BA(Hons) Philosophy (with Foundation Year)

Structure

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year zero (foundation year)

All Foundation Year students study together and will take four compulsory modules covering introductions to Sociology, Criminology, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, and university level academic and study skills.

This will ensure that you have the necessary grounding across all the social science disciplines, enabling you to develop a range of perspectives that will enrich your learning at Year one and beyond.

You'll study:

• Essentials of Academic Practice
• Exploring the Social World and the Problems of Crime
• From Plato to NATO
• People and Social Science.

You normally need to pass your foundation year before going into Year one.

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You'll study:

• Ancient Philosophy - introduces you to the most significant authors, texts, and issues of Ancient Greek Philosophy, from its origin to Aristotle, stressing the unitary character of its metaphysical, ethical, and political breakthroughs.
• Existentialism and Questions of Human Nature - aims to ground you in the importance of understandings of the human in the 18th and 19th century and the influence of these debates on 20th-century existentialism and its consideration of moral agency and freedom.
• Ways of Knowing - description to follow shortly.
• Understanding our Global and Social Environment - prepares you for the global social/political, technological, and environmental themes that you'll encounter throughout the course.

Study exchange (if applicable)

If you choose the study exchange option, you'll spend the first and/or second semester of year two studying at another university.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Year two

You'll study:

• Philosophy of Art and Creative Practice - explores the nature and significance of artistic practice and aesthetic experience engaging with a range of artistic forms such as literature, music, film and visual art.
• Existence and Reality - considers metaphysics as the most general, most universal and the most abstract of the sciences. Exploring ontology as first philosophy and the relation of concepts to reality.
• Philosophical Methods and Impact - description to follow shortly.

Plus, two optional modules from:

• Capitalism and Ecological Crisis 
• Critical Praxis: Feminist, Queer, and Decolonial Philosophies 
• Reason and Critique. 

Placement year (if applicable)

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work or study placement after year two.

Depending on which you choose, you'll either complete a placement learning or learning and development module.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You'll study:

• Ethics, Technology and the Posthuman - description to follow shortly.
• Contemporary Continental Philosophy - description to follow shortly.

Plus, optional modules (the amount depending on credit requirement) from:

• Philosophy Project and Placement Module - builds on the knowledge you've acquired across the course and allows you to demonstrate a systematic understanding of key aspects of philosophy, including acquisition of coherent and detailed understanding which is informed by knowledge at the forefront of philosophy. You'll also demonstrate critical skills in the development of your own arguments and positions.
• Decolonisation in Theory and Practice - will critically discuss and utilize a series of pivotal concepts and experiences within the European and extra-European political tradition, such as democracy, transitional justice, civil disobedience, social change, political solidarity, and decolonial struggle.
• Philosophy of Mental Health and Psychiatry - addresses the underlying concepts, paradigms and ethical assumptions in mental health, its treatment, mental health policy, and the representation and public perception of mental illness.
• Philosophy of Science, Nature and Sustainability - explores different approaches in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of nature, and investigates their implications for technologies of the future and sustainability.
• Thought in Action: Film and Philosophy - explores the relationship between film and philosophy and allows students to engage the public in order to further disseminate their philosophical reflections on film.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.