Course overview

In Liberal Arts at Warwick, we encourage you to think for yourself as you work alongside our expert tutors. You'll explore the historical and cultural basis of problems, engage with complex and multi-faceted ideas, and design innovative forward-thinking solutions. With our focus on independent research and transdisciplinary approaches, this course is for the most ambitious, energetic, and self-driven students.

Our degree features core modules built around some of the world’s most challenging scenarios. You’ll learn how to analyse a range of issues from a variety of perspectives, using different analytical methods to investigate and evaluate evidence and solutions. All our core modules are delivered using our Problem-Based Learning approach.

We also believe that the skills you'll acquire are as important as your course content. You'll have the opportunity to complete certificates and undertake work placements. These experiences will help you develop and hone relevant professional skills, giving you the edge when it comes to your employability.

If you want to broaden your perspective by studying overseas we can support you to apply for a year's study abroad. You’ll also have the option to complete a year-long work placement. Students are automatically enrolled on the three-year course, however you have the option to change to a four-year course with an intercalated year in the third year. The intercalated year spent studying abroad or on work placement is subject to you meeting departmental academic requirements.

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Course structure

Year One

Core Liberal Arts modules

You’ll study three core Liberal Arts modules worth 75 CATS in total:

• Art and Revolution (30 CATS);
• Science, Society, and the Media (30 CATS); and
• Qualitative Methods for Undergraduate Research (15 CATS).

You’ll also have the opportunity to take the Liberal Arts module Quantitative Methods for Undergraduate Research (15 CATS). This is a core module for our more technical pathways and will act as a prerequisite for more advanced analytical modules.

Alongside your core modules you’ll take a non-credit bearing introductory module, Liberal Arts: Principles and Praxis.

Optional modules

The rest of your workload (45 CATS) will consist of first-year optional modules. These could be from within the Liberal Arts Department or from across the University. Some of the first-year optional modules you'll choose from are 'required core optional modules’. These must be passed to proceed on the specified pathway.

Certificates

We offer a range of unique certificates outside of the curriculum as a way of continuing your professional development. You can find out more about the certificates here.

In your first year you'll have the opportunity to take the Certificate of Digital Literacy and the Certificate of Professional Communication with Work Placement.

Pathway

At the end of your first year you’ll declare a Disciplinary Interest or a Specialist Interest pathway.

Our Specialist Interest pathways are open to your interpretation. You’re free to pursue your interests, whatever they might be. We’ll work with you to help you design a Specialist Interest pathway that meets your needs.

If your passions lie in a particular subject, you could choose to study a Disciplinary Interest pathway. You’ll choose your optional modules exclusively from one of our partner departments.

Please see our pathways pages for more information about pathway options.

Year Two

Core Liberal Arts modules

You’ll study two core Liberal Arts modules totalling 60 CATS (constituting half the workload for the year):

• Consumption (30 CATS); and
• Sustainability: Frameworks, Challenges and Opportunities (30 CATS).

Pathway modules

The remaining half of your workload (60 CATS) is made up of modules from your chosen pathway. Depending on your pathway, you may need to study certain modules to fulfil the pathway requirements. Please note that modules are subject to availability and module offerings change year to year.

Certificates

You’ll have the opportunity to take the Certificate of Coaching Practice and the Certificate of Professional Communication with Work Placement.

Final Year

Core Liberal Arts module

You’ll study one core Liberal Arts module, a dissertation/practical project (30 CATS).

Pathway modules

Your remaining modules (90 CATS) will be from your chosen pathway. Depending on your pathway, you may need to study certain modules to fulfil the pathway requirements. Please note that modules are subject to availability and module offerings change year to year.

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How will I learn?

Liberal Arts modules

In Liberal Arts we use a unique Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. This is where you understand a topic by examining complex problems from a variety of perspectives. These include the social, political, scientific, historic, artistic and cultural. You’ll then develop your own distinctive stance on that problem.

All our core Liberal Arts modules are delivered using PBL workshops. The workshops are defined by student-led research-based inquiry. There are no formal lectures, and you’ll instead spend your time in the classroom debating, framing, and presenting research questions/responses. This is an active learning method that relies on specific student interests. Therefore content (explored through in-depth case studies) changes depending on the student cohort.

Modules from across the University

Your optional modules from across the University may include:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Laboratories

You'll be taught by teachers from different disciplines. Your role will be to bring together these various approaches in a way that makes sense to you.

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Contact hours

Contact time varies depending on your chosen pathway and the modules within your pathway. A Liberal Arts student can typically expect between 8 and 12 contact hours a week including pathway modules. Please note, you may have more than 12 hours depending on your module choices. Module offerings in other departments may involve more or less formal teaching time per week than Liberal Arts modules.

Liberal Arts modules

Core Liberal Arts modules in the first and second year consist of one two hour workshop per week. Much of our teaching takes place over two terms, so most year-long modules have around 44 hours of teaching contact time each. This is supplemented by regular out-of-classroom activities, including film screenings, skills sessions, discussion groups, reading groups, and field trips. In addition, in the first term of your first year you’ll attend ten one-hour sessions as part of an introductory module (Liberal Arts: Principles and Praxis).

Second year core Liberal Arts modules also have between four and six hours of research support/revision. This is in addition to scheduled teaching sessions.

In the final year, the core Liberal Arts dissertation module involves five hours of lectures and 12 supervision sessions across three terms.

Certificates

• The Certificate of Digital Literacy involves attendance at a weekly hour-long workshop for ten weeks of the first term.
• The Certificate of Professional Communication involves 20 workshop hours over a one week period in the third term. This certificate also involves a work placement completed over four weeks in the summer (the work placement can be longer).
• The Certificate of Coaching Practice involves ten workshop hours over five weeks of the second term.

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Class size

Modules in the Liberal Arts Department typically range from 4 to 18 students per class. Most of our core Liberal Arts modules have around 12 to 15 students per class. Students taking pathway modules in other departments may find themselves in more varied class sizes.

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How will I be assessed?

Liberal Arts modules

In Liberal Arts we’ve devised an assessment strategy that allows you to develop your expertise in addressing problems. You'll do so by using a variety of perspectives from the arts, sciences, and social sciences. We’ll teach you to use a range of research methods. This will equip you with a solid foundation from which you can approach problems critically and creatively. Consequently, the range of assessments on this degree combines the traditional (essays and written examinations) with the innovative (creative projects, portfolios and performance).

Our assessments in Liberal Arts are designed to be authentic learning experiences, not barriers to overcome. Few single assessments are worth more than 50% of a module’s total mark. Assessment types vary to support the development of a range of academic and professional skills.

You can find out about assessment methods for individual Liberal Arts modules on our module web pages.

Modules from across the University

The methods of assessment will vary according to the optional modules that you choose from across the University. For example, if you take modules in Life Sciences as part of your pathway, you may undertake laboratory-based assessments.

Weightings

Each year contributes to the final degree classification. For the three-year degree, the ratio is typically 10%:40%:50%. For the four-year intercalated degree, the ratio is typically 10%:40%:0%:50%.

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Study abroad

Although it’s not compulsory to study abroad as part of the Liberal Arts degree, we encourage our students to consider this opportunity.

Our department has exclusive partnerships with specialist Liberal Arts colleges in Europe and Canada:

• Amsterdam University College (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• Concordia University (Montréal, Canada)
• Jacobs University (Bremen, Germany)
• Leiden University College (The Hague, Netherlands)
• Leuphana University, (Lüneburg, Germany)
• University College Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany)

You’re able to spend a full year studying at one of these specialist colleges. This year will not contribute towards the overall grade of your degree, however, it will be recorded on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

In addition to achieving the learning outcomes of the modules which you study whilst abroad, you'll develop knowledge and understanding of the social, political, economic and historical environment in another country through your experience of studying abroad. In particular, you'll gain an appreciation of the approach taken to Liberal Arts education by another leading institution and the cultural context in which it is delivered and understood. Although you'll be taught in English at all our partner institutions, it’s anticipated that through living and studying abroad you'll acquire some foreign language ability.

You may alternatively opt to study abroad at one of the University of Warwick's partner institutions.

For more information about studying abroad please see our Study Abroad web pages.

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Work experience

We encourage you to undertake a work placement as part of your degree. This will enable you to engage in the world of work and learn about the professional environment. It’s an opportunity for you to apply theory to practice, develop skills, learn from industry professionals and explore a future career path.

As part of your degree you’ll have the option to take part in short and long work placements. The two main work placement options are:

1. Intercalated year-long work placement

You’ll complete a four-year degree and your work placement will take place in your third year. The work placement can take place in the UK or globally and after completion you’ll return to Warwick for your final year. This work placement will be recognised on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

2. Short work placement

As part of the Certificate of Professional Communication, you’ll undertake a short four-week work placement during the summer. This work placement will be recognised on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

We really encourage and support our students to engage in as many work experience opportunities as possible. This can be outside of the short work placement attached to the Certificate of Professional Communication and the intercalated year-long work placement.