Politics/International relations, have I made a mistake?

So, I've always been interested in political history and international relations. In the future I'd like to work as a journalist or foreign correspondent of some kind. I'm not that interested in political theory, even though I understand that it is an essential part of understanding the theories of IR. However, it's not really something I would like to study full-time, I'd much rather concentrate on the political history/IR part instead of the political theory/societal philosophy part.

I applied to Politics/IR courses in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen uni. Edinburgh rejected me from IR, so I had to choose between Politics/IR in Aberdeen or Politics in Glasgow. I chose Politics in Glasgow, since it seems like a better university and a more fun city to live in. However, now I'm a bit worried about the course itself. Glasgow is the only course where IR is not in the title at all, and especially in the first year, the course seems to focus on the political theory pretty heavily. Am I in the wrong place when the thought of studying the governmental systems of the UK and EU etc bores me to death? Should I have chosen a more clearly IR-focused course instead? Is there a real difference between the two?

Reply 1

Minerva

Original post by kuu

So, I've always been interested in political history and international relations. In the future I'd like to work as a journalist or foreign correspondent of some kind. I'm not that interested in political theory, even though I understand that it is an essential part of understanding the theories of IR. However, it's not really something I would like to study full-time, I'd much rather concentrate on the political history/IR part instead of the political theory/societal philosophy part.
I applied to Politics/IR courses in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen uni. Edinburgh rejected me from IR, so I had to choose between Politics/IR in Aberdeen or Politics in Glasgow. I chose Politics in Glasgow, since it seems like a better university and a more fun city to live in. However, now I'm a bit worried about the course itself. Glasgow is the only course where IR is not in the title at all, and especially in the first year, the course seems to focus on the political theory pretty heavily. Am I in the wrong place when the thought of studying the governmental systems of the UK and EU etc bores me to death? Should I have chosen a more clearly IR-focused course instead? Is there a real difference between the two?

Politics and IR are different things, and to study politics you do need a grounding in political theory. If that really doesn't float your boat - and this is not just the doubts people often get at this stage - then you need to rethink. However, it is worth bearing in mind that you probably will be able to do some history, for example, in your first two years. You might find http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Changing_your_Mind helpful.