Our students have the opportunity to take an internship module in their final year thanks to our close links with practitioners in the world of politics.
Civil society is one of the central institutions of modern democratic societies, along with the state and the market. Activists and social movements are key political actors in both domestic and international politics. Our students study aspects of civil society and social movements, and many engage in democratic activism, this placement modules offers students the chance to gain practical experience in civil society activism and community organising.
This module brings to life the formal explorations of activism, community organising, and social movements students learn about in their other modules. Working in a real-world environment will extend students’ research, communication and negotiating skills, while deepening their academic understanding of civil society. This module is intensive and demanding, but provides a formative experience and useful skills for those interested a career in politics or politics-related fields. Students taking the Civil Society internship module spend two days per week in the spring working for a civil society organisation in London.
Learn more about the module by watching the video below or reading the QMUL Civil Society Internship Journal [PDF 17,262KB].
The Westminster parliament is at the centre of the UK’s political system, performing a variety of important functions such as representation, scrutiny, and law-making. Politics students at Queen Mary learn about parliament throughout during their studies, including the main theories, practices, and academic theories. This placement module takes the learning further and deeper, allowing students to experience British parliamentary politics from the inside out.
Students spend two days per week in Semester B working for a parliamentarian, either at Westminster or in constituency offices (or both). While the placement opportunity is intensive and often demanding, it provides experience and useful skills for students interested in a career in politics or politically related fields. Students who have taken the module in the past have described it as ‘an unparalleled learning experience’, giving ‘a real insight into parliament’ and having ‘done my confidence wonders’. Another said: ‘I would definitely recommend everyone apply for this.’
To take the placement module, it is usually a pre-requisite for students to have first taken the main Parliamentary Studies module (taught in collaboration with the Houses of Parliament). To read more about previous students’ experiences, see our news story.