Master of Arts in Philosophy and the Arts

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

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 today’s complex business environment, where so much of global GDP is now service-related, service science is a crucial area in which businesses must increase expertise in order to stay ahead.  

During the course, you will consider the complexity of services that bring together people, organisations, technologies and information, in order to deliver value for the customer. You will learn the tools and techniques to design the systems needed to work with your customer, and ensure the best outcomes are achieved. You will learn to structure a service organisation, and will look at excellence in service from a variety of international sector perspectives.  

This course will review operationally how you go about using techniques to design service experience, lead change, and drive business transformation. It will show you how you go about building reputation, relationships, and brand with your customer. It will help you make sense of big data, and the use of technology to effectively support service delivery.

International Security is a field of study concerned with questions about war and peace, life and death, safety and survival. Traditionally its terrain has focused on concerns about the stability of the states’ system, the use of force, nuclear proliferation, military strategy, intelligence and the distribution of resources. Today, however, concerns about climate change, migration, poverty, health, privatisation, organised crime and international terrorism are also on the agenda.

Our MA is one of the most comprehensive international security graduate programmes in the country taught by staff at the innovative forefront of international security research. You will choose from a broad range of modules with a diverse thematic and geographic focus.

This degree includes a year abroad studying French law at a university in France and is aimed at those with a strong grasp of the French language.

You will develop an excellent understanding of core legal principles of both the English and the French legal systems. Examining the law from a modern, international and critical perspective will equip you for the demands of a global legal market.

You will gain insight into the impact on the law of cultural, economic and political developments, and learn how law affects everyday life in the UK, France and beyond.

You will develop advanced legal, research, independent learning and writing skills, and will become a confident communicator, able to participate fully in debates and to present your ideas clearly, both in English and in French.

Study abroad

This course features an integral year abroad, in which you will study approved law modules at one of our partner universities in France which currently include Paris, Bordeaux or Lille.

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.

With around 400 million speakers in the world, Spanish is one of the most important languages for commerce and cultural exchange.

This degree offers an innovative approach to studying the Spanish language alongside a diverse range of Hispanic cultures and history from across the world.

You will work with leading researchers and have access to outstanding facilities and resources, including flexible learning spaces and a vast selection of print, digital, and multimedia learning materials. 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 they are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year degree. 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

Political Theory, Comparative Politics and the study of Political Systems provide the core of this degree, then you can choose options across the full range of modules or focus on specific pathways.

You will tackle questions relating to the nature and distribution of power, the advantages and disadvantages of different political systems, gendered and racialized aspects of politics, and the role of ideology in determining political outcomes. You will critique how politics works in a number of different nations and question the appropriate level to analyze politics from the individual to the global system.

You will also consider how the work of political theorists can help explain the ways in which politicians intervene in questions of economy, law-making, conflict and the regulation of our daily lives. You will apply these ideas to everyday political problems such as immigration, poverty, war and climate change.

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.

This degree will equip you with the techniques to manage the strategic development of e-business based organisations and appropriate e-business technologies. You will develop the skills and knowledge to evaluate, manage, and improve the operational functions of an organisation and to apply the concepts of systems integration to the design and development of products and services through market analysis.

With the exponential growth in e-Business activity worldwide, there is great demand for e-Business professionals who bring particular specialised knowledge and skills. This MSc therefore allows you to select from one of four specialisms, providing you with a deeper understanding of one of the key areas of e-Business deployments and tailoring your modules in line with your future career path.

Mathematics and Physics are complementary disciplines, making them a natural combination for university study. Mathematicians and physicists often address common questions and challenges, resulting in exciting discoveries at the intersection of the two subjects. Ideas developed in particle physics have led to advances in geometry; learning from chaos theory is being applied increasingly in the modelling of complex physical systems such as the atmosphere and lasers.

You will be jointly taught by the Institute of Mathematics and Department of Physics, both of which have a reputation for excellence.

In addition to core modules, you will have flexibility in your second and third years to choose modules to explore areas of interest in more depth. You may also choose to develop breadth of learning by selecting from approved modules outside the two departments, such as the interdisciplinary module Challenges of Climate Change or learning a modern language.

Our four-year course provides further opportunities to explore the breadth of the two subjects, and provides a good foundation for a career related directly to one or both subjects, or further research.

Study abroad

• We support student mobility through study abroad programs. BSc students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities.
• The Study Abroad Team offers support for these activities. The Department's Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.