Course: Politics MPhil (Political Theory)

In the first year, you must complete the core classes and tutorials in the theory of politics and a programme of research methods training, which includes core courses in reasoning in political philosophy and in approaches to the study of political theory.

In your second year, you will write a thesis and complete two specialist option papers. Options offered in recent years have included:

• Political Theories of Hegel and Marx
• Mitigating Historical Injustice
• Critical Theory
• Contemporary Political Philosophy
• Normative Political Economy: The Ethics of Economic Systems and Social Policy
• Reasonable Disagreement and Political Argument

Please note, these options are illustrative only. Politics course options are subject to change year-to-year, and we cannot guarantee these options will be offered in the year you take the course.

For information on how the course is assessed, please visit the University’s MPhil in Political Theory listing.

A high proportion of the teaching for your course is designed and delivered by Oxford academics, highly respected for their research in Politics and International Relations.

Graduate teaching and supervision at Oxford is provided by your academic department—in this case, DPIR—although some graduate teaching may take place on college premises.

The majority of graduate teaching at DPIR takes the form of either one-to-one supervision meetings with your Academic Supervisor or tuition in small groups (as with classes and seminars). However, lectures are also used alongside small-group teaching in the delivery of some Research Methods training courses.

• knowledge and understanding of the major topics and perspectives within Political Theory based on a broad critical knowledge and understanding of relevant scholarly literature;
• an understanding of research skills appropriate to the subject, including analytical, critical, and historical skills, which are also deployed in the individual research thesis;
• the spirit and practice of analytical and scholarly enquiry; 
• experience of presenting and receiving critical reception of your seminar papers and essays.