Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - International Relations and Law

The programme is designed for students seeking to understand and influence global issues, from the climate crisis, habitat loss, the COVID-19 pandemic, and threats to free speech, to the opportunities arising from rapid change. Emerging sustainable technologies promise a future with clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles, while social media enables collective action to challenge prevailing orthodoxies, prejudices, and governments. The course also examines youth activism and widespread movements for racial and societal justice. Students explore a wide range of modules spanning politics, international affairs, cultural studies, economics, data science, sociology, geography, history, law, and international development, broadening their horizons and developing a diverse skill set to enhance employability.

The Law teaching team at Derby includes barristers, solicitors, criminal psychologists, sociologists, and experienced police officers, many of whom remain actively engaged in practice, ensuring that teaching reflects contemporary issues in justice. Law instruction is further enriched by research covering pressing societal concerns, ranging from slavery to digital privacy. The International Relations team draws on expertise across various regions and thematic areas, including the history and politics of modern China and India, Eastern European economies, the green transition, and European integration.

Students studying Law at Derby may access the Student Legal Advice Centre, a dedicated space for real-world learning. Volunteering in the Centre allows students to develop transferable skills essential for professional practice after graduation. The Centre provides assistance in family law, criminal injuries compensation claims, and immigration family reunion cases in partnership with British Red Cross and Paragon Law. It also supports Litigants in Person in Family Law matters at the Family Court in Derby. In Autumn 2022, the Centre launched a Business Clinic and Legal Triage Clinic exclusively for University of Derby students. Additionally, it hosts a Policy Clinic and Justice Project, promoting the teaching of law to community members, including school children, and informing them of their legal rights and responsibilities. The Centre has been recognised for its impact, being shortlisted for Best Contribution by a Law School at the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2022, and highly commended at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2021 for its work with the Immigration Family Reunion Clinic.