Language is fundamental to our thought, our relationships, and our civilisations. Through language we transmit knowledge, from inviting someone for coffee, to promoting the latest scientific theory, to settling global political disputes.

How does age, sex, social background and regional origins affect the way we speak? How do languages change over the course of time, and why? How do children learn to talk? Why do some languages appear so different from others? Linguists study these and other questions to gain insight into what it means to “know a language”. An understanding of our language enhances our self-awareness, inspiring us to address fundamental questions about our communication as human beings.

Our course provides a thorough training in the major areas of political science and sociology, investigating the different kinds of social tensions, interactions and networks that make up everyday life. Offered at Essex by two of the UK's leading social science departments, these two disciplines are fundamentally linked. Through developing your understanding of both fields, you explore and address the broadest questions about our society.

East 15 Acting School’s BA Creative Producing (Theatre and Short Film) course is a full-time, industry-focused training aimed at entrepreneurial artists with an interest in creating, producing, administrating and promoting theatre and film.

The challenges facing today’s world are profoundly international. From the migrant crisis to global warming, contemporary challenges require graduates who bring a global perspective and broad skills to the workplace. Our BA Global Studies with Sustainability will equip you with a broad range of skills to become an active participant in a crucial time of change. You’ll study some of today’s most pressing issues from the migrant crisis to global warming and you’ll acquire a global perspective to face contemporary challenges.

From the latest updates at Number 10 to political unrest overseas, you can be at the forefront of political change. Our BA Journalism and Politics expands your knowledge of global politics and develops your analytical ability. Coupled with the multimedia aspect of this course, you learn how to engage with a wider audience and develop your own journalistic style alongside building a solid understanding of the issues that shape the world around us.

If you want to understand our place in the world, then psychology at Essex is for you. We provide one of the most immersive and exciting experiences of studying the human mind in the UK. We focus on the big questions so that you embark on a journey into the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals.

Are you fascinated by relationships and personality development, or intrigued by people's behaviour? What causes you to act as you do and what can lead to emotional or psychological difficulties? Do you want to learn about and develop ways of helping those who are in need? Laying the foundations for a career in a caring profession, whether education, health or social care our course will give you a solid basis in psychodynamic thinking, child and adult development, and the dynamics of therapeutic interventions in organisations.

Does language in the media affect people’s opinions and actions? How is language used in social and traditional media for politics, art, and business communication? What does the language used in the media tell us about English-speaking societies?

Many questions in politics can increasingly be addressed only when taking into account their international dimension. Who decides on the conditions of trade among nations? What role does international cooperation play for preparing for pandemic disease? How does economic globalisation affect the domestic welfare state? What is its role in the rise of populism? Our BA Global Politics is designed to answer these and other questions that lie at the intersection of domestic politics and global issues.

Are you fascinated by children’s behaviour? What drives their development, what informs their behaviour and shapes their identity? Do you want to help children with emotional, social, behavioural and education difficulties? Why do some children falter through life’s ups and downs, whilst others seem to thrive in adversity and are more resilient? Do you want to make a difference to children’s lives? If so, this course is for you.

Take the first steps to a successful career. Build your knowledge across the broad area of economics. Develop an enhanced understanding of the business world. Our BA Business Economics provides you with the theoretical and practical skills you need to understand and implement economic decisions made by businesses, managers and financial specialists.

Can an exhibition spark social change? Who decides which stories our museums and galleries tell? How can we save heritage that is under threat from war or natural disasters? What are the ethical problems in preserving and exhibiting objects from other cultures? How do curators and heritage managers take these questions into account when they make displays and exhibitions? This degree will develop the skills you need to make exciting new connections between the forms of visual culture and heritage you study, human rights, and broader social and political forces.

Our course combines hands-on practical filmmaking, creative writing workshops, and theoretical and contextual studies. We encourage you to forge links between theory and practice, and to make critically-informed choices in your own creative work through the knowledge you gain of film history, literary classics and writing across a range of genres.

How does cinema affect us as individuals and as groups, as communities or nations? Do the moving pictures reflect our beliefs or help to change how we see the world? How powerful are visual media in shaping our interpretations of modern life? These are some of the most pressing questions cinema asks us. Our ability to read and interpret the images and stories that films deliver is crucial to how we understand contemporary life.