BA (Hons) Philosophy and Politics

This module is designed to give you the best possible start to your university studies, making sure you have all the essential skills you need to succeed. Through lectures and workshops we will teach you how to write in an academic style, how to find quality sources, and how to reference work, culminating in writing up a mini-research project.

This module equips you with a suite of analytical and theoretical tools to support you as you progress along your academic journey. You'll develop an interdisciplinary understanding of approaches to study in the humanities by working with a variety of resources, including novels, films and aspects of the visual arts.

This module will equip you with the necessary skills to conduct and analyse research in a specific interest, supported by academics within your subject. You'll navigate through the research process, from identifying an area of interest to presenting findings to your peers.

Formulate and execute a group led enquiry into texts, cultural artefacts, film, music or dance. You'll explore their topics in groups at supervised workshops and develop questions on the cultural object relates to the living world of human experience, as well as developing your own methods to answer these questions.

Develop a strong foundation in data collection and analysis. This module will introduce you to qualitative and quantitative data and how to analyse it; the collection of primary and secondary data; the production of high-quality graphics; and report writing.

Developing confidence in expression, oral as well as written, is a key feature of this module, which aims to familiarise you with university submission and assessment procedures. This is a clear building block towards your degree programme and places you at a distinct advantage when you move into the following year.

In this module you will begin to formally develop a key set of philosophical skills – competence in logical reasoning and the ability to distinguish good from bad arguments. Week by week you'll work through case-studies, applying logical and argumentative theory and reasoning towards well-thought through responses and conclusions. 

This module examines one of the central issues in philosophy – what it is to know something. We will distinguish knowledge from mere opinion and critically evaluate common views about where knowledge comes from, what it is based on and how it is justified. We will give particular focus to the ways in which knowledge, and claims to knowledge, are culturally shaped and informed, and so how traditions, perspectives and social structures influence our views about knowledge. 

Political action is collective action among people who share beliefs. This module explores the most important formulations of these collective views. It explores political ideologies that defend the status quo, those who wish to reform it, and those that seek a radically different political reality.