COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA Liberal Arts program at the University of Manchester provides a broad and interdisciplinary education, encouraging students to explore the arts, humanities, and social sciences in an integrated way. In Year 1, students build a strong foundation through core modules such as Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, which introduces the study of the arts, Humanities in Public, which examines the politics and value of knowledge, and Research Methods in the Arts, equipping students with essential skills for academic inquiry and critical thinking. Year 2 develops these skills further with mandatory modules in Rhetoric and Society, focusing on persuasion, argumentation, and debate, and Arts and the City, which explores the intersections of people, power, and protest, fostering an understanding of societal dynamics and cultural engagement. In Year 3, students have the opportunity to undertake optional modules and projects that integrate interdisciplinary perspectives, such as the Interdisciplinary Research Project, Liberal Arts in the Making, and modules connecting literature and theology to ethics, empathy, and liberation. Engagement projects provide practical experience in creativity, culture, and community work, enabling students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts. The program emphasizes critical thinking, ethical reflection, and interdisciplinary problem-solving, preparing graduates for careers across the arts, culture, policy, and social research, as well as postgraduate study.