Liberal Arts BA

Pick two from four Liberal Arts modules. See optional modules for more information.

You are surrounded by stuff. Your stuff is part of who you are.

Stuff helps us create identities. Achieve things. Connect with others.

Stuff can be easy or difficult to use. It can last for a moment or forever.

But stuff has an impact beyond ourselves.

In this module you'll look at objects:

• affect on our habits, values and identities
• design and function
• cost and economics
• ethics and reuse

We'll examine objects large and small, personal and national, ones we keep and ones we trade.

Understanding objects helps us understand ourselves and others - humans are a material species.

Beyond this, if want to address some of the most pressing problems we have in the world today, such as inequality, poverty and sustainability, we have to take stuff seriously.

Population mobility and displacement represents one of the key challenges for the twenty-first century.

Explore different patterns of displacement in a global context and how a range of migrant identities, such as refugees, settlers and internally displaced person's, affect society, politics and economies.

Examine how the causes of mass-displacement and responses to refugees/migrants have differed through time through examples such as decolonisation, civil war, genocide, development and climate change.

Highlight particular patterns of displacement and identity-formation using specific case studies such as India/Pakistan, Israel/Palestine, Rwanda and Islamic State.

Our University is staffed by world-leading researchers. Its home is Nottingham - a large, dynamic, complex city.

On this module you’ll learn from researchers across the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences to address local problems and create innovative solutions for Nottingham’s future.

You might look at issues around:

• democracy and human rights
• sustainability
• transportation
• government and community
• housing and design

You'll work with Natural Science colleagues and students from across the wider university to:

• learn new methods and theories across disciplines
• engage with researchers and local officials
• build solutions to complex problems
• apply your knowledge and see the difference you can make

This is why we do Liberal Arts. To think differently and solve problems!

Watch Prof Ross Wilson's introduce this module.

This module is worth 20 credits.

We are increasingly encouraged to think of ourselves as inhabiting the Anthropocene – an era in which our environment has been defined by the activities of human beings.

Our ideas and habits of creative and descriptive representation of the non-human world shape our interactions and engagements with it, in work, education, and leisure. But with the looming threat of the current ecological crisis, we need to reconsider how human life and society impact ecology and the biosphere.

This module will provide you with an understanding of how the resources and perspectives of arts and humanities disciplines can contribute to changing behaviours.

You will develop an awareness of how the environmental humanities can and should form a constructive and critical partnership with the sciences and technology in understanding and meeting the challenges of the ecological crisis.

Topics covered may include:

• Philosophical and religious conceptions of the ‘natural’ and the ‘supernatural’.
• Environmental ethics
• Critical investigation of terminology, e.g., ‘anthropocene’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘biodiversity’
• Perspectives on the history of the representation of the natural world in visual and literary arts
• Engagements with the non-human in labour, leisure, education, and health
• Health and well-being – investigating the ‘The Nature Cure’ for mental and physical well-being
• The politics of access – access to land, public land, resources, materials

From political protest, multiculturalism and global relations, to debating the removal of statues and monuments, American and Canadian Studies tackles themes through the lenses of two international powerhouses.

Indicative modules

The US and the World in the American Century: US Foreign Policy, 1898-2008

Through historical and political analyses of US foreign relations, you’ll examine themes which have shaped America's increasing influence in global affairs. These may include; traditional political and diplomatic issues, the link between foreign and domestic policies, and the role of foreign actors and private organisations. 

The American Pop Century

You’ll explore not only the major genres of 20th Centre American popular music, but also the artistic, cultural and political issues they raise. 

American Radicalism

Discover the power of the ordinary man, political equality, and the value of civil liberties. We’ll start with the American Revolution and plot our way through the abolitionists, feminism, farmer populism, utopian socialism, anarchism, Black Power militancy, the gay liberation movement, and resistance to corporate globalisation. 

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other American and Canadian studies modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see American and Canadian Studies (Study Abroad) BA degree.

Explore the past and its role in today’s world: from prehistoric cultures through ancient Greece and Rome, to the Industrial Revolution and beyond.

Indicative modules

Communicating the Past

Your aim in this module is to communicate a topic to the general public. How you choose to do that is entirely up to you, whether that be through written work, articles for a magazine, web, a video or even a phone app. 

Archaeology: Theory and Practice

You will focus on the relationship between concepts, interpretive approaches and analytical frameworks in the design and implementation of archaeological research projects.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other classics and archaeology modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Classics BA or Archaeology BA degrees.

Explore formal and informal education through a variety of disciplines such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, history and politics. These modules will help you challenge established educational practices and debate issues such as social justice in education, inclusion, alternative education, and education and mental health.

Indicative modules

Education Beyond Borders

Examine education theory and policy debates beyond the UK. You’ll study three main strands: 1) Major accounts regarding the purpose of education 2) The increasingly transnational nature of education policymaking, and 3) considering critiques of these globalising trends through case studies.

Curriculum and the Politics of Knowledge

We’ll attempt to answer some big questions: What should be taught? Why emphasise some knowledges and not others? Who decides? How do learners experience the curriculum? And how does assessment influence this?

Learning in the digital future

We’ll consider how digital technologies are changing the way people learn, as well as how they play, make friends, qualify in a field, gain employment and participate in the world around them.

Understanding Counselling in Education

Gain an understanding and look at how we can support young people’s emotional development in an educational setting. You will look at your own experience in education; consider various theories of child theory including attachment theory and attachment styles and focus on using creative methods to help children explore their emotions.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other education modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Education BA degrees.

At Nottingham, we go beyond your love of books. Our huge choice of optional modules in everything from Vikings to drama mean you can discover new passions, explore what you already love, and tailor your degree to what interests you the most.

Indicative modules

Modern and Contemporary Literature

Explore the astonishing transformations and innovations of literature in the 20th and 21st centuries. Moving between genres, the module unfolds chronologically from modernism, through the inter-war years, and into postmodernism and contemporary writing.

Twentieth-Century Plays

Theatre makers in the long 20th century have been dealing with a series of pressing artistic and social issues, many of which still concern us today. What makes a play worth watching? Why do audiences enjoy watching bad things happening? How are minority groups represented on stage?

Ice and Fire: Myths and Heroes of the North

Odin, Thor and Loki: where do their stories come from? In this module, we learn about the origins of their myths from images on stone and wood in the Viking Age, as well as the written texts of the Middle Ages.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other English modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our English BA degree.

We are updating our Film and Screen Studies indicative modules for 2025 entry. Please check back soon. 

Dive into current hot topics like climate change, globalisation, and our relationship with the earth whilst gaining skills to analyse data related to the world in which we live.

Indicative modules

Urban Geography

Examine the social, economic, cultural and historical geographies of cities to understand the importance of urban geography and how it can differ across a country.

Cultural and Historical Geography

Explore how geographers have explained cultural and historical developments, and how culture and history make geographies, with regional foci on South Asia, the Artic and British-European relations.ange.

The Changing Environment

Consider the mechanisms for and evidence of, global environmental change.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other geography modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please our Geography BA degree.

Develop your love of history further, gaining the skills to research, write and debate. Choose from a wide range of historical periods from the early medieval to the present, with the opportunity to focus on countries and regions around the world, including Europe, Africa and Asia.

Indicative modules

Rule and resistance in colonial India

Critically consider the history of the British imperial expansion in India from the mid eighteenth century, through to the Rebellion in 1857. It covers: the rise of trade relations with India, the growth of territorial rule through war and negotiation with Indian rulers, resistance to imperial rule through mutiny, and the debate over sati (widow immolation)

Race, Rights and Propaganda: Race and Identity in the Cold War Era, 1945-1990

Examine how the United States and Soviet Union dealt with issues of race and identity during the Cold War years, confronting racial questions, challenges and liberation movements from both within their own borders (and each other’s) and in several theatres of superpower conflict – including the Middle East, East Asia and post-colonial Africa - and often viewing them through highly racialised lenses.

The Second World War and Social Change in Britain, 1939-1951: Went The Day Well?

Analyse social change in Britain during and after the Second World War. Key issues may include: gender roles, impact of the lived experience, propaganda, creation of the NHS and educational reform, reconstruction of cities, post-war austerity and the construction of memory.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other history modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our History BA degree.

We are updating our Art History and Visual Culture indicative modules for 2025 entry. Please check back soon. 

We are updating our International Media and Communications Studies indicative modules for 2025 entry. Please check back soon. 

Are you fascinated by abstract concepts such as infinity and symmetry? Do you want to develop your skills in problem solving and analysis? Our mathematics modules will allow you to pursue your mathematical interests at a deeper level.

Indicative modules

Scientific Computation

Most mathematical problems cannot be solved analytically or would take too long to solve by hand. Instead, computational algorithms must be used. In this module, you’ll learn about algorithms for approximating functions, derivatives, and integrals, and for solving many types of algebraic and ordinary differential equations.

Complex Analysis

Study the theory and applications of functions of a complex variable, using an approach oriented towards methods and applications. You will also learn about functions of complex variables.

Vector Calculus and Electromagnetism

You will be introduced to the vector differentiation operations of gradient, divergence and curl, integration methods for scalar and vector quantities over paths, surfaces and volumes, and the relationship of these operations to each other via the integral theorems of Green, Stokes and Gauss.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other mathematics modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Mathematics BSc degree.

Choose from a range of language and culture modules to continue a language you’ve already got some knowledge of or start a new one from scratch.

Indicative modules

Options to learn the language at different levels and explore the cultures of:

• Arabic
• French
• German
• Japanese
• Korean
• Mandarin Chinese
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

You can also learn about teaching foreign languages.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other modern languages modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Modern Languages BA degree and Language Centre options.

Music has a profound effect on us as individuals and shapes wider society. It's used for personal pleasure, intellectual stimulation, celebration, mourning, and political propaganda. We invite you to explore music through a wide range of modules covering musicology, performance, composition and music technology.

Indicative modules

Performance Level 2

Build on your performance abilities developed in Performance level 1, again working with a dedicated tutor, agreeing pieces to work on at the appropriate level.

Film Music

Music is often integral to the success of a film. It can set the mood, heighten drama, enhance emotions and provide a sense of continuity. Together we'll look at the various styles of film music developed during the history of cinema, and consider aesthetic and technical issues around them.

Aesthetics of Music

Musicians have often engaged with philosophical issues in their playing and composition while philosophers have been challenged and shaped by music. Through a series of lectures and seminars you'll: become familiar with the history and the methods of philosophical discussions about music, learn to apply critical and interpretative skills, and relate philosophical issues, to music studies.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other music modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Music BA degree.

Philosophy can be transformative. You can do it for its own sake as well as for its ability to shape lives, institutions, and society. Our modules give you the option to explore many aspects of philosophy from its foundations in Ancient Greece to how it helps us understand events taking place across the world today. 

Indicative modules

Topics in Asian Philosophy

We'll consider the Asian philosophical traditions, especially those of India, China, and Japan. These traditions address familiar philosophical themes - in ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - but often approach them in ways that seem unfamiliar. 

Social Philosophy

Examine the metaphysics of social kinds and explore different accounts of social kinds that have been offered. We will also look at how the fact that we are situated in a social world can affect what we can or cannot know or understand about ourselves, each other, and the social world itself.

Normative Ethics

We all have opinions about moral matters. But for most of us, our moral opinions are not very well-organised. Indeed, upon reflection we may discover that some of our beliefs about morality are inconsistent. Normative ethics is the branch of moral philosophy that attempts to systematize everyday judgements about the rightness and wrongness of actions.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other philosophy modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Philosophy BA degree.

Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. You'll have the opportunity to learn about the structure of the brain as well as the perceptions, thoughts, feelings and actions of people.

Indicative modules

Social and Developmental Psychology

Examine theories and experimental studies of social processes and human development. Topics relating to social processes will include: social cognition and social thinking, conformity and obedience, intergroup behaviour, theories of attraction and relationships, prosocial behaviour and intrinsic motivation, and self-determination.

Personality and Individual Differences

You will explore psychological explanations of personality and individual differences. In particular, the major personality theories are considered in detail and the application of these theories to areas such as abnormal psychology, criminal behaviour, and health are discussed.

Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology

You’ll learn about the scientific, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of psychology as a discipline, which will demonstrate the inherent variability and diversity in the theoretical approaches to psychology.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other psychology modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Psychology BSc degree.

How are societies organised? How and why are certain kinds of behaviour categorised as ‘crime’, and how should we respond? What has been the influence of the digital age on our society? 

Indicative modules

Crime Stories: Crime, Justice and the Media

Explore theory, research and illustrative media examples addressing the relationship between crime, justice and the media. Examining both factual and fictional representations of crime and justice, we reflect upon depictions of crime, criminals and victims in media and methods of analysing these representations.

Social Inequalities: Causes, Patterns and Change

Gain an overview of socio-economic inequalities within and between societies, exploring major theoretical and practical issues regarding data analysis and policy evaluation.

#Sociology: Identity, Self and Others in a Digital

AgeExamine the key debates in digital sociology, paying particular attention to the rise of new social media and how this affects identity, belonging, intimacy and civic participation. Your main focus will be how Web 2.0 has affected perceptions of self and social relations, exploring why some people engage with new technology whilst others actively resist it.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other sociology modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Sociology BA and Criminology BA degree.

Profound. Inspiring. Divisive. Religion can be all of these things. Making sense of religion and its impact is essential to understanding other cultures - and your own.

Indicatve modules

Africana Philosophies and Religions

Explore key concepts and themes in Africana philosophies and religions, paying particular attention to Africana notions of the human person and human life within a spirit-filled cosmos.

Religion in Britain: Interfaith Encounters in a Secular Age

Explore the landscape of religions in modern British society. You’ll study leading theories of the sociological study of religion, including models for interfaith contact and dialogue, and examine how these theories and approaches developed.

Philosophy of Religion

You’ll explore significant problems in the philosophy of religion, such as the credibility of the existence of God, the relation between religion and science, the relation between religion and morality, the problem of evil, and the possibility of an after-life.

More information

For more detailed module descriptions and to see other Theology and Religion modules that may be available to liberal arts students, please see our Theology and Religious Studies BA degree.