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 |
| Advanced English Language Studies | LANG14011 | 20 |
| Advanced Legal Research Methods and Legal System | LAWDM1008 | 10 |
| Advanced Legal and Socio-Legal Research Methods | LAWDM0084 | 20 |
| Aircraft Operations | AENG24630 | 10 |
| American Fiction that Matters: US Writing in 'The American Century' | MODL23012 | 20 |
| Anguish in Eden: Foundations of American Prose Writing | MODL23011 | 20 |
| Approaches to Poetry | ENGL10026 | 20 |
| Approaches to Shakespeare | ENGL10027 | 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 |
| Building New Britains | HISTM0027 | 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 | ||
| Death and Afterlife in Buddhism | THRS20087 | 20 |
| Developmental Psychology | PSYC11019 | 10 |
| Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science I | EMAT10714 | 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 | ||
| Education, Schooling and Diversity | SPOL10015 | 20 |
| Elementary Statistics | MATH10510 | 10 |
| 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 |
| 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 | ||
| Film and Television Forms and Analysis | DRAM11005 | 20 |
| Film and Television Histories | DRAM23123 | 20 |
| Film and the Ancient World | CLAS12350 | 20 |
| Film and the Ancient World | CLAS22350 | 20 |
| 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 | LANG22022 | 20 |
| French for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 2 | LANG22012 | 10 |
| Further Qualitative Methods | SPOLM0017 | 20 |
| Further Quantitative Methods | SPOLM0016 | 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 | ||
| Geology 1 | EASC10001 | 40 |
| German for Business and Professional Purposes Level 3 | LANG34013 | 10 |
| German for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 2 (post GCSE) | LANG12023 | 20 |
| German for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 1 (ab-initio) | LANG11043 | 20 |
| German for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 2 (post GCSE) | LANG12013 | 10 |
| German for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 3 (post A'Level) | LANG13023 | 20 |
| German for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 3 (post A'Level) | LANG13013 | 10 |
| German for Medical Studies Level 1 Grade 3 (post A' level) | LANG13303 | 10 |
| German for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 1 | LANG21013 | 10 |
| German for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 1 | LANG21023 | 20 |
| German for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 2 | LANG22023 | 20 |
| German for Specific Purposes Level 2 Grade 2 | LANG22013 | 10 |
| Globalisation and Development | ECON10053 | 20 |
| Green Planet | BIOL20013 | 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 | ||
| Health Care Policies | SPOL21018 | 20 |
| Health Care Policies | SPOL31018 | 20 |
| Hinduism and Buddhism | THRS11047 | 20 |
| Historical Studies I: Western Art Music I | MUSI10052 | 10 |
| Historical Studies II : Western Art Music (1750 to the present day) | MUSI10046 | 20 |
| Historical Studies II: Western Art Music II | MUSI10053 | 10 |
| 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 Pre-Intermediate | LANG21046 | 20 |
| Judaism and Christianity | THRS11049 | 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 |
| Law Gender and Sexuality | LAWDM0033 | 30 |
| Law, Economy and Society in a Global World | LAWDM0076 | 20 |
| Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding | PHIL10004 | 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 | ||
| 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 |
| Migration Policy in the UK and European Union | SPOL30030 | 20 |
| Migration Policy in the UK and European Union | SPOL20030 | 20 |
| Miracles in the Christian Tradition | THRS20111 | 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 | ||
| Navigating Life's Milestones: Responsible Caring (Trinity and Baptist College) | THRS20180 | 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 | ||
| Pagan Religions of the Roman Empire | CLAS27003 | 20 |
| Pagan Religions of the Roman Empire | CLAS17003 | 20 |
| Performance Forms and Analysis | DRAM11004 | 20 |
| Performance Histories | DRAM23125 | 20 |
| Philosophical Text 3: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics | PHIL10008 | 10 |
| 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 |
| Poverty, Social Exclusion and Social Policy | SPOL30019 | 20 |
| Poverty, Social Exclusion and Social Policy | SPOL20019 | 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 | ||
| Religion and Material Culture | THRS11051 | 20 |
| Researching Child and Family Welfare | SPOLM0011 | 20 |
| Researching Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion | SPOLM5011 | 20 |
| Russian Orthodox Culture | RUSS20044 | 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 Archaeology of Myth: From the Trojan War to the end of Atlantis | CLAS12384 | 20 |
| The Archaeology of Myth: From the Trojan War to the end of Atlantis | CLAS22384 | 20 |
| The Bible and Theology | THRS11048 | 20 |
| The Johannine Writings | THRS20177 | 20 |
| The Saving God (Trinity and Baptist College) | THRS20178 | 10 |
| The Scriptures and the Scrolls | THRS20092 | 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 Public Policy | SPOL20054 | 20 |
| Understanding Public Policy | SPOL30054 | 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 | ||
| Vatican II and post-conciliar Roman Catholic debates in theology | THRS20185 | 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 |
