Program Overview

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On our five-year BA Global studies and Latin American Studies (including foundation year and year abroad), we work with you to help to develop your subject-specific knowledge and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further four years of undergraduate study at Essex.. You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK. After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department , you progress to complete your course with our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre . This interdisciplinary degree combines the breadth of Global Studies with deep engagement in Latin American history and culture. Latin America is one of the most fascinating and complex areas of the world, home to a rich diversity of indigenous people, as well as some of the world’s fastest growing economies, greatest environmental challenges, and richest cultural traditions. Latin America is an area of study that will surprise you, challenge you and broaden your horizons. A core part of the course are modules from history and politics which explore international relations and global history, alongside Latin American Studies modules. You will study a range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Economic and political history of Latin American
• Indigenous issues in Latin America
• Global technologies
• Migration
• Art and architecture and in social context

Language is fundamental to our thought, our relationships, and our civilisations. As part of this degree, you will add a language to your portfolio, through either learning Spanish from scratch or developing existing skills in Spanish and/or Brazilian Portuguese to a high level, and spending your third year at a university in a Latin American country. This course differs to BA Global Studies with Latin American Studies in that it includes a compulsory year abroad in a Latin American country and has a compulsory language component. This is an amazing place to study a degree like this one. Since its foundation, Essex has had a distinctly international character. Our department includes academics specialising in many diverse regions of the world, so you experience the very best of the University’s expertise in global issues. Why we're great.

• Learn a language as part of your degree and spend your fourth year at a university in a Latin American country
• You are taught by a team of international experts in a range of subjects at Essex and abroad
• Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America housed on campus is the largest of its kind in Europe

Study abroad

The five-year version of our degree allows you to spend your fourth year studying abroad , while otherwise remaining identical to the four year course. If you choose the five-year option, the fourth year of your course will be spent at one of our partner universities throughout the world, where you will follow modules related to your course at Essex. We have partners in countries all around the world, so you have the chance to study in a truly global context. You’ll get to experience life in another country, and you do not have to study a language in order to study abroad. Studying abroad also improves your employability and it demonstrates you are a very capable person with the ability to adapt to new situations and environments. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

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Our expert staff

Our interdisciplinary studies staff teach in departments across the University, and specialise in a wide range of topics including history, law, literature, film, politics, and sociology. We are a team of internationally recognised writers and lecturers with expertise across the arts, humanities and social sciences. As well as being one of the UK’s leading universities for social science, and the highest ranking institution for political science, our staff research topics that stretch across the globe – we are working on issues in Latin America, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

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Specialist facilities

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to all of the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials.
• Our Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with hot magazines and newspapers, and provides an informal setting to meet with your lecturers, tutors and friends.

Take advantage of our other extensive learning resources to assist you in your studies:

• Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the largest of its kind in Europe
• Our Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence provides a forum for pan-European research
• Attend an exciting programme of events
• Our Albert Sloman Library’s collections of Latin American, Russian and Eastern European materials are of national significance

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Your future

Our graduates are well-placed to address the complex issues which confront the modern world. You can gain a diverse set of skills as well as a wide-ranging knowledge of the world’s most current and significant problems. Our course provides you with an excellent basis for going onto a career in media, education, politics, the Civil Service, international organisations such as the UN and NATO or non-governmental organisations, and many other fields. Our Centre’s recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of desirable roles including an events co-ordinator for Age UK, a business provision manager for BT, an accountant in London, and an account executive for Bluesky PR. We also work with the University’s Careers Services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.