Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Politics

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

Psychology is the study of the human mind and our behaviour, while criminology is all about the causes of crime and ways to prevent and control it.

This is a unique degree covering both British Psychological Society accreditation and QAA standards for criminology, which will allow you to study both psychology and criminology, and will equip you to understand human motivation and behaviour and apply that insight to legal and criminal contexts, opening up an exciting range of career opportunities once you graduate.

At Westminster, we have a solid background of teaching and research in these highly desirable subjects. We take an international perspective and draw on our expertise related to human trafficking and issues connected to the Global South.

We make the most of our long-established links with key partners in the criminal justice and forensic psychology areas to enhance your student experience. This includes links with a number of local Magistrates' Courts, the Central Criminal Court, Broadmoor Hospital, victim support at the Old Bailey, HMP Whitemoor, Feltham YOI, and the Metropolitan Police, all of which offer opportunities for educational visits and/or work placements.

We make full use of our central London location, with learning taking place both inside and outside the classroom and including visits to a theatre and a museum, field walks and opportunities for work-based learning.

Top reasons to study with us

• A wide range of option modules provides a truly multidisciplinary perspective on crime and psychology
• Our experienced team draw on their research and scholarly activity to provide you with a global perspective on crime and psychology
• Our degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Gaining a BPS accredited qualification is necessary if you wish to pursue a career as a Chartered Psychologist in the areas of forensic, clinical, occupational, counselling, health, educational, and sports and exercise psychology
• Based in our Regent Campus and Cavendish Campus in central London, you'll enjoy the benefits of studying in a major global city
• A work placement module is built into the course, to help you get ahead before graduating
• Between Years 2 and 3 you'll have the option to complete an additional year on a work placement or studying abroad

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

This course will enable you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic competence in French 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 will 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 will 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.

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.

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 French, proficiency in language transfer skills, a thorough knowledge of French culture, and the ability to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

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

The course is intended for anyone wishing to demonstrate a commitment to contentious law in public and private international and commercial legal contexts. The taught part of the programme includes modules which reflect the three main forms of dispute resolution process, namely adjudication (litigation and arbitration), alternative dispute resolution (ADR – principally mediation), and negotiation.

This course differs from the International Commercial Law LLM course which is primarily concerned with non-contentious aspects of commerce (modules include competition law, trade, and insurance).

Class sizes are, in general, quite small, and you will be able to mix with students on other Masters courses at Westminster Law School.

The course provides an opportunity for in-depth study of the substantive and procedural issues involved in the field, and also the acquisition of skills involved in some of the processes. It is centrally concerned with law and other rules (international and commercial) which are applicable in adjudication and also in the other dispute resolution processes.

In addition to taught modules, there is also the Dissertation module which provides an opportunity for developing a specialist knowledge of a small area of the field, which might lead to a publishable article.

Our Spanish and Global Communication BA develops your knowledge of the Spanish 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 Spanish in reading, writing, listening and speaking. It also gives you insight into and practice in communicating internationally as well as mediating between English and Spanish 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 Spanish 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.

Top reasons to study with us

• Enhance your language skills abroad – You'll have the option to spend a full academic year abroad between Years 2 and 3, or shorter periods ranging from a few days to a full semester
• Get career-ready – Our course strengthens your communication skills and gives you practice in transferring these to the world of work
• Understand multiple forms of communication – You'll learn how to read between the lines and really understand how we're influenced by the messages around us – on TV, in advertising, and across other media
• Multicultural focus – We use our students' different cultural experiences to discover what it means to be an intercultural communicator

Our Politics and International Relations BA equips you to understand the comparative dimensions of politics at the local, regional, national and global level.

ou'll study political concepts, ideas, values and institutions, and explore the relationship between political theory and practice. While international relations shares these interests, it focuses on regional and global levels of political activity.

You'll also focus on areas such as globalisation, patterns of conflict and co-operation between states, and the shift from 'anarchy' in the global sphere to co-ordination through intergovernmental organisations and non-state actors (such as corporations and groups based in civil society).

Our course enables you to develop specialist knowledge of important political actors and key trends in international politics, and your critical and analytical skills in the understanding of political problems at both the national and international levels.

Top reasons to study with us

• An enhanced learning experience – Our central London location allows us to take you out of the classroom to visit places such as the Houses of Parliament, government departments, international organisations, NGOs, exhibitions and museums
• Our truly international outlook – We have been named the most diverse university in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand (source: Hotcourses Diversity Index 2018), and have students representing 170 nationalities
• A supportive community – We provide a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic environment with high student satisfaction. There are plenty of opportunities for community engagement, not least through the student-led Democratic Education Network - a runner-up ‘Student Experience’ initiative in the Guardian University Awards 2019

Our English Language and Global Communication BA develops your understanding of the English language and the complexities of global communication in order to help you thrive in a professional global context.

You'll achieve a thorough knowledge of culture through comparative, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches and via the analysis of the forms and practices of cultural transmission. You'll develop the linguistic resources, strategies and intercultural awareness and flexibility essential for effective communication in global professional environments.

Our combination of disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning will ensure that you graduate with an array of important transferable skills including cultural insight, the ability to evaluate and apply theory, undertake research and utilise creative and precise analytic capabilities. Engagement in small research projects and the associated ethical issues ensures that you'll have experience of considering and complying with ethical requirements.

Top reasons to study with us

• Enhance your communication skills abroad – You'll have the option to immerse yourself in another culture by spending a full academic year abroad. You can spend one or two semesters at a partner institution in Europe, the USA, Canada, or Australia
• Interdisciplinary learning – Our course enhances your written and spoken English skills while developing your knowledge of the English language and your understanding of communication within cross-cultural settings
• Become a global citizen – Studying our degree, you'll gain a high degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy, and develop the skills and international outlook to thrive in intercultural settings
• Learn transferable skills – Our degree will prepare you for a variety of careers by helping you to build your communication, research, critical and analytical skills

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

This course will enable you to achieve a good level of linguistic competence in Arabic 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 Arabic courses are only available to beginner or 'false beginner' entrants – false beginners are students who may be able to read the Arabic script, and/or have the equivalent to one or two years' part-time study. 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 Arabic, proficiency in language transfer skills, a thorough knowledge of Arabic culture, and the ability to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

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

The Specialised Translation MA prepares you for a career in the translation market. The course is open to native and non-native speakers of English, who combine English with any of the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish. At the heart of the Specialised Translation MA lie our weekly practical translation classes between English and one of the languages listed above. Building on your existing language skills, you will learn how to research specialised subjects to produce, with and without the use of translation memory software tools, commercially viable translations of a broad range of specialised texts, applying insights drawn from linguistics and translation theory as well as from professional practice.

If you are studying the Specialised Translation MA with English and one other language, you will also attend modules that introduce you to audio-visual and computer-assisted translation, revision, editing, post-editing, quality assurance, and project management skills for translators. If you are a native speaker of English and would like to study translation with two of the above languages, you can choose to replace the Audio-visual and Computer-Assisted Translation and Quality Assurance and Project Management for Translators modules with two Specialised Translation modules in your second foreign language. You will also engage with a comprehensive programme of professional development activities and will further complement the knowledge and skills acquired on the core modules by choosing either Translation as Cultural Practice or International Organisations and Institutional Discourses as an option module. At the end of the course, you will submit an MA Translation Project or an MA Dissertation.

Our International Liaison and Communication MA is a dynamic, pioneering interdisciplinary course which meets the global demand for greater professionalism in interpersonal and inter-institutional bilingual communication. We focus on enhancing your skills as a communicator and facilitator of communication. This can be as an advocate, as a mediator, communication strategist, intermediary or communication facilitator. Grounded in the latest international communications theories and using real-life simulations, you'll learn to locate and analyse resources, pre-empt communications challenges and develop strategies to overcome obstacles to successful interaction.

The course will enrich your knowledge and application of the key models of international communication, information handling and presentation in a range of contexts from the field of public diplomacy to international media, intelligence, business and international NGOs. It will also enhance your competencies in handling information across and between languages and cultures, in various professional settings. You'll have the training and preparation to make significant contributions in your chosen profession.