Politics
HomeNew studentsNew undergraduates (Penryn Campus)

Undergraduate Politics at Penryn Campus: New students

Welcome to Politics and International Relations at Exeter!

Firstly, we are so glad you will be joining us our Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Cornwall to and to be part of our politics and international relations student community.

Humanities and Social Sciences, Cornwall is truly a Department like no other. We are part of a world-leading University but are able to offer an un-paralleled student experience with our small class sizes and cutting-edge approaches to inclusive teaching. As the icing on the cake, we are the only Russell Group University Campus located in a beautiful semi-rural setting (near the vibrant student-friendly town of Falmouth) surrounded by multiple beaches.

Whatever you aspire to do once you graduate, our Penryn Campus is the place study if you want to stand out in the crowd. On all our degree programmes, you will learn knowledge and skills to help you understand and approach the many challenges facing societies today. We offer engaged learning such as helping local heritage organisations with their public communication, arguing a case in a mock trial in front of a real judge, and engaging in activities to spark social change. We excel in teaching and research in Politics and International Relations and also offer a range of exciting interdisciplinary courses which you can choose when you join us. We also share our Campus with Falmouth University (previously Art School), which gives us a unique creative edge.

As a new and novel cross-disciplinary Department, our web pages are still under development, but you can find a bit more out about us here.

If you would like to ask us more questions about our programmes, please contact us at hass-cornwall@exeter.ac.uk. We look forward to meeting you in September, or sooner!

With best wishes,

Professor Clare Saunders and the HaSS Cornwall Leadership Team

We're currently planning our Induction Week activities (which begins on 18th September) to welcome you to the University of Exeter, so some of the information provided here will change as new details are released.

Please ensure you check back here frequently for updates, as well as checking your personal e-mail account, your new University of Exeter e-mail account, and your timetable for the most up-to date information from us.

Please note you must have registered with the University and activated your IT account to access your timetable (see the section entitled ‘Activate your IT account’).

Any questions

If you have any questions about joining us, including accommodation and selecting your modules, the Info Point at Penryn will know! You can contact them as follows:

Email: info.penryn@ex.ac.uk
Phone: 01326 371800

Hubs are open Monday to Friday (term time) 9.00am to 5.00pm (UK time).

Things to do before you arrive

  • Look at the New Students website to find what you'll need to do before arriving in Cornwall
  • Register with the University and activate your IT account to access your timetable (see the section entitled ‘Activate your IT account’)
  • Join our University of Exeter, Cornwall Offer Holders Facebook page. This will allow you to meet and interact with fellow offer holders and find out any information about the campus, prior to joining us in September.

Complete the induction training

Ahead of your arrival, please complete our online pre-arrival induction which is available via FutureLearn; your Exeter email will have a message with the link. The induction is full of important information and advice about your studies and life as a student here. It also contains activities and discussion boards so you can start to get to know other students even before you start your course.

We strongly recommend that you access this as soon as possible and make the most of this fantastic opportunity to learn more about us, your peers and your programme.

Join course

Academic induction activities

This schedule may be subject to change – always check your personal timetable online for the latest information.
Last updated: 12 August

We have created an induction module for you within ELE (Exeter Learning Environment). ELE is our virtual learning environment and enables you to access course materials and use tools such as discussion forums and learning logs to interact online. Please note you must have registered with the University and activated your IT account to access ELE.

Induction activities (18th September onwards)

Welcome Week 2023: Monday 18 September - Friday 22 September

When you come to the University of Exeter, you’ll be joining the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is home to the Law School as well as Humanities and Politics. We have a big induction week planned for you to enable you better to understand what it means to be a student, to get to know the people around you, and how to get the most out of your time at university. We want you to get off to the best possible start!

During Welcome Week you should attend the Academic Induction events and activities for your subject/s, as detailed below. If there is any reason why you may not be here for Welcome Week, please contact the Penryn Hub, who support History Penryn students, as soon as possible by emailing info.penryn@exeter.ac.uk.

For information regarding the Student’s Union and Society-led events during Welcome Week, visit the Falmouth and Exeter Student’s Union website. Events (thesu.org.uk).

Please check your academic timetable during Welcome Week, so that you know exactly where and when you need to attend your first classes and lectures! If you have any timetable-related problems or questions, please contact the Penryn Hub at info.penryn@exeter.ac.uk.

This schedule may be subject to change - please check your personal timetable online, via My Timetable, for the latest information.

Please note: all times below are UK time.

Date

Time

Event

Location

Monday 18th September

9.30AM - 11AM

Welcome to Exeter

DDM Lecture A/B

Monday 18th September

11 AM

Joining Photographs

Ampitheatre

Monday 18th September

1PM - 2PM

Politics Programme Welcome

Exchange Lecture

Monday 18th September

3.30-4.30PM

Welcome to the 4-year degree programmes

Exchange Red

Tuesday 19th September

10:30AM – 4:30PM

Workshops with Active Plus, Miracle Theatre, library escape room and orientation workshops in your group across the day

Assigned on your timetable

Wednesday 20th September

 

Student Union events

 

Thursday 21st September

10:30AM – 2 PM

Workshops with Active Plus, Miracle Theatre and Doorstep Arts, library escape room and orientation workshops in your group

Assigned on your timetable

Thursday 21st September

2.30 - 4PM

Welcome to student life on your course and the campus

Sports Hall

On Monday, 18th September, ‘welcome to the University of Exeter’ talk with all staff, in which we’ll introduce you to how we teach, and you’ll undertake some short activities delivered by academic and professional services staff and members of the Students’ Union and Staff-Student Liaison Committees. In the afternoon, you’ll take part in an introductory workshop for your particular programme of study.

We’ll also take a photo of your cohort in the amphitheatre on campus as a record of your first day at university – and we’ll take one on your graduation day, too, as a reminder of how far you have come!

On Tuesday, 19th and Thursday, 21st September your cohort will be divided into five groups (of around 45 students each) and will then take part in five activities (three on each day). The activities will be as follows:

  • Activity 1: Miracle Theatre Workshop: Join Miracle Theatre for activities around getting to know people, remembering their names and ‘faking it until you make it’ when doing new things.
  • Activity 2: Active Plus Bootcamp: The Active Plus will take you through a mini teamwork bootcamp
  • Activity 3: Learning at Exeter (Thrive): An introduction to how you learn as an undergraduate at Exeter and how to get the most out of your degree.
  • Activity 4: Library Escape Room: Take part in a virtual escape room to allow you to explore the library spaces and its resources
  • Activity 5: Exeter Learning Environment and Campus Tour: Our second and third years lead this session on how to find your way around our virtual campus (ELE – which is our Moodle / Google Classroom) and the Penryn Campus.

A message from Deborah McFarlane, Deputy Director of Education and Student Experience, Politics and International Relations

Congratulations on securing a place at HaSS Cornwall! Welcoming first years is a highlight of the year for us. We get to know our students really well over their time with the department and every year our cohorts bring energy, interests, new ideas and a wealth of experiences. We know that moving to university is an exciting time but we also understand it brings challenges and anxieties. I encourage you to explore the information we have sent to help to orient yourself and make the most of the welcome week activities when you arrive. We will do our best to give you all the information you need to settle in but what is most important is that you meet each other and the department staff so you know how to get help, answer your questions and find your place here with us.

Reading List

Please do not feel you need to conduct any pre-reading before you start; we will provide you with all the materials for the course when you begin studying. But if you would like to get a head start on studying Politics and International Relations at university, then the Department staff have put together some introductory reading suggestions from which you can choose. There is no requirement to read any of these before the term begins, but many of these books are key texts in your first-year courses.

On International Relations - Taught by Deborah McFarlane

Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss. Global Politics: A New Introduction (any edition) Routledge.

John Bayliss, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens. The Globalisation of World Politics. OUP.

On Political Science and Public Policy - Taught by David Benson

Andrew Heywood. Politics. Palgrave MacMillan.

Michael Hill. The Public Policy Process. Routledge.

On British Politics and Participation - Taught by Joanie Willett

Garnett, Mark, Peter Dorey, and Philip Lynch. Exploring British Politics. Routledge, 2020.

Shilliam, Robbie. Race and the undeserving poor: From abolition to Brexit. Agenda Publishing, 2018.

Peter Mair. Ruling the Void: the Hollowing of Western Democracy. Verso.

On Participating in Politics – Taught by Clare Saunders

Information for all new students

What is the campus like?

You can take a virtual tour of the campus with one of our students before your arrival (select ‘Explore by subject’ and then choose ‘LLB Law with Business’).

Information for international students

Please follow the links below to find out more:

Original certificates: in week 1, it is important that you bring your original certificates of qualification so that we can register you at the University. Copies of certificates, such as those downloaded from a Web portal for example, cannot be accepted.

Get in touch

We really welcome you to get in touch if you would like to ask questions about your course or how you will study.

We can be contacted at: HaSSCornwall-Education@exeter.ac.uk

And join us on social media...

Useful Links