Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese and Global Communication with year abroad

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

This course enables you to develop a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the international system and to relate this to contemporary developments in international relations. It provides a theoretical framework for understanding the distribution of power at the global, regional and national levels.

You'll focus particularly on the changing dynamics of international security and the challenges of state-building within contemporary international relations. This course is linked to the renowned Security and International Relations research programme in the Centre for the Study of Democracy. The Centre regularly invites high-profile speakers to our central London campus for seminars, public lectures and conferences to which you will be invited as a student.

With excellent links to employers, this course offers you the opportunity to advance your knowledge in an applied setting. You will also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Top reasons to study with us

• A global environment – we are ranked top 20 in the world for the percentage of international students (Times Higher Education World University rankings 2021)
• International experience - the course includes a year studying, working or volunteering abroad, helping students to develop international experience
• Expert speakers – The Centre for the Study of Democracy regularly invites high-profile speakers to our central London campus location for seminars, public lectures and conferences

Our French 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.

You’ll have the opportunity to study French 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 French is the official language.

The Professional Writing with Extended Work Placement 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.

The course 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.

Our Creative Writing and English Language BA combines the opportunity to improve your writing skills with the development of a thorough knowledge and understanding of the structure, history and usage of the English language.

In addition to studying how the language works in its spoken and written forms, and the different kinds of English that exist today, the course provides structured support and guidance in the development of writing skills in various genres (the novel, the short story, poetry, drama, and non-fictional writing). Your knowledge and understanding of English will be enhanced by focusing on its aesthetic possibilities.

This particular combination is suitable for those interested in pursuing a career in any field that involves the highly skilled use of language, such as publishing or journalism, professional writing, or teaching. You could also go on to a career that includes teaching related to language or creative writing.

You'll have the opportunity to study an optional module from a range of different topics across the University in each year of study. 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
• 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
• Personalised support - you’ll get individually focused academic support and career planning through our tutorials
• Opportunities to gain international experience - our students have been on regular field trips and have had amazing opportunities to travel, work and study abroad. Previous destinations have included Miami, Hong Kong, Cuba, Berlin, Morocco, Washington and Paris.

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. 

Our Spanish and International Relations course focuses on questions of governance, democracy and human rights, while training competent Spanish linguists ready to enter graduate employment.

This course will enable you to achieve a good level of linguistic competence in Spanish in all four skill areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking), and a critical understanding of culture and politics from the perspective of the changing dynamics of the global political order. You'll have the opportunity to study language, culture and international relations in an integrated way, exploring the connections between them and the broader geopolitical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced. You'll also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

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

Our Spanish courses are available to beginner and intermediate students. Please note that we may need to test you to determine your entry point.

You'll study an integrated curriculum with a focus on applied language skills and cultural studies, supported by a rigorous development of your foreign languages skills in all areas.

You'll develop a high level of competence in oral and written communication in Spanish, proficiency in language transfer skills, a thorough knowledge of Spanish culture, and the ability to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

You'll have the opportunity to spend a semester or full academic year abroad at a partner institution and/or, depending on your language level, an approved form of employment in a country where Spanish is the official language. You can also study an elective module from across the University in each year.

Our Chinese 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.

You’ll have the opportunity to study Chinese 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.

Top reasons to study with us

• Gain practical Chinese language skills and intercultural awareness in simulated and authentic professional contexts   
• Experience a sophisticated business environment – our state-of-the-art Bloomberg Financial Markets Suite allows you to gain first-hand exposure to technology that’s widely adopted in leading global investment banks in the major financial centres of the world
• Benefit from an (optional) international experience through a placement, study abroad and/or field trips. Previous field trip destinations have included Morocco, Hong Kong, France, Cuba and Argentina
• Receive tailored academic support and career planning through our tutorials
• Enjoy opportunities to practise one-to-one conversation with a native speaker through the Languages Plus programme

Our French and Linguistics BA trains you to be a competent linguist ready to enter graduate employment.

Our degree offers the exciting combination of the study of French language and culture alongside the wider study of the forms, structures and varieties of language itself.

You'll develop a high level of competence in oral and written communication in French, proficiency in language transfer skills, and a thorough knowledge of French culture. On graduation, you'll be able to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

You'll study an integrated curriculum with a focus on applied language skills and cultural studies, supported by a rigorous development of your foreign languages skills 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. 

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

The linguistics component of your combined degree will develop your understanding and knowledge of language to an advanced and sophisticated level, while fostering and enhancing your skills in using English.

The International Relations and Democratic Politics MA provides an advanced critical and comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping inter-state relations and global politics. Drawing on key theoretical interpretations of democratic politics, the course examines various principles of democratic thinking (ranging from pluralism and civil society to egalitarianism and human rights), and explores the interplay between theory and practice in old and new democracies and in processes of global governance.

You'll consider various aspects of international order and politics, including the dynamics of international social and political power relationships and conflicts, and state building. These topics are studied comparatively in relation to governmental, political and social processes, and in the contexts of various historical continuities, discontinuities and contrasts.

This course gives you the chance to study English literature in a modern university environment, while taking advantage of the wealth of resources offered by London's rich cultural life. You will examine literary texts in the wider context of cultural production and relate them to the social, historical and political circumstances from which they emerge.

The course team consists of academic specialists who make use of the many nearby museums, galleries and libraries in their teaching. The course will be of particular interest to those wishing to prepare for further study at MPhil or PhD level, and those teaching English who want to gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field.

The English Literature: Modern and Contemporary Fictions MA at the University of Westminster is designed to offer a coherent programme of postgraduate study that allows for both chronological range and specific topical focus. It gives you the opportunity to revisit and reinvestigate the texts, critical practices, institutions and periods that make up the discipline in order to see it in new and exciting ways.