BA Liberal Arts

Program Overview

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On our four-year BA Liberal Arts (including foundation year), we work with you to help to develop your subject-specific knowledge and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further three years of undergraduate study at Essex. Our five-year version of this course enables you to study abroad during your fourth year of study. After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department , you progress to complete your course with our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre . At Essex, our BA Liberal Arts will allow you to study a variety of subjects. With the opportunity to major in History, Literature, Art History, Philosophy, Politics, Media Studies or Sociology, you broaden your horizons by exploring the ways in which the humanities and social sciences help us to think imaginatively and critically about the worlds we live in. You take modules which cover the historical foundations of the humanities, challenge dominant worldviews, and explore innovative and subversive essays and manifestos. The flexible structure of this course allows you to choose a range of optional modules across literature, film, philosophy, history of art, history, linguistics, politics, sociology and modern languages. The types of issues and problems you might explore include:

• How commercial and independent films interpret human relationships
• How to compose your own writing, inspired by the great essayists
• Important philosophical questions about life, death and religion
• Great works of art and literature
• Languages

The choice is yours: you choose your modules based on your own background and interests. You engage with unusual, controversial, and provocative ideas, so that you can use the humanities and social sciences to become critically aware and possess the tools to change the world for the better. Discover Liberal Arts at the University of Essex video Why we're great.

• We equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed at Essex and beyond.
• Guarantee a place on your chosen course upon successful completion of your foundation year.
• Small class sizes allow you to work closely with your teachers and classmates.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond our University campus. The five-year version of our degree allows you to spend your fourth year studying abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the four-year course. You study modules in the liberal arts and social sciences, comparable to what you might take at Essex. Studying abroad can allow you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

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Our expert staff

We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. You are taught by a highly qualified, enthusiastic team with wide-ranging research interests and a proven academic scholarship. Our staff teach in departments across the University, and specialise in a wide range of topics including literature, film, history of art, history, politics and sociology. Current research explores indigenous experiences of colonialism, public sociology, nature writing, contemporary world cinema, wealth inequalities, environmental humanities, and community activism.

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Specialist facilities

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with hot magazines and newspapers, and provides an informal setting to meet with your lecturers, tutors and friends

Our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre also offers excellent on-campus facilities:

• Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the largest of its kind in Europe
• Our Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence provides a forum for pan-European research
• Attend an exciting programme of events
• Access a variety of textbooks and journals in our Albert Sloman Library

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Your future

As a liberal arts graduate, you’ll be provided with an all-round education that can lead to a more extensive range of knowledge, better communication skills and a more flexible and positive attitude to life. The best way to prepare for the future is to develop the abilities and skills which make you resilient; reasoning skills which mean that you do not accept easy answers; so that you can always question. A Liberal Arts course can lead to a wide variety of careers in the media, journalism, publishing, local government, voluntary agencies, librarianship, finance, management and other fields. Many employers prefer to recruit students with a broad-based liberal arts education (and provide them with vocational training during their first year at work) than to recruit students who have specialised in one discipline. Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of organisations including Euromoney, a financial publication company, a housing association, and an English language school in Japan. We also work with our Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore all modules listed are subject to change. Your course structure could differ based on the modules you choose. To view the compulsory modules and full list of optional modules currently on offer, please view the programme specification via the link below. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Final Year How did Plato and Aristotle influence Western political thought? How do you study class or gender today? What impact does globalisation have? Examine the history of social and political theory, critically analysing current issues. Understand key topics in politics and sociology for further study of the social sciences and humanities. View Becoming Enlightened Citizens: Foundations in Politics and Government on our Module Directory COMPONENT 02: CORE WITH OPTIONS IA108-3-FY or IA101-3-FY or IA121-3-FY or IA111-3-FY (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: CORE WITH OPTIONS IA108-3-FY or IA101-3-FY or IA121-3-FY or IA111-3-FY (30 CREDITS) This blended-learning module is designed to support students in their academic subject disciplines and to strengthen their confidence in key skills areas such as: academic writing, research, academic integrity, collaborative and reflective practices. The students are supported through the use of subject-specific materials tailored to their chosen degrees with alignment of assessments between academic subject modules and the skills module. View Research and Academic Development Skills on our Module Directory Certain ideas shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us - ideas like democracy, free speech, individualism, free markets, and human rights. These ideas took their definitive modern form during a politically and intellectually revolutionary stretch of history known as the Enlightenment (ca. 1650-1800). This interdisciplinary module examines this period and thus serves as an essential prerequisite for students who want to understand the intellectual currents that run through the world they live in. Graduating students often rank it among the most useful modules they have taken. View Modern Revolutions in Science, Politics, and Culture on our Module Directory COMPONENT 02: OPTIOL Option(s) from list: Different discipline (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Option(s) from list: Different discipline (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Option(s) from list: Different discipline (30 CREDITS) Making the transition from school to University studies can be challenging. This module will introduce you to University life and enable you to acquire the study skills to make a success of your degree. It also orients you to work, volunteering and extra-curricular activities so that you can acquire additional skills and experience while you study. View Skills for University Studies on our Module Directory How have contemporary societies been shaped by the legacies of the Enlightenment, colonialism, and the different phases of capitalism? This interdisciplinary module helps you to critically understand some of the key forces and processes that have shaped the challenges we face in the 20th and 21st century. It is divided into three broad themes; Empire, The Self, and Nature. We’ll be examining processes of ‘othering’ that were intrinsic to colonialism; changing conceptions of the self; as well as both the causes of and potential solutions to the ecological crisis we are confronting today. The module is co-taught by academics from Art History, ISC, LiFTs, Philosophy, Psychoanalytic Studies and Sociology. View The World in Question: The Social, Cultural, Political & Environmental Legacies of the Enlightenment on our Module Directory COMPONENT 02: OPTIOL Outside option(s) from list: Choose discipline taken in previous year (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Outside option(s) from list: Choose discipline taken in previous year (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS CS200-5-AU or (CS712-5-FY and option from list or outside option) (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 05: OPTIOL CS241-5-SP or option from list or outside option (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS CS301-6-FY or CS831-6-FY (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 02: OPTIOL Option(s) from list: Choose discipline taken in previous year (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Option(s) from list: Choose discipline taken in previous year (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Outside option(s) (30 CREDITS)

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Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

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Teaching

• Your teaching mainly takes the form of lectures and classes, the latter involving about 20 students
• Lab sessions to improve technical research skills
• Any language classes involve language laboratory sessions
• Our classes are run in small groups, so you receive a lot of individual attention

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Assessment

• Your assessed coursework will generally consist of essays, reports, in-class tests, individual or group oral presentations, and small scale research projects