Undergraduate student in a tutorial with an academic

Your Liberal Arts staff

Dr Edward Clough – Teaching Associate, Liberal  Arts

My teaching and research are informed by interests in power and space, and their representation in film and literature, visual art and music, and everyday material culture. I believe that the heart of  Liberal  Arts lies in embracing the openness of interdisciplinarity. It’s about being intellectually open to exploring and experimenting with new ideas and approaches across and between different subjects and disciplines. But it’s also about being socially and culturally open: encountering and engaging with new perspectives, seeking out opportunities for dialogue and collaboration, and fostering understandings outside of our personal experiences.

Taking a closer look at things – to reexamine the familiar, and to embrace the unfamiliar – is not only vital for comprehending our past and navigating our present: but it’s also essential for imagining and shaping our collective future.

Prof. Heike Bartel - Professor, Liberal Arts

My research explores the potential power of interdisciplinary connections between the arts and humanities and the sciences for better health, healthcare, and broader sustainable development goals. My teaching in Liberal Arts helps students understand and critically examine a variety of texts, images, screen cultures, and other cultural artifacts. These include poems, blog posts, fine art, animation, photography, film, TV, computer games, internet content, crafts, and social media posts, from both English-speaking and other language settings.

I support students in exploring the connections between these and the wide field of health, illness, recovery, healthcare systems, and policies. I aim to equip students with skills to evaluate critically the role of culture and associated political and historical contexts in maintaining or developing good or poor health, and to explore the potential of interdisciplinary work to shape and innovate healthcare.

I provide guidance for students to develop or deepen their interests in this wide-ranging and pressing national and global topic, for example regarding policy making, creative work, development of training tools, and other academic engagement.

Dr Uditi Sen - Associate Professor, Liberal Arts

My teaching is informed by my research and scholarship in history, South Asian politics, transnational migration, gender, queer studies, memory and identity.

The liberal arts modules I convene invite students to engage critically with an interconnected world, where new ideas, people, and goods circulate in complex ways. Students will explore broad themes and global issues, such as migration, climate change, power, and resistance, from multiple disciplinary perspectives. They will also learn collaboration, creativity, and self-directed learning – all critical skills for thriving in the twenty-first century.

Dr Chris Thornhill – Teaching Associate, Liberal Arts

My contribution to the Liberal Arts programme is informed by my research interests in the fields of religion, philosophy, ecology, and the arts.

My teaching in Liberal Arts enables students to understand how the beliefs people hold, how we organise human societies, our relationship to the natural world, and the things we make and use, are all intimately related.

I support students to examine critically and creatively how ideas become manifest in the relationships we form, the tools we use, and the artworks we engage with. I also support students in considering how their creative works might contribute to the critical exploration of ideas and address the intellectual, social, and environmental predicaments that we face.

Academic links

All of our optional subject areas have an academic link to the liberal arts programme. They'll be able to help you with subject queries and modules in that area.

Personal tutor

All liberal arts students have a personal tutor. They will support you on your:

general academic performance
personal professional development, for example, volunteering and study abroad opportunities
general emotional and welfare issues. As well as regular scheduled meetings they'll also be available anytime outside of these sessions if you want extra support.

Across the university

The university has high-quality, dedicated student support services. They cover issues such as:

physical disabilities
learning needs such as dyslexia
finances
health
documentation.

Find out more about Student Services

Department of Liberal Arts

How is liberal arts different?

Department of Liberal Arts

Our Liberal Arts students

A day in the life of a Liberal Arts student

Second-year student Grace shares a typical day...

Department of Liberal Arts

Studying abroad with Liberal Arts

Faculty of Arts

Arts and Humanities Courses with Foundation Year

Who is the foundation year for and what is it like?

Help and support

If you’re looking for more information, please head to our help and support hub, where you can find frequently asked questions or details of how to make an enquiry.