Film Studies and International Relations

Film studies and international relations is an intellectually ambitious combination that brings together two disciplines both deeply concerned with how meaning is made and power exercised in a global context. Film studies uses critical, theoretical, and historical approaches to examine one of the most significant cultural and artistic forms of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring how films construct meaning and how global cinema connects audiences across very different cultural and political contexts. International relations examines the global political system, asking how states and other actors interact, how conflicts arise and are managed, and how the norms and institutions of international order shape what is possible in a deeply interconnected world.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time MA (Hons) brings together both disciplines with exceptional depth. The film studies component offers a comprehensive study of global film cultures, using critical, theoretical, and historical approaches to engage with cinema from across the world, not just Hollywood but European, Asian, African, and Latin American traditions too. The international relations component provides the theoretical and empirical tools to understand global politics rigorously.

The programme includes a year abroad, which places you in a different political and cinematic culture and deepens your comparative perspective on both fields. The combination is particularly productive for those interested in how cinema participates in the construction of national and international identities, how media and geopolitics interact, or how cultural diplomacy works through film.

Graduates go on to careers in international organisations, diplomatic services, journalism, cultural institutions, film programming and distribution, research, and the creative industries. Further study options include postgraduate degrees in film studies, international relations, cultural studies, and media.