The School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies is an interdisciplinary scholarly environment producing leading research which is international in its focus and relevant to the changing circumstances of our increasingly interconnected world. We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem oriented. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods at the interface between the disciplines of sociology, politics and international relations. The questions addressed recognise that political structures are related in complex ways to the social conditions that underlie them, and equally, that social conditions are affected in complex ways by political structures. Our aim is not just to monitor the global condition but to contribute to advancing ways that might improve it.

Our research activity is guided by a focus on key themes:

• International Relations
• Global Development and Security
• Ethnicity and Migration
• Europe and Europeanization
• Culture, Politics, and Society

Research in the School covers important questions around the impact of globalization and its consequences for the contemporary social and political world. Topics addressed are the changing patterns of ethnicity, migration and religion, the dynamics of security and insecurity, the structural patterns of global poverty and disadvantage, the evolving international balances and imbalances of state power, Europeanization, and the contemporary transformations of gender, class and family. We study these research fields in their domestic, international and global contexts, and with reference to the experiences of Western and non-Western societies.

Our objective is to achieve:

• Research excellence demonstrated through publication and leading contributions to the international scholarly community
• Theoretically and empirically informed project research that is cutting-edge, funded and policy relevant
• Research impact through dissemination, professional and public engagement