Offer Holders
A message from our Director of Admissions
Dr Kim Lockwood-Clough
I've been incredibly privileged to read your applications and I have been astounded with the breadth of experiences, passions, and achievements all of you will bring to us. We thought about you as we developed new modules and adapted the existing ones. I thought about how you, with your unique skills and interests, might contribute to our perpetually-evolving understanding of Problem-Based Learning at Warwick. When we sent out your offer, we celebrated your success not just because we felt we had got to know you, but also because we are so excited to see everything that the application process couldn't reveal. But most of all, we're so thrilled because we know that you belong here.
Liberal Arts at Warwick is a close-knit group of faculty and students, and we know how important it is to ensure that we don't just accept students with high marks. Rather, our students represent the most ambitious, energetic, independent, and creative university entrants, eager to work collaboratively to continually reshape the programme for themselves and subsequent generations of Liberal Arts students. You will be the ambassadors of this degree - a degree that means so much to us, the Liberal Arts Department - and we have every confidence in your ability to make this experience something truly special for all of us.
I know that this can be a stressful time, especially as you weigh up various course offers and try to imagine the routes your life can take. We want to encourage you to take risks, to dream big, and to make your decision out of hope and determination, not stress or anxiety. If you have any questions, big or small, or you just want to have a chat, please don't hesitate to drop us an email: LiberalArts at warwick dot ac dot uk.
Welcome to the Liberal Arts at Warwick community; we can't wait to see you in September."
Tips for offer holders
"Definitely check out the first-year modules ahead of time, so you can familiarise yourself with what you're going to be learning. You can maybe get ahead of everyone if you want to check out the books that are recommended. I'd really recommend knowing what you're getting into."
Getting to know us
Emails
We regularly get in touch with our offer holders via email. If you are an offer holder and you haven't received any emails from us, please get in touch with us and we will look into this for you.
Offer Holder Open Days
Our Offer Holder Open Days are designed to help you get to know our department and give you a taste of life at Warwick. Booking is by email invitation only.
"What set Warwick apart for me was the immense enthusiasm of the course director and lecturers at the Open Day. I strongly recommend going to Offer Holder Open Days too, in order to gain a fuller picture of both the course and the university."
Adrian
Liberal Arts Graduate
Find out more about Offer Holder Open Days.
One-to-one chat with a tutor (virtual)
We're very happy to arrange a one-to-one chat with you via Microsoft Teams. During this chat you will be able to speak to a member of staff in the Liberal Arts Department. This will be a great opportunity to help us get to know you and your interests. Whether you are interested in sustainability, social justice, film, economics, history (the list goes on!), we would love to speak to you about where your interests lie and how we can help you design a degree around your passions. Your parents or carers are very welcome to join the one-to-one chat too.
You can book a one-to-one chat with us by sending us an email.
Live chats
Our offer holder live chats are a chance to speak directly to staff and students from the Liberal Arts Department. Please keep an eye on your emails for invites to our offer holder live chats.
What happens next?
1. Understand your offer
Make sure you take the time to understand all of the terms and conditions of your offer and check that you are registered for the exams that you will require to meet these. Find out more about what your offer means here.
2. Respond to your offer
Once all the courses you have applied for have responded, you will be asked to make a decision about which course will be your firm offer, and UCAS will inform you of the deadline by which you need to respond with your choice. For more information about responding to your offer, please see here.3. Apply for accommodation
Once you have responded to UCAS and placed Warwick as either your firm or insurance choice, you will be able to apply for accommodation.
4. Results day 🎉
If you are holding a conditional offer with us and you have placed us as your firm choice, you will be guaranteed a place if you meet the conditions of your offer. For more information about receiving your results, please see here.
5. Welcome Week
During Welcome Week, you'll be registering for modules, familiarising yourself with university life, and meeting new friends! Find out what's ahead on our Liberal Arts Welcome pages (these pages are usually updated at the start of September).
Our recommended texts
Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Paulo Freire
Doughnut Economics
Kate Raworth
Tara Westover
Please be aware that this book features extended and graphic descriptions of domestic violence.
Essential Readings in Problem-based Learning
The Battle of the Classics
Games: Agency as Art
C. Thi Nguyen
Recommended by: Dr Gavin Schwartz-Leeper
"This book helps us think about why games matter and why they can help us rethink the beauty of our own reasoning and actions in the real world. It links nicely with some of the Problem-Based Learning approaches we use in the department, and it strikes a balance between interdisciplinary learning and engaged citizenship (two pillars of Liberal Arts learning)."
Frail Happiness: An Essay on Rousseau
Tzvetan Todorov
Recommended by: Dr William Rupp
"The text offers an interesting example of what wide-ranging social philosophy can offer and connects to some of the fundamental questions we might ask as Liberal Arts scholars. For example: How might we develop individual critical thinking to become engaged citizens? How might we define 'good' citizenship? What does it mean to live a 'good' life?"
In Defense of a Liberal Education
Fareed Zakaria
Recommended by: Dr Bryan Brazeau
"This short book provides an excellent overview of the history of Liberal Arts, the tradition of liberal education from the middle ages to present day, and how Liberal Arts is being reinvented to face the pressing challenges of the twenty-first century."
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
Cathy O'Neil
Recommended by: Dr Gavin Schwartz-Leeper
"This book does an amazing job of showing how uncritical use of quantitative data can actually be dangerous. These are incredibly useful tools, but we need to think critically about the stories and narratives that build up around, for example, the collection of big data and its use by artificial intelligence researchers, social media platforms, or governments. Weapons of Math Destruction highlights some of these issues in a really accessible way."
The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy: Skills for a Changing World
Edited by Arran Stibbe
Recommended by: Arya, Liberal Arts Graduate
"This is a handbook of Sustainable Literacy. I have chosen it because it takes many different approaches to sustainability and encourages the reader to consider sustainability from a variety of perspectives. It really fits well into the transdisciplinary approach. There are a wide variety of articles in this handbook and I think they are very easy to understand and follow as well as a good indicator of what to expect from the second-year core module, Sustainability."
How to Watch Television
Edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell
Recommended by: Emily, Liberal Arts Graduate
"I think this book gives a great overview of how to look at popular culture more critically - the ideas are really interesting but it's an easy read. There's one chapter on music which was of particular interest to me, but each chapter deals with different concepts and different TV series so I'm sure there'll be something in there for everyone!"
The Lonely City
Olivia Laing
Recommended by: Kornelia, Liberal Arts Graduate
"I found out about Olivia Laing through the Underworlds module when we were discussing alcoholism and addictions as personal underworlds, and it led me to exploring more of her works. The Lonely City really spoke to me as it grapples with the concept of loneliness through the eyes of four artists living in New York, including Andy Warhol. These explorations are intermixed with Laing’s own experience of loneliness in the city. I found it an enlightening read."
After Hours
The Weeknd
Recommended by: Cymroan, Liberal Arts Graduate
"Listen to the Weeknd’s After Hours album. This was not an assigned text, but I chose this for my research project for the Utopias module final assessment. I wanted to explore music as an expression of utopia (mainly escapism, and escapism as a form of utopia)."
Videos
Spotlight on our academics
In this video our former blogger and now graduate, Olamide, interviews staff in the Liberal Arts Department. Find out about our teaching approach, modules, and research interests. Please note, we have made exciting changes to our course structure and routes/pathways since this interview was recorded. Please visit our course page for the most up-to-date information for 2023 entry.
Two must reads for people curious about Liberal Arts
In this 'Books for Thought' episode, Allison Trulli interviews Dr Bryan Brazeau, Associate Professor in Liberal Arts. They discuss two books in the Liberal Arts field that for sure you will want to read. Please note, we have made exciting changes to our course structure and routes/pathways since this interview was recorded. Please visit our course page for the most up-to-date information for 2023 entry.
The value of a Liberal Arts education in an ever-changing world
Hear from international affairs journalist, Fareed Zakaria, about the value of a liberal arts education in an ever-changing world.
Reconceptualizing the Value of Liberal Arts Education
What is the current state of liberal arts education, and what is its place in society? David Banash discusses the need to reform the way we think about a liberal arts education in today’s world.
Article
Schools of Athens: Liberal Arts and Global Challenges
Dr Bryan Brazeau offers his perspective on Liberal Arts, based on his background in classical culture during the Italian Renaissance.
Podcast
Global Challenges podcast
Staff and students in the School for Cross-faculty Studies delve into some of the critical global challenges facing today's world.
Podcast episode
Dr Bryan Brazeau on the immeasurable value of a Liberal Arts degree
Dr Bryan Brazeau has answers and questions for those considering a Liberal Arts degree.
Getting ready for Year One
Core modules
It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the core Liberal Arts modules you'll be studying in your first year.
Professional development certificates
Work placements
We encourage you to engage with work placements from the start of your degree. We have a dedicated Employability and Placement Manager who’ll provide you with one-to-one careers guidance. They work in collaboration with employers, so you’ll be supported in securing appropriate work placements. You’ll have access to specialist pre-placement advice, guidance and preparation, as well as ongoing support during your placement
Are we right for you?
It's important that you have all the information you need to decide if Liberal Arts at Warwick is right for you. To help you make that decision, you may want to remind yourself of the key details about the course.
Contacts
Email: LiberalArts at warwick dot ac dot uk
Facebook: Warwick Liberal Arts
Twitter: @WarwickLibArts