BA Liberal Arts
University of Essex
Key Information
Campus location
Colchester, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
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Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Introduction
BA Liberal Arts
Knowledge is rooted in the experiences of people across the world. It is created from memory, culture, landscape and myth. This knowledge is often split into separate ‘disciplines' such as those in the sciences, maths, history, geography, literature and art. However, true knowledge does not recognise these boundaries; the world is complex, interconnected and networked.
Our course is for you if you love studying a variety of subjects, and want to maintain this breadth of knowledge at university. 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.
Based within our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre (ISC), 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.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available, please visit the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Year 1
- Modern Revolutions in Science, Politics, and Culture
- Skills for University Studies
Year 2
- The World in Question: The Social, Cultural, Political & Environmental Legacies of the Enlightenment
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
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.
Ourrecent graduateshave 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 ourStudent Development Teamto help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.
Program delivery
BA Liberal Arts: 3 years
BA Liberal Arts (Including Year Abroad): 4 years
BA Liberal Arts (Including Placement Year): 4 years
- Taught through lectures and classes of about twenty students
- A one-hour lecture and a one-hour class for each of your modules every week. Some core modules are organised as two-hour seminars, rather than lectures and classes
- Your language classes involve lectures, classes and language laboratory sessions