Liberal Arts

If you’re creative and curious with an interest in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the BA in Liberal Arts could be what you’re looking for. A highly regarded degree subject with a long-standing tradition, Liberal Arts gives you the freedom to craft a programme of study that is tailored around your interests and career aspirations. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.

This course appeals to highly qualified, self-motivated and independent-minded students who are seeking to make creative connections between their subjects. A multidisciplinary qualification that sits outside of traditional boundaries, the course offers exceptional flexibility and the opportunity to learn in some of the UK’s most prestigious Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences departments.

You can choose to focus on two subjects at a deeper level or spread your learning across a wider range of subjects. You will explore a diverse selection of contemporary worldwide issues which will develop your intellectual and critical skills. As such, you will be well placed to take up careers in fields as diverse as law, teaching, publishing and the financial services.

 In the Arts and Humanities you can choose from:

• Classics and Ancient History
• English Literature 
• History
• Music 
• Philosophy 
• Theology and Religious Studies
• Visual Arts
• Languages, currently Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish

Up to half of your modules can be chosen from subjects in the Social Sciences (subject to timetable compatibility and entry requirements):

• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Business
• Economics
• Education
• Geography
• International Relations
• Politics
• Sociology and Criminology

The degree culminates in a dissertation or research project on a relevant topic which draws together the skills developed throughout the course. 

Course structure

Year 1

In your first year you will study the compulsory module Sources of the Self, an interdisciplinary module designed with Liberal Arts students in mind.

Academics from across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities teach on this module and students explore topics including but not limited to:

• Modern Japan
• The Philosophy of Emmanuel Kant
• The work of Sigmund Freud
• Ethics
• Buddhism
• And belief in medieval England.

You will then study an additional five modules, these can be chosen from a minimum of two and a maximum of four subjects. The subjects currently on offer are listed below.

Year 2

You will study six modules, these can be chosen from a minimum of two and a maximum of four subjects. The subjects currently on offer are listed below. 

Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement or year abroad)

In your final year, you will complete a research project in your primary subject, and study four other modules, in two or three subjects.

Modules can be chosen from a list of subjects which currently includes:

Arts and Humanities subjects

Classics and Ancient History includes in translation, the history, philosophy, literature and culture of the ancient world, and the study of Greek and Latin at several different levels, opening up the literatures of the Greek and Roman worlds in their original languages.

English Literature includes specific literary genres, such as poetry, drama and the novel. Also, the literatures of specific periods, including Mediaeval, Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian and Modern Literature, as well as studies in the theory and practice of literary criticism.

History includes mediaeval, early modern and late modern history through a range of modules in economic, social, religious, cultural, political and diplomatic history, focusing on Britain, continental Europe, Africa, China and the USA.

Modern Languages and Cultures includes the principal languages of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Each offers core language modules and ‘culture’ modules which cover a broad range of themes in history, politics, literature, film, the media, linguistics, translation and interpreting.

If you are not specialising in one or more modern languages, you can study a number of languages, currently including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish, at various levels, from beginners’ to advanced level, in the School’s Centre for Foreign Language Study (CFLS).

Music includes musicology, including the history of music, music theory and analysis, and ethnomusicology, and, where these are studied alongside musicology, performance, composition and other practice-based disciplines.

Philosophy includes many of the principal philosophical disciplines, including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics, and also the history and philosophy of science and medicine.

Theology and Religion includes biblical studies, Christian theology, including the history of theology, contemporary theology, the philosophy of religion, and ethics and religious studies, including the sociology and anthropology of religion.

Visual Arts combines high-level critical and historical study of visual arts and film with a range of practical skills.

Social Sciences subjects

Anthropology includes cultural anthropology and physical anthropology, and a range of modules concerned with material culture, the physical and social evolution of humans, and topics such as medical anthropology and development anthropology.

Archaeology focuses on particular periods and places, including prehistoric archaeology, Roman archaeology, medieval and post-medieval archaeology, and the archaeology of Britain, Europe, Egypt, India and the Near East, also study of the employment of scientific methods in archaeology.

Business includes modules in entrepreneurship, management and governance, and some students choose to study additional modules in business management and marketing.

Economics includes microeconomics, macroeconomics and topics such as the history of economic thought, environmental economics, development economics, monetary economics and the economics of social policy.

Education includes central issues in school and higher education involving the study of the historical, philosophical, psychological, sociological and political dimensions of educational theory and practice, and the development of the social sciences in the modern and postmodern periods.

Geography includes human geography and a range of modules concerned with geographical theory and methods as well as special topics in urban transformation, environmental change, development, and hazard and risk.

International Relations and Politics includes politics in Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and the Far East, as well as the history of political thought, or international relations, with a special emphasis on the Middle East and the Far East, and Middle Eastern and Islamic studies.

Sociology includes theories and methods, social structures, social policy, social exclusion, and the sociology of health, the city and popular music.

Criminology includes theories and methods, crime and deviance, policing, sociology of punishment and the criminal justice system.

Certain elements of the course are defined by the choice of subject, for example:

• If your principal subjects include one or more modern languages then your studies will be extended from three years to four. The third year is spent abroad either studying at university, teaching English or undertaking internships.

• Liberal Arts includes the opportunity to transfer onto either the ‘with Year Abroad’ or ‘with Placement’ pathway after Year 2. If you are selected your studies will extend from three years to four.

• If your primary interest lies in the Social Sciences, you should apply for the Combined Honours in Social Sciences degree instead.

• If you are only interested in modern languages subjects, you should apply for the Modern Languages and Cultures degree instead.

• Your choice of modules is subject to availability, timetable compatibility and the approval of the Director of Liberal Arts. You may also be required to meet specific A level or equivalent requirements.

Placement