About the Department

The Department of Politics (formerly The School of Politics and Sociology) was founded in 1972 by Bernard Crick, author of In Defence of Politics, and George Orwell: A Life. Sir Bernard was an Emeritus Professor of the Department until his death in December 2008.

Both in teaching and in research, the Department has acquired a standing within the college and the University of which it is justly proud. Competition for places is more fierce than in almost any other Birkbeck Department - an indication of a reputation outside the University which the Department's publications and major research projects help to sustain. A further mark of success has been the growth in recent years in the size of the Department.

The Department is situated in an elegant Regency house at 10 Gower Street, once the home of Lady Ottoline Morrell, friend and patron of famous Bloomsbury writers and artists. Some of the Department's postgraduate teaching is done here or in nearby locations. The main seminar room, which looks out on to a sunken garden, was the drawing room in which T.S. Eliot, Bernard Shaw, Maynard Keynes and others were entertained.

Behind the garden are the main Birkbeck buildings and library, Senate House (the administrative centre of the University, which also houses the University Library), and the British Museum. The Department is a short walk from four tube stations: Russell Square (the nearest), Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street and Holborn. It is close to many bus routes, and taxis can usually be hailed outside the front door. The flagship Waterstones bookshop is within walking distance, and apart from the eating and bar facilities in the main College building, there are numerous restaurants and pubs nearby.

In addition to its prestigious reputation, the Department is unusual in two respects. First, although it contributes to several undergraduate interdisciplinary degrees, it is primarily orientated towards postgraduate teaching. Secondly, it is interdisciplinary, recognising no intellectual boundary between politics, political history, political theory and sociology, and its degrees transcend any artificial divisions. Its particular combination of expertise and course has no equivalent in any other Department in the UK.

In addition to formal teaching, the Department organises, with the help of students, an annual Saturday School, as well as occasional lectures, seminars and meetings involving outside speakers. Opportunities to meet staff and other students are provided at the Department's social events, which usually include an end-of-year summer party. There is also an active Politics and Sociology Society, organised by students.

The Department's building at 10 Gower Street is open from 10am to 6pm. Members of staff may be consulted by email or in person by appointment.