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Transformations in Modern Politics: Democracy, Conflict and Globalisation

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Course dates: Tuesday 06 October - Tuesday 15 December 2026

Class timetable: 10 sessions (View class timetable for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Tuesday 15 December 2026)

Timetable data for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Tuesday 15 December 2026

Day of class Date of class Time Venue
Tuesday 06-Oct-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 13-Oct-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 20-Oct-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 27-Oct-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 03-Nov-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 17-Nov-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 24-Nov-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 01-Dec-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 08-Dec-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Tuesday 15-Dec-2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London

Location: ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London

Fees: £1810.00

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Course Overview

What do we mean when we talk about ‘the West’ today? And how has democracy evolved over time? These questions are at the heart of this Transformations in Modern Politics: Democracy, Conflict and Globalisation short course.

We begin the course by examining the key global transformations in politics in the modern era, from wars and revolutions to ideologies and mass movements. Then we move on to looking at the differences and connections between democratic and authoritarian regimes. This raises many questions for us to explore: such as how democratisation occurs, how democracies relate to non-democratic forms of government, how non-democratic regimes claim a degree of legitimacy, whether it is true that democracies do not fight wars against each other, and what is ‘illiberal democracy’?

On this short course you will have the chance to develop relevant research methods and study skills to critically analyse transformations in global politics. You will gain a thorough grounding in the central transformations that have shaped the modern world.

We aim to cover the following themes:

  • Before European hegemony: travel, trade and civilisation
  • The Atlantic Crucible
  • What is the West, and when was it made? Classes, masses and nations
  • The Age of Empire: capitalism, imperialism, war
  • The Long Peace: the Cold War as global conflict
  • Models of democracy
  • Democratic peace theory
  • Theories of democratisation
  • Fascism, communism
  • Illiberal democracy

Assessment is via a 1000-word seminar report (25%) and 1500-word examination (75%).

As a student on this course, you will study alongside ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú current students whilst you learn.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

Fees

Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.

ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you've studied at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

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Entry Requirements

Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.

This short course has no prerequisites.

As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.

International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can . Please note that it is .

How to Register

You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.

If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.