Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture

at University of York United Kingdom

A BA in Social Policy will enable you to understand the causes of social problems and how societies attempt to solve them, both nationally and internationally. You'll receive a thorough grounding in core social sciences, including sociology, social psychology, politics and economics and use what you learn to explore why making successful policies is so complex, why patterns of inequality persist and what more can be done to address social problems.

Social policy is concerned with promoting the welfare of citizens. Traditionally the subject focused on the ‘big five’ areas of: poverty, health, housing, education and unemployment, but has expanded in recent years to broader social issues and international contexts. Often social policy questions the ways in which services do or do not meet the needs of specific groups, such as children, people with disabilities, women, older people, or members of minority ethnic groups.

On our BA Social Policy course you will receive a broad and balanced introduction to a range of social sciences and training in social research methods. This degree is suited to you if you are interested in the welfare state, the impact of globalisation, social inequalities, the complexities of making successful policies, and what more can be done to solve social problems at home and abroad.

Physics is the study of the fundamental forces of the Universe, understanding the nature of waves and particles, and the structure of matter.

You will develop advanced techniques for researching fundamental physics, scientific principles and methods. You'll investigate subjects like nanosystems, semiconductors, fusion plasmas, biophysics, and quantum computing.

You'll learn to analyse real-life problems, write scientific reports, communicate complex concepts, and design and perform experiments.

Work with world-renowned physicists with access to unique facilities like our Astrocampus and the York Plasma Institute giving you unprecedented opportunities to observe and experiment, helping you develop skills essential for higher-level research.

This course is designed for you if you possess a strong background principally in computer science, design, or information technology and want to gain expertise and industry relevant practical skills in iterative, user-centred approaches for designing positive user experiences (UX) with interactive technology.

The course emphasises design that is driven from a deep understanding of users, through the use of qualitative and quantitative research techniques drawn from the diverse fields of cognitive psychology, computer science, sociology and beyond. You will gain expertise and skills in eliciting and analysing the goals of potential users, designing usable and inclusive user journeys, and evaluating the quality of user experiences with interactive technologies: all skills in demand in modern, UX related careers or in postgraduate study.

The course is also suitable if you are seeking to develop a more research-based career, as it provides breadth in an expanding and thriving research field, and the opportunity to specialise in particular areas through an independent research project.

In studying linguistics you will be learning the science behind how we communicate. You’ll engage with the study of language on a conceptual level as well as the detailed level of raw linguistic data. You'll study syntax, semantics, phonetics, phonology and sociolinguistics, taught by world-leading academics whose expertise covers a range of areas of linguistics.

The combination of theory and practice will stimulate your critical thinking skills, foster your originality, and enable you to become a uniquely skilled analytical thinker and problem-solver. Your knowledge and understanding of how a language works, and how we communicate, will give you a solid foundation for many careers.  This flexible course gives you opportunities to customise your studies from the second year onwards.

Art law is an exciting and fast-developing area, tackling issues surrounding the legal treatment of fine art and cultural heritage. Our LLM in Art Law is a unique collaborative and interdisciplinary course, co-taught by academic specialists from York Law School and the Department of History of Art.

You'll gain a deep understanding of the complex legal, artistic, social and ethical issues in the art world and learn essential skills of analysis and negotiation.

A wide range of networking opportunities and masterclasses - in addition to a compulsory field trip - means you'll gain practical, in-depth knowledge of the field, invaluable for careers in the trade or further academic study.

Cyber security covers concepts, policies, guidelines, tools and technologies used to protect the cyber environment, organisational assets and users.

Our integrated Masters helps you develop as a multi-skilled, highly competent practitioner. The course provides a solid foundation in computer science and cyber security, including coding, mathematics and basic engineering.

You will then undertake advanced training, informed by our world-class research, in topics such as secure systems, cryptography and forensic analysis, gaining a solid theoretical foundation to take full advantage of emerging new technologies.

You'll spend a year in industry, furthering your knowledge, networking and getting real-life experience.

On graduation, you’ll be prepared for a career in cyber security or related fields across industry and government.

Combining practical workshops with seminar explorations and discussions, you'll focus on your work as an active theatre-maker, and will learn the critical and interpretative skills needed to map and analyse the processes of theatre-making at an ambitious level. You'll have full use of our industry-standard rehearsal and production facilities for creative investigation of plays and performance texts, and to develop your own work. You'll benefit from contact with leading theatre-makers through theatre projects, masterclasses, lectures and workshops.

You'll acquire the necessary skills for a future in professional theatre or in related areas such as film and television, arts administration, journalism, publishing, education or further study. Our students and graduates have an enviable range of achievements and we're also proud of our links to industry.

The primary way we experience the music we enjoy and find fascinating, whether it was written centuries ago or released just last week, is through sound recording.
Capturing music to a professional standard requires a combination of technical and musical expertise. A successful career in music production demands practical, engineering and scientific knowledge of the recording process, as well as a deep understanding of music creativity, practice, and entrepreneurship.

This course acknowledges that music and production are no longer separate activities. At its heart is a contemporary view of music production and associated audio professions that recognises the dramatic and ongoing changes in the recording and media industries in recent years. You'll have an opportunity to create an individual set of intellectual, technical and creative skills from a core programme of artistic and technical development.

You'll cover a range of production technologies and techniques aligned to a wide variety of music including popular, rock, electronic, classical, contemporary, and non-western music. You will study audio engineering and music technology subjects, gain practical recording experience, and engage with music theory and practice.

Environmental geography focuses on the physical environment and its effect on humans.

Understanding the integration of physical and environmental geography has never been more important than it is today to address the environmental challenges facing the world.

This course covers aspects of physical geography such as sea level change, glacial and coastal environments and environmental hazards. It also covers other areas of environmental geography such as biogeography, Geographical Information Systems and sustainability. You'll have opportunities to study the human impacts on the environment through the study of natural resource management, environmental law and policy and environmental economics.

Architecture is fundamental to human survival and living in the world. You'll investigate the exact nature of our relationship with art and architecture, which has been much disputed by architectural historians and theorists. At York we enable you to explore the most exciting and cutting-edge, as well as traditional and accepted, ideas and theories around art and architecture.

Our flexible course has exceptional historical and geographical breadth and depth. You’ll learn to read architecture critically, and to think about it beyond the study of individual buildings. We encourage you to engage with architecture as metaphor, and with interiors, exteriors, materials and materiality, urbanism, patronage, and design process. You’ll explore the relationships between architecture and power, religion, gender and sexuality, education, and imperialism.