Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Arabic and Global Communication with Year Abroad

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

Our Creative Writing and English Literature BA combines the study of literary and non-literary texts in English with the development of your own creative writing skills.

The study of texts and their background in the history of ideas informs your progress as a writer, while your experience of writing in a variety of genres (the novel, the short story, poetry and drama) enhances your appreciation of literature.

This course will be of particular interest to those who wish to write or develop their reading with the experience that comes from writing literary texts. You’ll gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to begin a career in freelance writing, publishing, theatre, or teaching literature and creative writing. The course will also equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Top reasons to study with us

• Fantastic location for the creative industries – London has unrivalled access to publishing houses, film production companies, theatre and poetry networks, and other literary opportunities
• Writer-led workshops – all of our creative writing tutors are either practising poets, dramatists or novelists
• Subject-leading researchers – our English Literature staff are leading experts in their fields, producing internationally recognised research that they bring straight back into the classroom
• Gain valuable industry contacts – you’ll have the opportunity to make writing contacts through our talented creative writing tutors, our expert guest speakers and our industry links
• Get experience before graduating – you’ll have the option to do a work placement as part of this course
• Opportunities to gain international experience – our students enjoy regular field trips and amazing opportunities to travel, work and study abroad

The Professional Writing MA is designed for those who want to turn their love of words and writing into a dynamic and fulfilling career. It will give you the skills, motivation, networks and connections to work across a wide variety of industries – in publishing, journalism, public relations, advertising, as literary agents, copywriters and copyeditors. It will also allow you to explore the history and future of writing and the writing industries from a variety of perspectives, and to develop your own interests and specialisms.

Professional Writing takes a broad, holistic view of writing, because writing is not just about writing. It is about editing, about working with the words of others and with other languages, it is about the reader, it is about the form into which the words are packaged. It is about essays and tweets, novels and headlines, criticism and advertising, prizes and publicity. As a result, the course brings together the combined expertise of English, Creative Writing, Media, Communication, and Film and Cultural Studies to offer a truly interdisciplinary MA.

On the course you'll examine the changing role of professional writing through historical and theoretical debates and examples of contemporary professional practice across languages. From the story of the book to multimedia journalism, your modules will allow you to develop your skills and interests in a range of relevant professional contexts. You'll be taught through seminars, one-to-one and small group tutorials, practical sessions and workshops, together with independent, student-directed study where you'll develop your own project or special topic with the help of an expert mentor. You'll work with academics, practitioners and industry professionals to gain an understanding of vocational issues, practices and concerns, and will build up a network of contacts and connections within your chosen industries.

Our English Literature BA gives you an opportunity to study English literature in its wider social, cultural, and historical contexts.

You'll be able to engage with an exciting variety of texts, both traditional (such as Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens) and non-traditional (such as queer fiction, graphic novels, and new forms of digital content) alongside other kinds of cultural works such as films, museums and art. You'll become a sophisticated reader of texts in their wider cultural contexts, at the same time as sharpening your skills in research. This training in critical and creative reading is particularly suitable if you are considering English teaching, the publishing or journalism industries, or any career that involves sophisticated communication skills and an advanced level of language use. It is of particular interest to those wishing to develop their skills as a writer. Our degree is strong in promoting the transferable and cognitive skills that employers value, and that contribute to lifelong personal and professional development. 

We begin the course with an examination of what literature is, what tools we use to discuss it, and how texts are related to the historical contexts from which they emerge. As you progress through the course, you'll be introduced to a wide variety of literature from Shakespeare to the Gothic, American fiction, Modernism and contemporary writing. You'll study different forms including poetry, prose, and drama, looking at texts from diverse periods and places.

We make the most of our central London location in the midst of galleries, museums, cinemas and theatres, and use the urban landscape as a resource for studying the social and theoretical issues relating to literature.

Top reasons to study with us

• Benefit from small group learning – We offer bespoke small group tutorials of around five students per tutor, which are designed to support your individual learning needs during the first two years of your degree, as well as academic skills support throughout your degree
• Engage with a variety of texts – You'll be studying both traditional and non-traditional texts alongside other cultural works such as films, museums and art
• Gain experience before graduating – you’ll have the option to do a work placement as part of this course
• Learn transferable skills – Our degree will prepare you for a variety of careers by helping you to build your communication skills, research skills and creativity in problem-solving
• Experience cultural London – Our unrivalled central London location allows us to take advantage of the wealth of cultural institutions and opportunities in London

This Creative Writing: Writing the City Masters course is the first to focus entirely on the city of London. It will allow you to explore the city as subject matter from a range of perspectives and across all genres. It will also give you a theoretical and practical platform from which to develop your understanding, and become part of the London writing scene.

Taught by professional writers and researchers, the course offers plenty of opportunities to network with other writers, agents, TV producers and performance poets. As part of the MA, you will be part of the team managing the Wells Street Journal, our student-led in-house magazine. You will be based in the University's headquarters building at 309 Regent Street, which means you will be writing about the city in the heart of London, with ready access to the capital's excellent academic, social and cultural opportunities, including the vibrant West End theatre scene.

With globalisation, international law is becoming increasingly important and this course prepares you for a future career in the international arena. Our teaching team is composed of world-renowned scholars that are leading the way in their respective subjects, including - but not limited to - international human rights law, the law of armed conflict, development law, energy and climate change law, international cyber security law, refugee law, the law of the sea, international courts and tribunals.

Our LLM is one of the oldest and most popular courses in international law in London. It attracts students from every nationality and background, not only those who have previously studied law, but also those with a degree in political science, international relations, or other relevant discipline. This creates a uniquely vibrant and stimulating learning environment in which to study international Law.

The International Law LLM at Westminster Law School is taught in our central London campus, just a short distance from most major British institutions and international organisations. The Course can be taken full-time or part-time, and we have both a September and a January start each year.

Our French and Global Communication BA develops your knowledge of the French language and culture,  and develops your communication skills for the professional global environment.

Our course helps you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic proficiency in French in reading, writing, listening and speaking. It also gives you insight into and practice in communicating internationally as well as mediating between English and French speakers.

The curriculum integrates applied language skills and cultural studies, while ensuring a rigorous development of your foreign language competence in all areas. We teach in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between language and culture and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced. 

You'll improve your ability as an intercultural communicator by studying how our ideas are shaped and communicated in a global society, where our interactions are no longer confined by national, regional or cultural boundaries.

Studying the French and Global Communication BA, you'll acquire qualities and skills in areas such as interpersonal communication and organisational skills, analysis and argument, autonomy and team working, and team management. You’ll also build your flexibility, tolerance and organisational skills to enable you to be an effective international communicator. On graduation, you'll be able to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

You'll have the option to spend a full academic year abroad at one of our partner institutions, or undertake an approved form of employment in a country where French is the official language, such as France, Canada or Belgium. You can work as a paid language assistant in a foreign school or undertake a work or volunteering placement, both of which give you a valuable opportunity to boost your employability while improving your language competence. You'll have the option to undertake a combination of both study and work. 

We place particular emphasis on employability and the contemporary cultural context, and offer high-quality teaching in all language skills.

Our course offers you an opportunity to study the Chinese and English languages and cultures in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between them and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

This course will enable you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic competence in Chinese in all four skill areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking), enhance your skills in using English, and develop linguistic and cultural knowledge and understanding.

Top reasons to study with us

• Integrated curriculum – develop your Chinese language skills alongside your cultural knowledge of the Chinese-speaking world
• Opportunities to undertake a year abroad in a Chinese-speaking country where you can practise your skills
• Individually focused academic support through our tutorial modules
• Opportunities to practise one-to-one conversation with a native speaker through the Languages Plus programme
• Study English language with world experts in language and gender, and the history of English

At Westminster, we'll train you to become a competent linguist in modern languages, ready to enter graduate employment.

We place particular emphasis on employability and the contemporary cultural context, and offer high-quality teaching in all language skills.

Our course offers you an opportunity to study the Spanish and English languages and cultures in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between them and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

This course will enable you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic competence in Spanish in all four skill areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking), enhance your skills in using English, and develop linguistic and cultural knowledge and understanding.

You’ll be able to thrive linguistically in different cultural situations, and you’ll also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

We accept students at two different entry points – beginner or intermediate. Please note that we may need to test you to determine your entry point.

Top reasons to study with us

• Opportunities to participate in a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country
• Individually focused academic support through our tutorial modules
• Opportunities to practise one-to-one conversation with a native speaker through the Languages Plus programme
• Study English language with world experts in language and gender, and the history of English
• Combine Spanish with English language to enhance your skills in both subjects

Our Translation Studies BA Honours will give you the skills, knowledge and competencies to build a career as a professional translator.

You'll develop knowledge of language structure, register, textuality and discourse, by applying linguistic concepts to practical translation tasks. You'll also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Depending on your entry point, you can combine the main language, Spanish, with another language (Arabic, Chinese or French) or the Global Communication route. You'll study an integrated curriculum, with a focus on professional context and communication skills, bilingual translation skills and theory. Your studies may include developing your skills in a new foreign language or modules in cultural studies. Teaching and learning take place through a combination of formal lectures, seminars, practical workshops, guided self-study, and exposure to professionally relevant simulations and real-work environments.

Alongside core modules in translation, the course offers a wide range of option modules, covering topics including global communications, world cultures, current affairs, politics and gender issues. You'll also have the option to spend a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, studying or, depending on your language level, working or volunteering.

As well as careers in professional translation, our graduates have found employment as interpreters, teachers (both in foreign languages and English as a foreign language), and in various other sectors including law, marketing, journalism, and the Civil Service.

We accept intermediate (post-A Level) and proficient speakers in Spanish. This is a linguistically challenging course and we may need to assess you in order to determine your entry point and suitability.

Our Arabic and International Business BA will help you develop the skills and knowledge you'll need to succeed in the internationalised business world.

In today's global economy, language skills are of significant value to prospective employers when combined with business expertise. This combination can greatly enhance your career opportunities.

On our course, you'll have the opportunity to study Arabic language, culture and international business in an integrated way, exploring the relationships between these elements and the broader economic, financial and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

Our comprehensive language training places strong emphasis on the use of language in a professional environment, while our business modules will allow you to gain a solid understanding of international business – a combination that will enable you to gain the real-world skills required to progress to a rewarding career.

The training you'll receive in cross-cultural communication will equip you with the flexibility, adaptability and creativity required in global interactions.

You'll also have the opportunity to benefit from experiencing life, culture and the world of work or study outside the UK by taking part in an optional year-long placement overseas. Study placements take place at a partner educational institution in a country where Arabic is the official language.