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Black and white image of humanities text books

Humanities BA(Hons)

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Intro

Our Humanities degree draws on philosophy, politics, history and literature to investigate the major challenges of life in the contemporary world, considering what it means to be a human in the twenty-first century.

You will benefit from small group teaching and interdisciplinary study. The course team have expertise from across all humanities subjects and you will benefit from frequent guest lecturers – academics, politicians and writers – from around the world.

Your lecturers encourage you to adopt a critical attitude to yourself, to the world you live in and to the received opinion.

Everything you learn on the degree comes together in your final project, where, supported by an academic tutor, you will complete independent and original research on a topic of your choice.

The knowledge and skills you build throughout the course forms a solid foundation for future study and prepares you for a range of careers including teaching, and the public and not for profit sector.

Key facts

Location Brighton: City campus

UCAS code LV00

Full-time 3 years

Join an online event

Apply now with UCAS

Course content

How this course is delivered

We've made some changes to the way our courses are taught to keep everyone safe, connected and involved in university life.

At the moment, students have a blend of on-campus and digitally enabled remote learning that provides lots of opportunities to interact and engage with lecturers and other students.

Find out what these changes mean for this course

Course structure 

Our history courses are 16th in the UK, Guardian University Guide 2021.

You will be taught in small, participatory seminar groups. Every seminar is supported by a preceding lecture.

Your academic work will be supported by workshops that develop your academic and independent research skills.

Year 1
All of our courses in the humanities programme share a first year. Students take six modules that develop the skills central to your studies. These include topics such as historical and philosophical inquiry, cultures, democracy, narrative and society

Year 2
In year 2, you'll choose two option pathways from 15 routes offered across the humanities courses, and follow them for the rest of the course. Pathways are a set of modules in a specialised area that give students a deep, critical engagement with the subject.

Final year
Students continue with option pathways chosen in year 2, and undertake a dissertation. You will also take part in an oral exam, presenting your findings for scrutiny in an exam that tests your skills of presentation, communication, discussion and debate.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through Student View.

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Year 1

In year 1 you take six modules that help develop the skills central to your course.

Modules

  • Historical Inquiry

    This module will introduce you to the practice of historical inquiry through an exploration of various approaches to the study of crisis and conflict in the mid-twentieth century. You will explore the dilemmas that the study of conflict poses for global and transnational history; the impact of war and crisis on social, gender and race relations, and the international order; and the ways in which memories of this period act in the contemporary world.

  • Philosophical Inquiry

    This module introduces you to key topics in philosophy. Studying moral and political philosophy will enable you to explore questions such as How can I act ethically? and Could a more equal society be built? Philosophy of science and epistemology will empower you to interrogate arguments behind various truth claims encountered today. You will explore Plato, Hume, Kant, Utilitarianism; inquire into the nature of art and freedom; and interrogate philosophy’s historical complicity in sexism and racism.

  • Studying Cultures

    This module introduces fundamental concepts and methods in cultural studies. Through a case study of Britain in the counter-cultural period of 1968–74, you will explore conflicts involving questions of ‘race’, national identity, gender, class and youth. Focusing on the distinction between lived cultures and cultural texts, you will relate the practices and values of everyday life to the workings of ideology within narrative forms including girls’ magazines, a novel by Angela Carter and a James Bond film.

  • Democracy: From Athens to Baghdad

    This module introduces you to the histories and contexts within which the concept and practice of democracy developed. You will study classical, republican, liberal, anarchist, Marxist, communitarian and global conceptualisations of democracy, in each case examining their relevance to our current political circumstances. You will explore the cultural preconditions for democratic freedoms and the representation of democratic values in different social and political movements.

  • Understanding Society in a Global World

    This module introduces key concepts, theories and questions in social science, with particular reference to international relations and global studies. You will interrogate the claims of social scientists to produce verifiable knowledge about the social world, and evaluate the political implications of different methodological approaches for the study of key aspects of global society. You will explore how these concepts and theories are applied to contested aspects of global society, notably environmental sustainability and war/conflict.

  • The Politics of Representation

    This module introduces you to political, historical and structural approaches to the study of narrative and representation. You will critically reflect upon how the stories we encounter construct particular visions of our world. Focusing on issues of narrative, ideology, language and semiotics, you will explore textual and visual forms, including television and film, news media, the internet, imaginative fiction and photography.

Humanities booklet cover

 

Year 2

In year 2 you will choose two option pathways to follow for the rest of your degree enabling you to explore a wide range of subjects using different critical methods. As well as the pathways, you’ll take core modules and start the research for your final-year dissertation project.

Option pathways – two from:

  • Politics, History and Ideology
  • Race and Resistance
  • Self and Society
  • War, Violence and Mass Killing
  • Culture and Conflict
  • Terror and Terrorism
  • Globalisation, History and Identity
  • Global Politics
  • Contemporary Global Challenges
  • Literature, History and Social Change
  • Critical Theory and Radical Politics
  • Morality, Politics and the Good Life
  • Philosophy and Literature
  • Politics of the Past
  • Radical Histories

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Seminar

Core modules
Critical Traditions 1 and 2 explore some of the key debates in history, culture, politics, and philosophy since the Enlightenment. You will also take a project preparation module which prepares you for your final-year dissertation.

Final year

In your final year, you continue studying your option pathways developing and extending the work started in year 2, inviting deeper engaged reflection through seminar discussion and coursework essays on the broader themes you have examined.

You will complete and submit a dissertation, drawing on your subject knowledge and research method skills, as you develop your own extended critical response to your chosen topic. You also take part in an oral exam: drawing from a theme in your dissertation, you will prepare and deliver a presentation and take questions. In doing so you demonstrate your presentation, communication, discussion and debate skills.

Students outside Pavilion Parade

Meet the team

Our staff are widely published in global politics, philosophy and history. You will be designated a personal tutor (normally the same throughout the degree) with whom you will meet regularly to discuss your academic progress.

Dr Anita Rupprecht, course leader

Committed to interdisciplinary study, Anita's primary research focuses on interconnected histories and representations of British transatlantic slavery, the slave trade, abolitionism, and Empire during the Age of Revolution. She is also interested in postcolonial literatures, theory and the politics of contemporary cultural memory. See Anita's full profile.

Other staff who teach on the course include: Dr Rebecca Searle, Dr Michael Neu, Dr Mark Devenney, Dr Clare Woodford, Dr Robin Dunford and Dr Eugene Michail.

Our latest news

Dr Jonathan Watson interviewed about Presidential Inauguration

Dr Jonathan Watson interviewed about Presidential Inauguration

Tune in to Heart FM this afternoon at 4pm to hear Jonathan, senior lecturer in Critical History and Contemporary History speak about the Inauguration of new President Biden.

Conference | Democracy and Populism: Equality, Truth and Disagreement In The Age of Covid

Conference | Democracy and Populism: Equality, Truth and Disagreement In The Age of Covid

The University of Brighton’s Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics is running this online event which starts today (18-23 January).

Engels at 200 – renewed relevance

Engels at 200 – renewed relevance

To mark the bicentenary of the bicentenary of the birth of German philosopher Friedrich Engels this Saturday, Lecturer in Critical History and Politics Dr Christian Høgsbjerg has written a blog about Engels as a revolutionary historian.

Podcast: humanities lecturers discuss the US election

Podcast: humanities lecturers discuss the US election

Robin Dunford, Andy Knott and Jon Watson discuss the national and international dimensions of the recent US presidential election.

Read more from our blog

Careers

Prepare for your career  

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree.

As a student on the Brighton Humanities programme you have the opportunity to develop wide-ranging subject knowledge and expertise in an area of your choice through your final year dissertation.

You will be challenged and encouraged to become a skilled oral and written communicator, confident in presenting work on your own and as a member of a group.

You will also develop a range of transferable skills including the ability to

  • identify, synthesise, analyse and present information from a wide range of sources
  • critically examine arguments and develop original responses
  • listen, present and debate effectively

Outside of the course you will have opportunities take part in subject-related conferences and events at the university, and to join the student-run Humanities Society which organises a busy annual calendar of expert speakers, debates and events.

Student reading documents intently

Graduate destinations  

Our students go on to careers in national and international politics, law, academia and teaching, media and journalism, and global business management.

Students may also seek work in development, charities, non-governmental and environmental organisations. 

Ross Adamson

Further study 

This degree also opens up a range of postgraduate study options. At Brighton, for example, you could progress on to:

  • Globalisation: Politics, Conflict and Human Rights MA
  • Cultural and Critical Theory MA
  • War: History and Politics MA
  • Cultural History, Memory and Identity MA
  • Journalism MA

You could also choose to complete your PhD at Brighton alongside researchers in our Radical Futures research centre.

Humanities student

Supporting your employability 

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more...

Coloured background with the words Be More, Connected, Skilled, Emlployable

Employment demand for humanities graduates 

The British Academy has compiled a report (May 2020) quantifying the demand for arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) skills in the workplace. It helps to answer the legitimate question of what the economic return is on undertaking a degree, both in time and money. 

According to the report:

  • As arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates progress through the first ten years of their career they are able make strong progress up the career ladder into roles attracting higher salaries
  • Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are employed in some of the fastest growing sectors including financial services, education, social work, the media and creative industries
  • Of the ten fastest growing sectors, eight employ more graduates from AHSS than other disciplines

This makes AHSS graduates at the heart of some of the most exciting, productive, largest and fastest-growing sectors of the UK economy.

Future skills demand

According to the report:

  • With the challenges the world is facing – climate change, global pandemics, the growth of populism – the UK needs the insights of the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS) as much as those from science, technology and engineering (STEM)
  • Evidence within the report shows that Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are central to these challenges and changes – they will be vital in giving us the tools to examine and explain human behaviour, understand how society functions, learn from the past and apply those lessons to the present, and analyse the drivers and implications of a changing world and how different countries, places and cultures interact.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BCC–CCC (104–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

International Baccalaureate
26 points, with three subjects at Higher level.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Humanities, history or politics courses preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at Brighton, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3. 

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,572 GBP

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in the fee, while studying a course in the School of Humanities are listed here.

  • For a number of courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but under normal circumstances we would expect a budget of approximately £150 per year will cover the costs of particular trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software, however many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £150 per year for printing.
  • Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships, as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2021–22.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city’s reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year. Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements, live briefs and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

We provide support and venues for key events in the city’s arts calendar including the Brighton Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Great Escape, the Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Photo Biennial and the CineCity Brighton Film Festival. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate Show transforms our campus into the largest exhibition space in the South East as we celebrate the outstanding talent and creativity of our students.

As a student you’ll get lots of opportunities to experience these events at first hand and to develop your skills through the volunteering and other opportunities they offer.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Campus where this course is taught

City campus

Located in central Brighton, this campus is home to 3D design and craft, fine art, graphic design and illustration, digital music, digital media design, fashion and textiles, history of art and design, humanities, media, photography and film.

The facilities for making and designing, the theatre, galleries, workshops, studios, archives and the independent arts organisations based on site provide a unique and inspiring environment where creativity thrives.

St Peter’s House library and Phoenix halls of residence are close to the exhibition and learning facilities in the Grand Parade main building where you will also find the student centre with careers, counselling, student advice service and disability and dyslexia support. Edward Street provides extensive teaching and gallery space for media, photography and film.

Also on site are Photoworks, Screen Archive South East and University of Brighton Design Archives. Leading visual arts agency Photoworks runs the Brighton Photo Biennial and a national programme which frequently features the work of our graduates, staff and students. Screen Archive South East holds a wealth of material capturing life, work and creativity from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Our Design Archives received the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education in recognition of our contribution to design history scholarship and the quality of primary materials about British design held in the archive.

The Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, the iconic pier and beach are a very short walk away. The independent shops and businesses of the North Laine and Kemptown, and Brighton main line station, with frequent express services to London, are 10 minutes walk.

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Grand Parade exhibition space

Accommodation

Brighton: City campus

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • City campus is linked to Phoenix halls.
    • Phoenix halls are self-catered, but if you prefer you can add in a food and drink plan.The halls are a short walk from City campus in the centre of Brighton. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there's a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.

Want to live independently or in a university-managed house? We can help – find out more about unihomes and unilets or private renting.

Phoenix Brewery Halls Accommodation

Accommodation for City campus is in the nearby Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Maps

City campus map

Stay in touch

Join an online event

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Subscribe to our School of Humanities blog
 to find out about student and staff news, and events.

Statistics

These charts give an indication of how much time you will spend on different activities at each level of the course, and an indication of the balance of assessment by coursework, and written and practical exams. For courses with option modules, actual proportions will depend on the modules you choose.

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked above). You can find out also about the range of support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Overall workload

Assessments

Discover Uni

Discover Uni enables you to compare information when choosing a UK university course. All UK universities publish Discover Uni data on their website. Discover Uni will be launching a widget this month that will show top line stats for this course. Once live, the widget will appear below. 

Programme specification

The programme specification is the approved description of each course. They are updated following course changes, and give a detailed breakdown of the content and structure of the course.

Programme specification

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‹ ›

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