Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Studies with Chinese

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

Why do bad ideas become policy and good ideas languish for years? Why do governments respond differently to global policy challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic? Governments are facing more complex demands every day. If you want to make a difference in the world, you need to understand the limits and possibilities of how policies are developed, implemented, and evaluated.

This programme will give you an advanced understanding of the major theories and concepts of governance, public management, and public policy. You will work with world leading experts on transnational policy making and gain a practice focused understanding of why and how ideas are turned into public policy.

This course offers training in the foundations of psychology, decision-making, and behavioural economics. It will also develop your understanding of state-of-the-art methods in data science and data analytics, focusing on statistical methods, machine learning, and data visualisation.

You will gain an understanding of large-scale patterns in data, with an eye to comprehending the underlying factors driving human behaviour. This can be used to understand economics, politics, history, wellbeing, and many other large-scale patterns at national and international levels. Previous experience in behavioural science is not necessary, but you should have basic programming skills in at least one programming language.

Skills from this degree

Graduates will be able to:

• Use data to understand how and why people make the choices they do, and understanding the consequences of their choices in relation to public policy (e.g. encouraging people to save for pensions or change to low-carbon behaviours), industry (e.g. understanding how to place a new product in the market), and individual behaviour (e.g. understanding why people drink and eat too much)
• Access and analyse large-scale datasets
• Utilise state-of-the-art techniques in data analysis and visualisation
• Design and conduct studies using data analysis to understand behaviour

Following an in-depth foundation in biochemistry, this course broadens out to allow a focus on more specialist fields. These include biophysical chemistry, which covers biological macromolecules at the atomic level, and understanding the genome and gene regulation.

Our exceptionally wide range of options allows you to pursue areas that interest you. You will graduate with a sound understanding of the biochemical and structural basis of molecular, cellular and development processes in a variety of organisms.

You will benefit from our tutorial system for academic and pastoral support, alongside high-quality laboratory time.

Our four-year MBio gives you the opportunity to undertake an extended final year research project in industry.

This degree emphasizes the way in which social cleavages such as race, gender and class intersect with the study of crime and criminal justice in an international context. Combining these subjects will give you a thorough, yet broad understanding of the surrounding issues and concepts that relate to questions of justice and criminalization today.

Drawing on established strengths within our Sociology Department, you will explore a variety of areas: culture and ethnic identities, geopolitical conflict, gender, environmentalism, social movements, sexuality, social theory, state crime, terrorism and modern society, punishment and community justice, youth crime, youth justice, policing, and issues of security in a global context.

Study abroad

You have the option of studying abroad which will add one year to your degree, as you will spend your third year abroad. Immerse yourself in life in another country and grow as a global citizen. Explore other cultures, languages, and understand global connections and inequalities.

This exciting new course is built on the strength of existing research connections between the four departments that will contribute to it: the departments of Economics, Psychology, and Philosophy, and Warwick Business School (specifically the Behavioural Science Group).

The current attention that this interdisciplinary field of research, particularly the area of Behavioural Science and Behavioural Economics, receives across academia, government and the private sector also makes this course an excellent preparation for a wide range of careers within local government, public health, media, charities and NGOs, marketing and finance.

You will have a choice of interesting potential specialisms and pathways through your course so that you can explore the issues that interest you the most, to graduate with either a BA or a BSc.

Students on all pathways take a course-specific co-taught core capstone module in the final year, which is designed to set the disciplines in interdisciplinary dialogue with each other.

Study abroad

You have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated study abroad year at one of our many partner institutions, extending your degree to four years.

As well as offering an opportunity to experience an alternative university system, studying abroad can also provide the chance to improve language skills and to gain an understanding of a country that can only be gained by living and working in it.

This joint honours degree is split 50:50 between Modern Languages and Linguistics. The degree will enable you to gain expertise in one or two languages while exploring the social contexts of language as well as how language is acquired.

You can choose one of two different routes on this degree:

• On route one (one language), you specialise in one language and culture.
• On route two (two languages) you focus on two major languages. Both routes enable you to spend half your time studying in the Centre for Applied Linguistics.

On route one you can choose your major language from: French, German, Italian or Spanish. This route enables you to select cultural modules focused on your major language and/or selected from the wide range of cultural options offered within the School.

On route two you choose one language from: French, German, Italian or Spanish. Your second language will be selected from: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian or Spanish.

On both routes, you will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning. If you are taking two languages, you can split the year between your languages.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you may move to a three-year degree. In such cases, you will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

Combining the study of German language, culture and contemporary society with in-depth business practice, this degree is split between the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, and Warwick Business School.

On the Business Studies side you can take many different pathways through your course including human resource management, accounting, finance, principles of organisational behaviour, production and operations management, industrial relations, corporate strategy, and auditing.

The German side of the degree enables you to acquire in-depth knowledge of German (business) language, culture, society and history.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

Italian and Classics will enable you to focus on both the Classical world and modern Italy.

You will study Latin alongside modern Italian in your first year and you can choose to continue Latin in your intermediate and final years too.

On the Classics side of the degree, you will have a wide choice of modules on Greek and Roman culture and you can explore the connections between the Classical world and the civilisations of Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement

Most students going to Italy opt for an exchange at a partner university. Some are successful in obtaining a (highly competitive) language assistantship. Most students apply through the British Council's English Language Assistant scheme during the first term of their second year at Warwick.

Research and write a 40,000-word Dissertation on a topic of your choice under the supervision of one of our internationally-leading experts. Suitable for students who already have considerable research skills and a clear idea of their own particular area of interest for further research.

Before you arrive, you will be matched to one or more of our expert supervisors and during the course. You will meet with them frequently for guidance on the conceptualisation, research and writing of your Dissertation. This will include reading and discussion of draft material.

You will also be expected to participate in the research culture of the School, for example by attending research seminars.

By studying linguistics together with Italian, you will explore the fascinating human capacity for language, while also building your fluency in Italian. As a linguist, you will learn about the structure and function of language, and about relationships between language and society.

You will also study and practice written and oral communication in Italian, and learn broadly about communicating across languages and cultures. Your skills in linguistic analysis will support your language learning, and your knowledge of Italian will complement your work as a linguist. This course opens many career opportunities that require the knowledge and skills of both a modern language and a deep understanding of language, culture and communication.

(75% linguistics, 25% Italian).

Study abroad

If you wish to spend a year abroad (which we thoroughly recommend), this will take place in your third year, meaning that you will complete your degree in four years instead of three. All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities. The Student Mobility Team offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.