Former Georgia diplomat to lead University’s new politics and international relations degree

• New BA (Hons) degree to examine post-Brexit Britain and impact of coronavirus
• Led by Dr Nino Kemoklidze who held positions in Georgia’s foreign office
• Degree prepares students for jobs in various fields including diplomacy and international law

POST-BREXIT Britain and its role in a global political landscape transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic is among the subjects examined in a new degree at the University of Chichester.

The BA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations, which opens in September 2021, will be overseen by Dr Nino Kemoklidze, a former diplomat from Georgia’s national government who also worked in the human rights sector in Hungary. It investigates contemporary issues affecting nations globally, including terrorism, climate change, and health pandemics, and also teaches international law to help students gain specialist skills for working in various sectors worldwide.

Senior Lecturer Dr Kemoklidze, who originates from Georgia, is an experienced academic specialising in nationalism and conflict, and peace and security studies, who taught at universities in Europe and Australia before joining Chichester.  Having witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, and seen her country transform from ethnic conflicts and civil war to the Rose Revolution, she said understanding the role of international politics in a globally-connected world is more important than ever before.

Dr Kemoklidze added: “Given the impending changes of Brexit, rise of populism in the US and elsewhere, the resurgence of China and Russia, and wider impact of the Covid crisis, now seems to be one of the best times to critically observe and evaluate developments at the international stage.

“I am delighted to be joining the University of Chichester. It is exciting to launch a degree at such a pivotal moment in history where we will study, among other topics, how the political actions of a small number of world leaders can decide the future of our planet.”

The announcement of the new degree caps a successful month for the University of Chichester’s politics courses, which were ranked at number one in the UK for satisfaction among students by the 2021 Guardian University Guide. The University itself was also rated as one of the country’s top-30 institutions by the Guide.

The new undergraduate degree, which is now open to applications, will analyse politics and international relations in the UK and USA, as well as China, Russia, Eurasia, South East Asia, and Africa. Students will be prepared for a job working in diplomacy, social activism, charity development, and corporate sectors worldwide, among other areas.

It will help students develop theoretical knowledge necessary to understand how to analyse, share and think about global politics, as well as equipping them with practical skills in foreign policy analysis, negotiation, communication, and an underpinning in human rights and international law.

Professor Hugo Frey, Director of the University’s Institute of Arts and Humanities, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Nino Kemoklidze to the politics team. Her outstanding experience and research will pioneer the BA in Politics and International Relations as well as adding significantly to our BA History and BA Modern History programmes.

“The more complex the world becomes the more we need to understand different cultures and the historical backgrounds that shape our common future. Students are passionate about International Relations, Eastern Europe, and I know they will gain greatly from Nino’s top-level contribution.”

For more about the new BA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations go to www.chi.ac.uk/humanities.