HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT: FROM 1972 TO THE PRESENT

The Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies (PIRES) has evolved from the Department of European Studies that was established in 1972. Over the past thirty-five years, the Department has established a strong record of research (rated '5' in the 2001 RAE) and teaching (awarded twenty-three out of twenty-four by the Quality Assurance Agency) in Politics, International Studies and language teaching, which until recently formed the basis for its major degree programmes.

In 2003, the Department began the transition from European Studies to Politics and International Relations, resulting in a name change for the Department and the introduction of new degrees in International Relations. In early 2005, and in recognition of the Department's successful transition, the University agreed to two new senior appointments and a junior appointment and in early 2007 to three further new lectureships, all of which have considerably enhanced the teaching and research strength of the Department.

The University has recently approved the Department's plans to introduce the subject of History at undergraduate level. Four new joint Honours degrees in History and Politics, History and International Relations, History and Geography, and History and English will be offered from the academic year 2009–2010, and new staff appointments will be made at junior and senior levels.

PIRES UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

The legacy of a large language component at Loughborough means that all of our students have the opportunity to acquire or develop foreign language skills and/or the possibility of studying abroad in an English-language European partner institution. These opportunities also enable our students to combine their main undergraduate studies with a related discipline in the humanities, social science or management.

POLITICS WITH A MINOR

This degree programme addresses the traditional concerns of politics – the study of power, decision-making, and collective actions – through the examination of European and international political systems, political theory, and post-war history. It provides a framework for developing skills of political analysis, communication and conceptual thought. The programme enables students to combine their main undergraduate studies with a related discipline in the humanities, social science or management.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

This degree programme blends the empirical study of states and international organisations with an analysis of the theoretical frameworks of international relations. There is a particular focus on intelligence and security issues, as well as the operation of foreign policy, all of which are aspects of international relations that have a clear contemporary relevance. The programme also enables students to combine their main undergraduate studies with a related discipline in the humanities, social science or management.

EUROPEAN STUDIES

This degree programme adopts a multi-disciplinary approach – combining insights from political science, international relations, and area studies – to develop skills of analysis through the study of contemporary Europe and its relative position in the wider world. It examines systems of government, the impact of globalisation, and the operation of states and organisations, particularly in a European context.

HISTORY (FROM ACADEMIC YEAR 2009–2010)

As noted above, four new joint Honours degrees in History and Politics, History and International Relations, History and Geography, and History and English will be offered from the academic year 2009–2010.

PIRES RESEARCH

PIRES has evolved from the former Department of European Studies. The latter, over a period of twenty-five years, obtained an internationally recognised reputation for research across the disciplines of Area Studies (including History and Cultural Studies), Politics and International Relations.

The change of name reflects a shift toward greater scholarly engagement with issues drawn from the Politics and International Relations subject disciplines such as globalisation, governance and ideational contestation both in Europe and the broader international arena.

The Department's research is focused primarily on the three key strands of its work overall: Politics and Public Policy, International Relations and European Area Studies. These areas include significant research in the international relations of the European Union (EU); policy-making in the EU and its member states; political thought with an established strength in the study of anarchism; political history; cross-national social policy; and contemporary European cultural studies and gender studies (an area of growing strength).

In some cases departmental research is linked with activities in other departments within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, for example Sports and Exercise Science, Social Sciences, Geography and the Business School. The relaunch of the Department has provided opportunities for research work in each of these areas, and the Department is now in a position, following its latest appointments, to extend its research activities from Europe to also include Southern Africa and Asia. The International Journal of Iberian Studies, the Journal for Contemporary European Studies, and Anarchist Studies are edited from the department, and members of the department are active on editorial boards for a number of journals, as well as a range of national and international academic associations.

In line with the Department's thematic reorientation, the Centre for the Study of International Governance, CSIG (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/eu/CSIG/), was established in 2006–2007 under the joint directorship of Professors Brian Hocking and Mike Smith. CSIG acts as a vehicle for research funding proposals and activities such as conferences, seminars and workshops both at Loughborough and in other venues, often in cooperation with national and international partners.

The Department's research centres have acted as a means of enhancing the thematic concentration of research within the Department. While much of the Department's research output has been the product of individual scholarship, there are thematic clusters of overlapping interest. These include work on anarchism, the external relations of the EU, British foreign policy, policy studies and contemporary history.

PIRES MASTERS AND PH.D. PROGRAMMES

The Department provides an excellent environment for postgraduate study. It ranks very highly for the quality of its teaching and research and for student satisfaction with the standard of its courses. Our staff includes experts internationally renowned in their field, and the Department has many associates and friends in organisations in Europe and beyond.

Masters students who choose PIRES will find themselves enjoying teaching in small classes with ample opportunity to interact with other students and with staff, and to develop a range of academic and personal skills. They can partake in the Department's lively research agenda of seminars, colloquia and student-led presentations. They are encouraged to take advantage of the annual subsided visit to Brussels where they visit Europe's key institutions, and meet alumni and friends of the Department working in careers for which PIRES students will themselves be well-prepared.

PIRES has an enviable Ph.D. completion rate, and Ph.D. students will find themselves provided with office space, generous IT provision and financial assistance to help them bring their research to fruition. Our friendly and active research student community offers regular opportunities for exchange and dialogue with other students and with staff from Loughborough and elsewhere. The Department offers a number of opportunities for its research postgraduates to undertake paid work in the form of undergraduate teaching, and assistance with Departmental services.

PIRES offers Masters programmes in International Relations, European and International Studies, and Research Methods. It also contributes to an M.Sc. in International Financial and Political Relations, taught jointly with Economics and Geography.