Open units are units which are outside of a student's subject discipline(s) that are available in many undergraduate programmes (subject to space and timetabling constraints). Typically these units are interdisciplinary and do not have any pre- or co-requisites. Single honours undergraduate students are normally able to choose up to 20 credit points of open units.
The University has developed a number of thematic, interdisciplinary "Bristol Futures" open units which deal with issues and themes of current importance. Details of these units are available here including video trailers for some of the units. Specific details about each unit is available below. The Bristol Futures optional units are:
City Futures: Migration, Citizenship, and Planetary Change
Creative Futures: Tools for Changing the World
Decolonise the Future!
Science of Happiness
Sustainable Development
Understanding global problems using data: inequality, climate change and the economy
The open units scheme also includes the University Wide Language Programme units. Details of these are available here as well as specific information about each unit below.
It is possible that open units appearing on this list will be unavailable if capacity has been taken up by students taking it as an optional unit.
What do the teaching blocks (TB) mean?
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| AVDASI 1 - Aerospace Vehicle Systems Introduction | AENG10001 | 10 |
| AVDASI 2 - Systems Engineering | AENG21360 | 10 |
| Advanced English Language Studies | LANG14011 | 20 |
| Aircraft Operations | AENG24630 | 10 |
| American Fiction that Matters: US Writing in 'The American Century' | MODL23012 | 20 |
| Analysing Quantitative Data | SPOLM5001 | 20 |
| Anguish in Eden: Foundations of American Prose Writing | MODL23011 | 20 |
| Anthropology of Africa | ANTH20004 | 20 |
| Anthropology of Religion | ANTH10005 | 20 |
| Approaches to Poetry | ENGL10026 | 20 |
| Approaches to Shakespeare | ENGL10027 | 20 |
| Art in the Ancient World | CLAS12365 | 20 |
| Astronomy 1 | PHYS10500 | 40 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Beginners' German Language 1 | GERM19001 | 20 |
| Beginners' German Language 2 | GERM19002 | 20 |
| Biology 1A: Diversity of Life | BIOL11000 | 40 |
| Biology 1B: Life Processes | BIOL12000 | 40 |
| British Prehistory | ARCH12011 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Deaf People in Society | DEAF10025 | 20 |
| Developmental Psychology | PSYC11019 | 10 |
| Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science I | EMAT10714 | 10 |
| Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science II | EMAT10724 | 10 |
| Doing Social Research | SOCI10005 | 20 |
| Domestic Violence: Research, Policy and Activism | SPOLM5010 | 20 |
| Drugs and Society | SPOL21011 | 20 |
| Drugs and Society | SPOL30011 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Economy and Society in the Ancient World | CLAS12331 | 20 |
| Education, Schooling and Diversity | SPOL10015 | 20 |
| Elementary Statistics | MATH10510 | 10 |
| Engineering Mathematics 1 | EMAT10100 | 20 |
| Engineering Physics | EMAT10005 | 20 |
| English as a Foreign Language 2 | LANG01221 | 20 |
| English for Academic Purposes | LANG10031 | 10 |
| English for Academic Purposes (STABEL) | LANG10010 | 10 |
| English for Academic Purposes - Part 1 (Science and Engineering) | LANG10002 | 10 |
| English for Academic Purposes - Part 2 (Science and Engineering) | LANG10003 | 10 |
| English for Business and Professional Purposes | LANG14021 | 20 |
| Environment Earth | EASC10004 | 20 |
| Environmental Geoscience 1 | EASC10002 | 40 |
| European Human Rights Law | LAWD30121 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| French for Business and Professional Purposes Level 3 | LANG34012 | 10 |
| French for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 2 (post GCSE) | LANG12022 | 20 |
| French for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 2 (post GCSE) | LANG12012 | 10 |
| French for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 3 (post A'Level) | LANG13022 | 20 |
| French for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 3 (post A'Level) | LANG13012 | 10 |
| French for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 1 | LANG21022 | 20 |
| French for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 1 (continuation of Level 1 Grade 1) | LANG21012 | 10 |
| French for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 2 | LANG22012 | 10 |
| French for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 2 | LANG22022 | 20 |
| Further Approaches to Qualitative Research | SPOLM5006 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Health Policy in a Global Context | SPOL20055 | 20 |
| Health Policy in a Global Context | SPOL30055 | 20 |
| History of Thought | CLAS12366 | 20 |
| History of the USA Before 1865 | MODL23009 | 20 |
| History of the USA Since 1865 | MODL23010 | 20 |
| Housing, Economy and Society | SPOL22020 | 20 |
| Human-Computer Interaction | COMS21301 | 10 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Japanese for General Purposes (ab-initio) | LANG11046 | 20 |
| Japanese for General Purposes (post-intermediate) | LANG32046 | 20 |
| Japanese for General Purposes Intermediate | LANG31046 | 20 |
| Japanese for General Purposes Pre-Intermediate | LANG21046 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Key Social Thinkers | SOCI10006 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Language for General Purposes (Ab-initio Mandarin Chinese) | LANG11047 | 20 |
| Language for General Purposes - French Level 1, Grade 1 | LANG11042 | 20 |
| Language for Science and Technology (French) Level 1 Grade 2 | LANG12042 | 20 |
| Language for Science and Technology (Spanish) Level 1 Grade 2 (post GCSE) | LANG12045 | 20 |
| Late Antiquity | CLAS12381 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Magic in the Graeco-Roman World | CLAS12360 | 20 |
| Mahayana Buddhism | THRS20032 | 20 |
| Mandarin Chinese for General Purposes (pre-intermediate) | LANG21047 | 20 |
| Marine Ecology and Physiology | BIOL21403 | 10 |
| Mathematics 1A20 | MATH11004 | 20 |
| Mathematics 1AM | MATH10100 | 40 |
| Mathematics 1AS | MATH10300 | 40 |
| Mathematics 1EM | MATH10600 | 40 |
| Mathematics 1ES | MATH10500 | 40 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Pagan Religions of the Roman Empire | CLAS17003 | 20 |
| Philosophical Texts 1: Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion | PHIL10003 | 10 |
| Physics 1E | PHYS10300 | 40 |
| Planet Earth | EASC10003 | 20 |
| Policy Processes and Policy Research | SPOLM5008 | 20 |
| Politics of South Asia | POLI29003 | 20 |
| Poverty, Social Exclusion and Social Policy | SPOL20019 | 20 |
| Poverty, Social Exclusion and Social Policy | SPOL30019 | 20 |
| Principles of Economics | EFIM10050 | 20 |
| Psychobiology | PSYC11014 | 10 |
| Psychology 1 | PSYC10001 | 40 |
| Punishment in Society | SPOL30052 | 20 |
| Punishment in Society | SPOL20052 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Qualitative Methods | SPOLM5002 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Researching Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion | SPOLM5011 | 20 |
| Russian Language (ab initio) | RUSS10001 | 40 |
| Russian Language (for qualified entrants) | RUSS10036 | 20 |
| Russian Orthodox Culture | RUSS20044 | 20 |
| Russian Thought 1825-1881 | RUSS20039 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| The Theology of Martin Luther | THRS30110 | 20 |
| The Theology of Martin Luther | THRS20110 | 20 |
| Theorising Social Welfare II | SPOL31002 | 20 |
| Theorising Social Welfare II | SPOL21002 | 20 |
| Thinking Sociologically | SOCI10004 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| Understanding Contemporary China | CEAS10001 | 20 |
| Understanding Japanese Society | CEAS10002 | 20 |
| Understanding Public Policy | SPOL30054 | 20 |
| Understanding Public Policy | SPOL20054 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| World in Crisis? | GEOG16001 | 20 |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other Top | ||
| 3000 Years of Chinese Religions | THRS20075 | 20 |
