Liberal arts Undergraduate

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Liberal arts

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bristol.ac.uk/ug-study

Liberal arts combines in-depth study of a single discipline with interdisciplinary exploration of other subjects.

The Faculty of Arts at Bristol is home to world leading researchers who are also passionately committed to the ideals of liberal education. It is a place where an interdisciplinary outlook comes naturally and is practised on a daily basis. Our liberal arts courses aim to capture the best of Bristol’s education and research, and make it available in an innovative and intellectually adventurous environment.

You will be encouraged and expected, with appropriate guidance, to take responsibility for your own curriculum, making connections between units. In year one, you will have flexibility of choice to discover new subjects. Your studies will also benefit from the many opportunities afforded by the rich cultural life of the University and the city of Bristol.

93%

_{of students agree staff are good}

at explaining things

(National Student Survey 2014)

Jemima

Third year BA History

Why study liberal arts at Bristol?

Helen

Fourth year BA French and Russian

My degree course has given me

invaluable skills in research, independent

analysis, time management and

communication. The staff are open and

easy to talk to if you approach them with

any work or personal issues.

Personal tutors and lecturers most often

know you and your work quite well so

this helps you feel supported. They

also provide good feedback on work

submitted to help you strive to improve

in the future.

You can choose from either a three-year BA or an integrated, four-year Master’s degree with study abroad (MLibArts). Each course brings with it its own advantages and distinctiveness.

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Guidance and assessment

You will receive personal guidance throughout the course, particularly with respect to the choice of options and the development of a coherent academic agenda. If you study abroad you will receive advice from both Bristol and the partner institution in selecting units of study which will develop and extend your knowledge and skills. It is anticipated that the yearly cohorts will develop a strong sense of identity and mutual support, fostered through the core units, group meetings and activities.

Assessment will be varied and closely tailored to the learning objectives of units. In addition to traditional essays and examinations, projects, presentations, portfolios, peer review exercises and online contributions are some of the alternative modes of assessment.

Single Honours courses

BA Liberal Arts, three years 2ZB7 MLibArts Liberal Arts with study abroad,

four years 2T23

In the first two years you will take a combination of liberal arts core units and a choice of optional units taken from the full range of disciplines offered within the Faculty of Arts:

bristol.ac.uk/arts/about/schools.

The core units are Critical Writing in the Humanities; Reading the Past; Experiencing the Aesthetic; and Ideas and Society. These units introduce key concepts, skills and methods within the humanities through the study of classic texts, seminal ideas and overarching themes. You will be required to take a unit – Arts Students Count – intended to develop your quantitative skills, and to begin, or continue, your studies in either an ancient or a modern language.

In your first year, optional units will allow you to explore new areas, and to lay a foundation for the choice of subject pathway at the end of the year. The subject pathway will be one of the disciplines taught by a department in the Faculty of Arts.

What will I study?

There is also a cross-departmental pathway in Medieval Studies. At least one quarter of your credit points are taken in the pathway. Students who choose to do the three-year BA Liberal Arts will spend their final year in Bristol, where one of their required units will be The Public Role of the Humanities (available as an option in MLibArts). Those who choose the four-year Master’s in Liberal Arts (MLibArts) will spend their third year abroad, subject to satisfactory academic progress. In the final year, students earn two-third of the required credits by choosing a combination of units from their subject pathway and other options. The remaining credits will be gained through the completion of a dissertation in a topic of your choice. Particularly, but not exclusively, in this year there will be possibilities to work with external partners, combining such experience with academic assessment.

Throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on forging links, developing skills and taking responsibility. You will be encouraged to take advantage of the many cultural and intellectual activities offered across the University by incorporating them into your assessed work.

86%

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enthusiastic about what they

are teaching

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bristol.ac.uk/ug-study bristol.ac.uk/ug-study

Our liberal arts degrees offer high academic standards, strong disciplinary grounding, interdisciplinary breadth, innovative methods and emphasis on engagement beyond the University. You will gain an enviable combination of knowledge, understanding and skills.

In the city of Bristol alone, the liberal arts degrees have the enthusiastic endorsement of a variety of employers, business and cultural agencies. Possible careers include business and commerce, law, teaching, journalism, culture and heritage, or the civil service. The BA Liberal Arts will provide a platform for application to a Master’s degree, while the Master’s in Liberal Arts will satisfy the M-level requirement for admission to a PhD programme.

What are my career prospects?

Making your application

Further information

For more information about liberal arts at Bristol, visit: bristol.ac.uk/arts/courses/ undergraduate/liberal-arts.

Typical offer for BA/MLibArts Liberal Arts*

Visit bristol.ac.uk/ug16-liberalarts for

other qualifications

A-levels A*AA (contextual AAB†_{) including at}

least two subjects taught by the University’s Faculty of Arts

IB Diploma 38 overall (contextual 34†_{) to include}

18 points at higher level with 6, 6 in two subjects taught by the University’s Faculty of Arts

English Language Profile A††

GCSEs Grade C in English language

and Mathematics

†_{For information on contextual offers, visit}

bristol.ac.uk/ug-apply/#typical-contextual-offers

††_{For details of English language profiles, visit}

bristol.ac.uk/ug-language-requirements

Selection UCAS or Common Application. We

may interview mature applicants and applicants with non-standard qualifications

Deferred entry Considered

*The typical offer is indicative only and is correct at the time of printing (June 2015). The University reserves the right to vary its entry requirements. For the most up-to-date information, visit

bristol.ac.uk/ug-study.

Bristol

is one of the UK’s most targeted

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Contacts

Undergraduate Admissions Office Tel +44 (0)117 394 1636 Fax +44 (0)117 331 7391 Email arts-ug-admissions@bristol.ac.uk Accommodation Office Tel +44 (0)117 954 6640 Email accom-office@bristol.ac.uk bristol.ac.uk/accommodation Disability Services Tel +44 (0)117 331 0444 Email disability-services@bristol.ac.uk bristol.ac.uk/disability-services International Advice and Support Tel +44 (0)117 331 8572

Email os-as@bristol.ac.uk bristol.ac.uk/international-office Student Funding Office Tel +44 (0)117 331 7972

Email student-funding@bristol.ac.uk bristol.ac.uk/fees-funding

University guide to the city of Bristol

bristol.ac.uk/citybristol

Undergraduate study website

@ChooseBristolUG

bristol.ac.uk/vip UniversityofBristol

The information contained in this leaflet is correct at the time of printing (June 2015). Courses and facilities are liable to alter or be withdrawn at the University’s discretion.