Master of Arts in English Literature - (Modern and Contemporary Fictions)

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

Choose Sociology at the University of Westminster and you'll never think about society in the same way again. Studying with us means engaging with a dynamic 21st-century subject and exploring current social issues and debates, using the latest research methods.

Investigating the nature of societal structures and their impact on people's everyday lives and interactions is central to the course. You'll consider questions of how power is exercised and normalised at all levels of society, from the state to individual emotions, through explorations of social class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and other factors. You'll gain a sensitive understanding of diversity as well as a keen self-awareness and ability to make sense of your own social location in terms of identities, cultures, beliefs and values.

You'll be taught by active researchers, whose innovative books and articles are helping to set the global sociological agenda. The course makes full use of the amazing resources our central London location provides, from the museums on our doorstep to street-art field trips and the diverse cultures and subcultures that will inform and inspire your own research.

Drawing on cutting-edge research, this is a course that will put you at the forefront of contemporary sociological thinking and practice. Our students graduate with the knowledge and expertise that gives them a competitive advantage in a range of people-centred careers, including the charitable and NGO sector, education, government, journalism and media, management, social work, and academic research.

Top reasons to study with us

• Consistently high levels of student satisfaction – our award-winning teaching team provide fantastic levels of student support, evidenced by our 100% student satisfaction rate
• Inspiring learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom – our central London location provides unique opportunities to explore contemporary social and cultural life, including creative classroom activities, film screenings, external speakers, street-based explorations and visits to museums and galleries
• An inclusive and diverse curriculum engaged with issues of social justice – students of diverse faith backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures and genders come to work together to challenge inequality and explore some of the most important social and cultural questions in the world today

The Professional Writing 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.

Professional Writing 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.

On the course you'll examine the changing role of professional writing through historical and theoretical debates and examples of contemporary professional practice across languages. From the story of the book to multimedia journalism, your modules will allow you to develop your skills and interests in a range of relevant professional contexts. You'll be taught through seminars, one-to-one and small group tutorials, practical sessions and workshops, together with independent, student-directed study where you'll develop your own project or special topic with the help of an expert mentor. You'll work with academics, practitioners and industry professionals to gain an understanding of vocational issues, practices and concerns, and will build up a network of contacts and connections within your chosen industries.

Our Spanish 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 Spanish 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 Spanish, proficiency in language transfer skills, and a thorough knowledge of Spanish 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.

Between Years 2 and 3, you'll have the opportunity to spend a full academic year abroad at one of our partner institutions, or undertake an approved form of employment in a country where Spanish is the official language. You may 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. 

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

Our International Relations and Development BA focuses on international development and the challenges associated with political and economic change in the international system.

The course considers the relationships between the Global North and South, examining how colonialism and capitalism have shaped our contemporary world. You'll explore global poverty and inequality and the impact of globalisation on different parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, China, India, Central Asia and Latin America.

The course provides a theoretical framework for understanding the international distribution of power at the global, regional and national levels, and we aim to enthuse and inspire you by building close links to government bodies and the policy world. A degree in International Relations and Development will prepare you for professional life in a range of sectors, including the Civil Service, media, public policy, NGOs, teaching and further research.

On this course, you'll have the opportunity to spend one optional year abroad, where you can complete a work or volunteering placement, undertake a year of study at one of our partner universities, or a combination of the two. The year abroad provides a valuable opportunity to boost employability, enhance language skills and build international experience, something which is highly valued by employers. It also encourages intercultural awareness and capability, qualities of self-reliance and other skills which will further enable you to become a mobile and transnational citizen.

Top reasons to study with us

• A global environment – we are one of the most diverse universities in the country, and London is a vibrant, global city
• Supportive staff and student satisfaction – our student satisfaction rate is over 90%, and we do everything we can to ensure our students get the most from studying with us. (Source: Discover Uni – site accessed in December 2020)
• International experience – the course includes a year studying, working or volunteering abroad
• Development theories and practice in a real-world environment – overseas field trips give students real experience of global development

Our course provides you with the foundation subjects required to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree, along with an exciting and dynamic educational experience, which includes the opportunity to spend a year studying at one of our partner universities in France.

Law is an interesting and challenging discipline, which impacts at every level, from people's individual daily lives to the operations of Government on the international stage.

Increasingly, the international dimension to legal study has become more important, across a wide range of legal areas, as the influence of the European Union and international organisations have become so significant.

Our course enables you to gain invaluable experience of another legal culture while acquiring knowledge of its legal language and legal system. It will also equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

When you apply, you'll need to demonstrate a good working knowledge of French to ensure you're able to study in France. You'll spend the third year of your degree at a French partner university and study law in French.

Top reasons to study with us

• Gain international experience – You'll have the opportunity to live and study abroad with one of our French partner universities, gaining invaluable international experience and developing your French legal language as a part of your studies
• Practise in a real-world environment – As part of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your legal skills at the Westminster Law School Legal Advice Clinic
• Expand your network – Introduce yourself to the legal profession by taking part in our Legal Skills Academy, attending employer-led workshops and visiting the London Law Fair
• Specialise in your area of interest – Alongside our core professional modules, you can specialise in Entertainment/Media Law, Commercial Law, International Law, Theory and Human Rights, Criminal Law and Justice, or Welfare Law
• Be inspired by our graduates – Many of our alumni are now student mentors and regular contributors to the Legal Skills Academy

This course looks at the way that museums, galleries and other cultural institutions are changing to meet the needs of the 21st century. The MA has been designed for students who wish to work as curators, arts organisers, museum professional and other cultural managers and who want to know in particular how these institutions face contemporary issues. It looks at the changing role of cultural provision and how agencies, festivals and flexible organisations shape, house, fund, and disseminate culture today. The course also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the contemporary debates about working practices in cultural institutions, and the changing context in which organisations operate.

The course concentrates on professional practice and you will work closely with institutions such as Tate Britain and the Museum of London, and conduct case studies into creative projects run by organisations as diverse as the Victoria and Albert Museum, smaller independent galleries and London-based festivals and arts organisations. Classes are taught off-site at other institutions, and involve professionals from the sector as much as possible to give you an understanding of vocational issues and a close involvement in the workplace.

Law is an interesting and challenging discipline that impacts at every level, from people's individual daily lives to the operations of government on the international stage. Increasingly the international dimension to legal study has become more important, across a wide range of legal areas, as the influence of European and international organisations has become so significant.

The Law LLB Honours offers you an exciting and dynamic educational experience, while also providing you with the core subjects required by the professional legal bodies. The legal profession requires graduates to possess both intellectual and practical skills, and the course explicitly addresses these requirements with a structured programme of skills development. It will equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

You can also add an international dimension to your studies through a further year of law study abroad in one of the School's partner institutions in Europe and overseas.

Top reasons to study with us

• Practise in a real-world environment – as part of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your legal skills at the Westminster Law School Legal Advice Clinic
• Develop mastery of an area of the law with subject streams developed by our research-led experts – you can specialise in entertainment and media law, commercial law, international law, theory and human rights law, criminal law and justice, or welfare law
• An international outlook – the Law LLB has several international law options, the chance to study abroad, the option to learn a foreign language alongside your studies and is supported by our International and European Student Law Societies
• Boost your employability – skills and work-based learning modules are available in every year of the course
• Personalise your learning – with a vast range of optional modules to choose from

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 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 Arabic and English Literature BA will help you to become a competent linguist ready to enter graduate employment. The course places particular emphasis on employability and the contemporary cultural context of Arabic and offers high-quality teaching in all language skills, alongside an in-depth exploration of English literature.

On the course, you'll develop linguistic competence in speaking, writing, reading and listening in Arabic and you'll develop your knowledge and understanding of literary and cultural studies.

You'll study an integrated curriculum with a focus on applied language skills and cultural studies, supported by a rigorous development of your foreign language skills. You'll develop a high level of competence in Arabic, proficiency in language transfer skills, a thorough knowledge of Arabic culture, and the ability to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

In English Literature, you'll have the opportunity to examine literary and non-literary works of all periods from Shakespeare to the present day, taking in a wide range of authors and themes, with full and balanced coverage of dramatic, poetic and prose works.

You'll consider the wider historical and political contexts in which cultural and literary works have been produced and received, and relate the works both to intellectual history and to work in other arts and media, such as architecture and the visual arts. You'll also have the opportunity to consider the theoretical tools of textual, cultural and literary analysis in detail.

You'll have the opportunity to spend an academic year abroad at a partner institution and/or, depending on your language level, in an approved form of employment in a country where Arabic is the official language. A year abroad will not only improve your language skills but also contribute to your employability, encourage intercultural awareness, and build confidence.

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.