  • POL30880 Capitalism and Democracy
  • POL30890 Politics of Organised Crime
  • POL36070 Political Psychology
  • POL36120 Gender Religion & Colonialism
Autumn (5 Credits)
  • POL10170 Foundations in Political Research
  • INRL20080 Irish Foreign Policy
  • INRL20160 Introduction to EU Politics
  • POL20260 Introduction to Chinese Politics
Spring (10 Credits)
  • INRL30340 International Political Economy
  • INRL30400 EU Foreign Policy
  • POL30660 Data Analytics for Social Sciences
  • POL30680 Gender and Politics
  • POL30690 Introduction to Asian Politics
  • POL36100 Strategies of Politics
  • POL36110 Comparative Political Theory
Spring (5 Credits)
  • POL10120 Foundations in Global Development
  • DEV20010 Topics in International Development
  • DEV20130 Sustainable Development Goals
  • INRL20110 Introduction to Middle East Politics
  • POL20050 Research Methods in Political Science
  • POL20250 Irish Politics

Final Year students can apply for a special year-long module called the Advanced Seminar in Poltiics (POL30860 & POL30870). See further information below.

The list of modules above is subject to change.

SPIRe Tutors & Teaching Assistants Directory, Autumn 2022-23

Tutors and Teaching Assistants are allocated to the following modules. 

  • POL10160 Foundations of Contemporary Politics
  • POL20020 Comparative Politics
  • POL20050 Research Methods in Political Science
  • POL10120 Foundations in Global Development
  • DEV20130 Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
  • POL20060  Law, Politics and Human Rights

For queries related to administrative matters including tutorial registration, please contact the SPIRe School Office at spire@ucd.ie.

Austin Bicknell

POL20020

Abbie O’Leary

POL20020

Diana Cenusa

POL10160

Jelena Radakovic

POL20020 Head Tutor

Michael Coleman

POL20060 Teaching Assistant

Coral Richardson

DEV20130 Teaching Assistant

Marcus Dupuy

POL10160

Cian Saunders

POL10160

Sarah King

POL20050

Redmond Scales

POL10160 Head Tutor

Daniel Lovett

POL20050

Carl Smith

POL10120 Teaching Assistant

Natalie Macartney

POL10160

Ella Switzer

POL10160

Michaela McCormack

POL20020

Conor Twomey

POL20050

Ines Meyer

POL20020

Valentina van Drooge

POL10160

Paula Montano Parrales

POL20050 Head Tutor

Katherene Welsh

POL10160

 

Dino Wildi

POL20020

Applications for Advanced Seminar in Politics 23-24

The Advanced Seminar in Politics 1 (POL30860) and 2 (POL30870) is a year-long course where staff members of the School of Politics and International Relations introduce students to cutting edge research in the field. During the second half of the course, students write a minor thesis, under the supervision of a staff member in the school. The module has limited capacity and entry is competitive. Registration for this course is done manually.

To be eligible to take this course, you must be a final year student in 2023-24, who has completed Core Level 2 Politics modules. Students with a GPA of 3.60 and above (across all modules or across SPIRe modules only) will be eligible for consideration.

The deadline for submission is Wednesday 28th June 2023. You must include grades in your application that will be released on 23rd of June. 

Google Application Form (Log onto UCD Connect Required)

Examinations Feedback

If you wish to check your grade for each exam question, come to Room G314 Newman Building, Politics Admin Office between 10am and 4pm. (Closed for lunch between 1-2pm)

If you wish to review your script, send a request to spire@ucd.ie one  working days in advance.

Please include the following information.

  • Student number
  • Full name
  • Module code and name

If you wish to review your script with your lecturer:

  1. Make an appointment with him/her by sending an email. (See here for staff details)  
  2. Also send an email to spire@ucd.ie so that the admin staff members will prepare your script before the appointment. Please indicate your student number, full name and the module code/name.

The BCL Law with Politics degree seeks to equip students with:

  • Knowledge of fundamental legal concepts and principles

  • Understanding of law in its broader political and social context

  • Ability to analyse law and to engage in legal reasoning

  • Critical awareness of the overlapping concerns of political and legal theory particularly in the areas of law and morality, rights, constitutionalism, democracy, justice, and legitimacy

  • Competence in the methods of political science (Irish politics, comparative politics, international relations, the European Union) and political theory

  • Research skills within the fields of Law and Politics.

The degree has a modular and semesterised format with the Law and Politics subjects distributed over the four years of the programme. The ratio of 2/3 Law to 1/3 Politics will allow all the core Law subjects to be covered in full along with those required by the professional legal bodies. The curriculum for the degree in both subjects includes compulsory core modules and a choice of optional modules.

UCD School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe)

School Office: G301, Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.