Master of Arts in Critical and Cultural Theory

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

This course is for you for you if you're interested in understanding the history of people, culture and societies, and their evolution in the modern era. The two complementary subjects both involve understanding people - their interests, motivations and culture - and why societies and social groups act the way they do.

You'll be taught by staff from both departments, and will draw information from sources including film, visual images, literature and television as well as written texts. The flexible course structure enables you to choose modules from a wide range of options in both History and Sociology. Core modules in your first year introduce you to research and quantitative methods, and to the study of modern history set in a global context. Sociology core modules cover the history of sociological thought, and class and capitalism. In your second and third years you can choose from optional modules, with current options examining areas such as British imperialism, slavery, the significance of gender, crime, religious conflict or health in history, and political sociology. In your final year you can either maintain a balance between the two subjects or specialise in either History or Sociology.

Study abroad

History and Sociology students have the opportunity to join History students in Venice for a term at the start of year three and can also apply for an intercalated year at one of the partner universities offered by either the History Department or the Sociology Department.

The Student Mobility Team based in the Office for Student Opportunity offers support for these activities, and either Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.

This course will enable you to pursue your interest in the history, archaeology and art of the ancient world. It looks at the societies and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean through their written texts, visual art and material remains, from grand temples, monuments and villas to the humble residues of everyday life.

You will benefit from many hands-on learning experiences, including handling authentic ancient coins, recreating the experience of a Greek symposium using replica vases, visiting historical sites and museums in the UK, and taking part in our annual classical play, which is staged at a professional theatre and played to a public audience of over a thousand people.

You will have the opportunity to study topics such as Greek democracy, the Roman cultural revolution under Augustus, visual representations of Greek myth, or the Roman Near East, in modules specifically focused on Greco-Roman history, art, archaeology and architecture.

Core first-year modules provide a grounding in approaches to Greek and Roman History and Material Culture while optional modules allow you to explore a range of other topics, including the option to learn an ancient language.

This four-year Ancient History and Classical Archaeology with Study in Europe degree has a similar structure to the three-year course, but alongside learning about the ancient world you will study a modern European language (current options are Italian or German) and spend your third year studying classical subjects at one of our partner universities in Europe.

Analytical Science supports research and development in key industries and underpins many aspects of biological and clinical sciences, environmental sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, materials science and synthetic chemistry. This course offers expertise from international experts within academia and companies like Syngenta, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. It provides training in experimental approaches and data analysis with a view to finding creative solutions to real-world problems.

Emphasis is on collaborative research with our industrial partners and academic disciplines, and you will take two 10-week projects in different research teams. This will prepare you for either a research career or to take up further studies through a PhD.

This program provides you with a wide range of in-depth knowledge and skills, and enables you to focus on aspects of intercultural communication that are relevant to people working either in business or in other professions.

Our core modules develop your ability to analyse, explain and investigate effective communication across cultures. Optional modules enable you to select particular areas in which you want to specialise, according to your own intellectual interests or career aspirations.

The program concludes with an empirical piece of research, which will allow you to put your knowledge into practice and further hone your practical skills in carrying out systematic research.

What inspires you? Is it the stories left behind by history’s witnesses, or the ideas that define modern society? Is it the cultures that surround you every day, or the life of distant places - even other, imagined worlds?

Are you interested in how writing lies at the heart of everything we do, and everything we can be-its ability to change our minds and change the world? A degree in English Literature at Warwick will spark the passion for reading and writing you’ve had all your life and develop it into an expert knowledge of literary culture.

In your second and third years you will build your theoretical and historical knowledge of literature whilst also choosing from one of the widest and most innovative range of modules anywhere in the country.

Whether your interests are classical or modern, or somewhere in between, you will have the freedom to create a degree that reflects your interests and motivations. Our undergraduates enter the workplace as confident, ethical, and compassionate thinkers with exceptional writing and communication skills.

Study abroad

As a student on our English degrees, you will have the opportunity to spend your third year at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Europe, China, Australia or Japan.

You will then return to Warwick to complete your fourth and final year of your degree. You will be able to apply to transfer to the four-year course when you are in your second year at Warwick, subject to availability of places from the University's International Office.

The objective of Commercial Law is to facilitate commercial transactions, whether a sale of goods, dealing in digital content or data, secured financing arrangements, or mergers. Once a commercial transaction crosses jurisdictional borders, complex questions arise regarding the enforceability of all the terms in a commercial agreement, the law(s) which apply to the transaction, and where any disputes which might arise from the transaction can be resolved.

This LLM will provide you with a solid foundation for understanding the legal challenges of international commerce, and will allow you to explore how a range of international transactions are regulated through a combination of contracts, domestic law and internationally agreed rules.

Skills from this degree

• An understanding of the complexity of the legal environment for international commercial transactions
• The ability to develop a reasoned critical discussion of a contested issue in international commercial law, drawing on a wide range of legal and scholarly resources
• Specialist knowledge of the process of making international commercial law
• An understanding of the wider economic, social and environmental context within which international commercial transactions are conducted

This course examines the political and social dimensions of history and international relations. We examine how historical events, actors and institutional legacies have influenced the world we live in today. And we discover complementary insights that can be gained from combining historical and political research. Together we will explore the theory and the reality of why people and states interact in the ways they do.

The two subjects complement each other - one exploring historical events and trends, and the other understanding how those legacies shape politics today. The two Departments in which you will learn (History and PAIS) approach shared research areas such as globalisation, conflict, democracy and human rights from different perspectives. You will explore themes in political, religious, cultural or social history, and will be able to select optional modules in both Departments to explore specialist themes and geographic areas in more detail.

Students will be offered the opportunity at the start of their second year to apply for an optional intercalated year of study abroad or year's work placement, or a combined year of study and work placements.

Following the application process, those students who are offered and take up a study and/or work placement place transfer to the four-year History and Politics (with a Year Abroad) course, with the Year Abroad or work placement as the third of the four years.

Study abroad

History and Politics students have the opportunity to join history students for a term in Venice at the start of year three. You can also apply for an intercalated year at one of the partner universities offered by either the History Department or the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS).

The Student Mobility Team based in the Office for Student Opportunity offers support for these activities, and the History Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator and the PAIS Director of External Affairs can provide more specific information and assistance.

In Global Sustainable Development (GSD) we take a critical approach to the dominant discourse of sustainable development. We are committed to understanding as well as challenging existing practice, and want you to join us as we seek innovative, transformative responses to complex global challenges. Based in the School for Cross-faculty Studies, our academic home is a natural place for future transdisciplinary leaders to flourish.

On this course you will work with Warwick’s GSD Department, the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), and partner departments across the University. Our staff are at the forefront of their fields and share your passion for global sustainable development.

Core modules will support your development as an intellectual leader dedicated to bringing about positive change. They will help to deepen your understanding of the core global challenges we face, and develop your critical and reflective approach, as well as your technical and methodological skills. Your learning will be rooted in critical intellectual enquiry and philosophical understanding, which will support your personal development as a leader of thought and action. In addition, by having a wide range of optional modules, you can tailor the course to your own areas of interest.

In Term Three and the summer, you will have an exciting opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ as you undertake a transdisciplinary capstone project. We will offer you a choice of research, practice, and work-based experiences. Your chosen project will enable you to develop a skillset most suited to your future career goals.

By the end of this course, you will be equipped to play an authentic role in reflective global citizenship. You will also have a defined understanding of what is necessary to act as a leader of positive change. The route you choose upon graduation will be defined by your own interests and aspirations. Your learning from the course will equip you with what you need for a career in applied research, in policy, business, or in third sector activity.

Who is this programme for?
This programme is ideal for you if:

• You have prior experience of GSD
• You are new to this field of study with a first degree and a strong interest in GSD
• You have work and life experience relating to GSD

Skills from this degree
You will learn to:

• Think systemically, recognising connections and interactions between factors, and understand that actions often have many consequences
• Identify and analyse the risk that system complexity can lead to unexpected and novel outcomes, and contribute to the proactive management of this
• Describe complex issues in clear terms and communicate about them effectively and succinctly, both orally and in writing
• Work naturally and consciously, as part of a community of practice, by learning from others in a culture of respect, mutual understanding and empathy, and managing disagreement and conflict through socially non-violent means, even in the context of formal power hierarchies
• Support and foster intellectual leadership by challenging assumptions, critically analysing information and negotiating alternatives to current practices
• Create new and personal knowledge in GSD both through research and self-managed learning

This programme draws on our long-established strengths in Continental Philosophy. It is distinctive in offering an unusually broad range of module options specifically in this area of philosophy. Modules cover 19th and 20th century Continental Philosophy, major figures and themes, as well as more specialised or less mainstream topics drawing on individual research strengths.

Because of the breadth of our expertise in this area, whichever module options you choose, you will be taught by world leaders in their respective fields.

By studying linguistics together with Russian, you will explore the fascinating human capacity for language, while also building your fluency in Russian. 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 Russian, and learn broadly about communicating across languages and cultures. Your skills in linguistic analysis will support your language learning, and your knowledge of Russian 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% Russian).

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.