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Accessibility statement
Qualification dates
StartEnd
03 Oct 2026Jun 2027
What is politics? Who is engaged in politics locally, nationally and internationally? How do we study politics? This online module answers questions like these and explores how political ideas, institutions and processes help govern our world. Using a range of study materials, you'll explore the interrelationships between politicians, pundits and publics. You'll learn the key practical skills that are used to explore and explain how politics, in all its forms, helps order the social world and provides for the governance of persons and the administration of things.
This module is explored in the following six blocks.
Block 1: Introduction

The first block focuses on the core question: What is politics? By examining the many interpretations and impacts of this question, the block addresses ‘who?’ or ‘what?’ is political, exploring the spaces and places ‘where’ politics is conducted and considers ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ politics is best practised or studied.
Block 2: Political concepts

You'll explore political concepts and see how ideas shape how we think about, talk about and practise politics. You'll look at key concepts such as freedom, equality, power, and sovereignty, examine how ideas can influence the social world, and offer helpful answers to urgent political questions.
Block 3: Ideas and ideologies

This block examines how concepts, once turned into ideologies, can be taken up and used by practitioners of politics and the public. By being produced and consumed in a number of ‘public’ and ‘private’ locations, ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism and feminism offer explanatory frameworks which organise our opinions, help us interpret and navigate the political world, and provide us with some sense of identity.
Block 4: Political institutions in liberal democracies

You'll look at political institutions in liberal democracies, comparing and contrasting the very different political systems of two particular nations, the UK and the US. This block outlines their different executive, legislative and judicial arrangements, explains the structures of their constitutions, and explores the political roles of the Prime Minister and the President, political parties, electoral politics, interest groups and social movements.
Block 5: Global politics

You'll investigate global politics by looking at the interrelationship of the ‘national’ to the ‘international’, the ‘local’ to the ‘global’. The block introduces you to key themes and perspectives in the study of international politics, examining the role of international institutions, non-state actors and issues, exploring the ways in which globalisation is making the world smaller and more interlinked.
Block 6: Revision

The module concludes by revising the key concerns, issues and arguments raised in the previous blocks.
Supporting study materials

The module is delivered online via the module website, which includes all study support, a multiplicity of online text, audio and visual assets, and two printed module books.
This is an OU level 2 module, and you need to have a good knowledge of the subject area, obtained either through OU level 1 study or by doing equivalent study at another university.
We recommend that you start with one of our key introductory modules: You and your world: introducing the social sciences (D112), which will start in October 2026, or its predecessor Introducing the social sciences (DD102) or Global challenges: social science in action (D113). These modules, with their integrated teaching of key study skills, provide a firm foundation for OU level 2 study.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll be provided with two printed module books and access to the module website, where the majority of the module content is delivered. The website includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DD211 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Understanding politics: ideas and institutions in the modern world starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2027.
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