International Relations: Culture and Politics

The specialisation Culture and Politics encourages critical perspectives on complexities of culture as an inextricable part of global politics. The Culture and Politics specialisation considers the cultural dynamics of power, dominance, and resistance. As part of the specialisation you will study the relationship between political concepts and a large variety of cultural forms. The specialisation also examines the transnational production, distribution, and consumption of culture, problematising “national” cultural and “soft power” policies. You will learn methods drawn from fields like linguistics, media and cultural studies which will be useful for analysing the political significance of material and phenomena both conventional and unconventional to the study of international relations.

With an MA in International Relations from Leiden University you are eligible to apply to the second year of the prestigious MA in International Affairs at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, Bologna, Italy. Admitted candidates receive a full year’s credit towards this two-year MA. The MA in International Affairs is a research-focused programme where students have the flexibility to personalise their curriculum and focus on those contemporary issues in international affairs that are of the greatest importance and aligned with their career interests.