Master of Arts in Critical and Cultural Theory

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

By studying art in the context of history, we gain new insight into the perceptions and intentions of the maker, as well as the times in which it was produced. We place a strong emphasis on organising field trips to a variety of museums and galleries, giving you the opportunity to appreciate and understand by experiencing artistic work directly. This is why you will spend a term in your second year in Venice.

Our carefully designed degree allows you to select the modules that suit your own interests. You will study a rich and varied range of art history, from the present day to the Middle Ages, supported by a range of site visits. You will also be taught in small class sizes to ensure close supervision by dedicated, research-active academic staff.

Study abroad

In your second year, you will spend the autumn term in Venice, where you will study the city's art and culture at first hand with our team of Renaissance and Contemporary specialists. You will be based at a study centre close to the Grand Canal, which provides a focus for our teaching and research activities in the city.

As part of all of our courses you have the opportunity to study abroad for a year with one of our partner institutions, or with the University of Monash in Australia.

The programme is designed for opening up professional development pathways for diverse groups of educational practitioners, Muslim educators and faith leaders who work within the context of formal and informal Islamic and general educational settings. The programme is also open to religious education practitioners who wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Islam and be able to respond effectively to the educational and spiritual needs of Muslim children and young people under their care.

Islamic Education is a new exciting interdisciplinary field of scholarly study, empirical research professional development. It has growing national and international interest among Muslim and wider education practitioners.

The programme enables students to develop critical academic competence in theory and practice of Islamic Education facilitating reflective practice among a specialist community of educational practitioners and researchers. Students will explore diverse perceptions of education and pedagogic practice in historical and contemporary Muslim societies, engage with modern educational theories, pedagogic models and develop essential research skills necessary to be able to identify personal areas of further research in the field. The course adopts an integrative approach to teaching leaning which facilitates student engagement through strategies of self-organised learning and blended learning i.e. combining online resources, platforms as well as face to face workshops, seminars and lectures.

The emphasis on the course will be on the importance of contemporary educational research into Islamic Education, especially research springing from the Social Sciences directed towards pedagogy and curriculum development. The course will enable students to develop the competence to ‘think educationally’ about Islam and critically examine the theory and practice of Islamic Education in the modern Muslim world and across the Muslim communities in the West.

Students will have the opportunity of critically examining the existing Islamic Education textbooks, curriculum and the syllabuses. Furthermore, they will discuss the educational challenges facing Muslim communities in the Western Diaspora with special reference to exploring the educational needs of Muslim youth. The course will critically examine how best to develop appropriate educational strategies to tackle religious extremism and address issues concerning the faith development of Muslim young people in Britain.

The course attracts a wider range of practitioners within the field of faith-based and religion-related practitioner education by explicitly identifying and responding to the professional development needs of practitioners engaged in Islamic Education. As such the programme, in a distinctive way, opens professional development pathways for diverse groups of Muslim educators, faith leaders and those who wish to engage with Islamic Education as an area of further academic development.

Skills from this degree

• Critically analyse and explain the origins and sources of Muslim Educational thought and practice as well as evaluate critically current theory, literature, research, advanced scholarship and methodologies in Islamic Education, Islamic Pedagogy and Education Studies
• Identify and critically analyse the contemporary educational issues and challenges facing diverse Muslim communities in contemporary Muslim majority and minority communities
• Application of research skills in developing and evaluating scholarly and empirical research in Islamic Education
• Develop competence to identify areas of research and structure personal research interests and projects in the field
• Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• By adopting a learner-centred, inquiry-based delivery strategy, students will develop competence for reflective practice
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level

This programme will give you the opportunity to explore the use of the arts, and cultural approaches to local and global development challenges. It examines the impact of arts and culture in a range of contexts in ‘advanced’ and ‘developing’ countries, including post-communist societies, religious republics and conflict zones, and in small-scale local economies.

You will consider the rights and wrongs of using arts and culture within such contexts and explore how they can be used to further social justice as well as economic growth. You will develop your vocational direction and capacity for active involvement in development projects.

Explore the extraordinary breadth and depth of French and Francophone language and culture at Warwick.

Our French Studies degree lets you collaborate with expert academics to develop your language skills. Together, we will examine the historical, cultural, geographical, and political contexts in which French is spoken across the world.

Our flexible course covers topics such as philosophy, literature, and visual culture. Core modules develop an in-depth understanding of the French language. You can then choose optional modules to match your academic interests.

You will spend a year studying abroad in France or a French speaking country. This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and culture, and perfect your language skills.

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

Data Science questions how to make sense of the vast volumes of data generated daily in modern life, from social networks to scientific research and finance. It then suggests sophisticated computing techniques for processing this deluge of information.

The degree in Data Science provides an essential mix of highly developed mathematical, statistical and computing skills for those interested in working at the forefront of the modern data revolution, that is, in a career which leverages advanced technology to extract value from data - or in developing such technology.

Taught by specialists from the departments of Statistics, Computer Science and Mathematics, you will develop expertise in specialist areas of machine learning, data mining and algorithmic complexity. Skills development in mathematical and statistical modelling, algorithm design and software engineering prepares you for other careers including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, finance, telecoms and scientific research. The BSc and MSci in Data Science are the same during the first two years, making it easy to reconsider your preference.

The fourth year of the MSci degree offers a supervised Master's level project and the possibility to specialise in areas such as advanced statistical learning and big data, high-performance computing, algorithmic game theory, and computational biology and statistical genetics.

Study abroad

We support student mobility through study abroad programmes and all students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities. The Study Abroad Team based in the Office for Student Opportunity offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.

The MA in World Literature at Warwick draws on our department’s renowned expertise in theoretically-driven world-literary and postcolonial studies to offer a year-long course that is unique in the UK.

Considering you as a future scholar and global citizen, this MA will immerse you in the study of writing and culture from across the globe. You will take a core module in the methodology and theory of world literature, choose from a range of modules that address issues in modern and contemporary world literature, and write a dissertation on an (approved) topic of your choice with a specialised supervisor.

The MA in English and Drama offers an exciting opportunity to specialise in the study of dramatic texts and theatre history while maintaining a range of interests within the field of literary studies more broadly. You will work with leading experts in Shakespeare and early modern drama, theatre history, and modern performance theory and practice.

This MA combines a focus on dramatic texts and theatrical performance and includes the option of a professional placement or an extended practical project. In addition to the core module in Drama and Performance theory, you will study three modules of your choice, and write a dissertation on an (approved) topic with a specialised supervisor.

Our partnership with WBS (Warwick Business School) provides you with a flexible combination of computer science and business, making you attractive to employers who value technical skills and commercial awareness in their graduates.

You will develop the background and skills to develop a deeper understanding of computer science, including areas such as operating systems and computer networks, computational theory and software engineering.

In your third year you will attend Warwick Business School, where world-leading academics and industry professionals will teach you about business and management practices. You may, for example, take modules covering marketing and strategy, finance and entrepreneurship.

Study abroad

You can spend a year at one of our partner institutions overseas. We have an established exchange programme with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which provides opportunities for our students to experience teaching and learning at another world-leading institution.

In addition to benefitting from a rich cultural experience, students returning from studying overseas exhibit an international profile that is attractive to potential employers.

We offer you the chance to create a personal programme of study by drawing from all the postgraduate modules offered by our LLMs in International Development Law and Human Rights, International Economic Law, International Commercial Law, and International Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.

You can also choose a number of options from a list of modules from other departments, subject to availability and approval. You will also develop a dissertation on a topic to be agreed and prepared with guidance from an assigned supervisor.

Skills from this degree

• Advanced legal knowledge of multiple areas of law
• Independent research and policy analysis
• Legal practice in both the domestic and international context
• Academic writing and critical thinking
• Professional communication and effective presentation

Our MSc offers you the opportunity to study business and get specific insight into the world of finance. You will study the underlying foundation disciplines of business, and then specialise in accounting and finance, learning from experts in these fields.

There is a choice of Dissertation or Business in Practice route. If you are considering further academic study (PhD) and you would like the opportunity to research a topic relating to accounting and finance, the dissertation enables you to test and apply the techniques and theories you have learned.

If you would like to develop further applied skills and specialist knowledge to suit your career aspirations, you can complete your studies with one additional elective module and our applied Business in Practice module.

Skills from this degree

• Get a grounding in business whilst specialising in accounting and finance
• Tailor your degree to your own interests with our range of optional modules
• Put your learnings into practice with the applied Business in Practice module
• Access to dedicated CareersPlus service with specialist careers coaches