Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Our new BA Arts and Humanities gives you the opportunity to explore critical questions relating to how the arts and humanities contribute to our understanding of the world’s most significant challenges and opportunities. You will examine how they can be harnessed to respond to and intervene in these conditions to produce positive change.<br/><br/>**Why choose this course?**<br/><br/><br/>- It has a unique challenge, solutions and careers-based focus.<br/><br/><br/>- Its challenge-focused approach means that you will examine the major forces shaping the contemporary world, including AI and new technologies, climate, health and wellbeing.<br/><br/><br/>- A solutions-focused approach then helps you learn how the arts and humanities offer imaginative responses and impactful solutions to these contemporary challenges.<br/><br/><br/>- The courses offers you the chance to develop a wide range of skills to prepare you for the workplace and your future career, including via an optional work placement and modules to develop your transferable skills.<br/><br/><br/>**What you will learn**<br/><br/>Through the critical lenses and practical approaches offered by disciplines like art history, the creative arts, English, languages, cultural studies, media, journalism, philosophy and history, you will learn about:<br/><br/><br/>- the historical forces that have shaped today’s world<br/><br/><br/>- how contemporary challenges have emerged<br/><br/><br/>- how and why these challenges are experienced differently by different people.<br/><br/><br/>You will consider, for example, how climate change, new technologies and global health challenges shape who we are, how we live and what our future will look like. You will also explore the many different ways we communicate with each other about issues that concern us and how we might think about them in new and productive ways.<br/><br/>Throughout this course you will develop core skills to boost your employability in the world of arts and humanities and learn how they will prepare you for a career after your studies.<br/><br/>**How you will learn**<br/><br/>You will be taught on this course through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops supported by digital content and guest visits. You will also be required to participate in field trips, including to museums, exhibitions and the theatre, and may opt to take a work placement as one of your Employability modules.<br/><br/>This course is available to study full- or part-time. **It has a daytime timetable with classes normally taking place in the afternoon**, though some modules will also be offered in the evening.<br/><br/>**Foundation Year**<br/><br/>If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didnt achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. <br/><br/>**Highlights**<br/><br/><br/>- Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.<br/><br/><br/>- Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.<br/><br/><br/>- You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space.<br/><br/><br/>**Careers and employability**<br/><br/>On successfully graduating from this BA Arts and Humanities, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including in: <br/><br/><br/>- written and oral communication<br/><br/><br/>- problem-solving<br/><br/><br/>- critical reflection<br/><br/><br/>- collaborative working<br/><br/><br/>- digital and media-handling<br/><br/><br/>- creativity.<br/><br/><br/>Graduates from the arts and humanities at Birkbeck have gone on to apply their skills in career paths across a range of roles and sectors, including in:<br/><br/><br/>- TV production companies<br/><br/><br/>- museums<br/><br/><br/>- the charity sector<br/><br/><br/>- education<br/><br/><br/>- government departments.<br/>