Film & Television Studies/Politics

Film and television studies with politics is a pairing that reflects the deep and inseparable relationship between screen media and political life. Film and television have been central to how democratic societies form their images of the world, shape public opinion, construct national identities and negotiate contested questions of power, justice and representation. Politics, in turn, has both used and been transformed by the development of mass media, and understanding the two disciplines together gives you a far richer sense of each than either provides alone.

At the University of Glasgow you will be taught by leading researchers in film and television studies, who bring their expertise directly into their teaching and who maintain strong connections with Glasgow's creative and cultural organisations. You will study the history, theory and criticism of film and television alongside the core concepts and analytical tools of political science, including ideas such as colonialism, nationalism, democracy, revolution, gender and globalisation. The programme runs over four years full time and includes a year abroad, giving you international perspective on how screen media and political culture interact in different national contexts.

Graduates of this combination are well placed for careers in broadcasting, journalism, media production, arts administration, policy and advocacy, as well as in the civil service, international organisations, education and the charitable sector. The ability to analyse both screen texts and political processes with rigour and to communicate clearly about their relationship is valued wherever organisations need sophisticated media-literate thinking about public affairs. Postgraduate study in film and television studies, political science, media policy or related disciplines is a natural further route.