Philosophy

Ancient Greek Philosophy

This module is designed to introduce students to the two greatest philosophers of ancient Greece, Plato and Aristotle. The focus is on ethical and political themes in Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Apart from their intrinsic interest, these texts are among the most influential in the history of philosophy. This module will include a session on employability. *Combined honours students only need to take Ancient Greek Philosophy OR Early Modern Philosophy as compulsory.

Early Modern Philosophy

This module is designed to introduce you to representative texts from the early modern period. The first part is devoted to Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and examines his attempts to provide a firm basis for knowledge. The second part is devoted to Hume's Treatise on Human Nature and his Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, examining his attempts to construct a theory of the workings of the human mind. We will also look at related texts by Berkeley, Locke, Leibniz, and Spinoza. This module will include a session on employability. *Combined honours students only need to take Ancient Greek Philosophy OR Early Modern Philosophy as compulsory.

Continental Philosophy of Religion

This module will provide you with an approach to the philosophy of religion shaped by range of thinkers in the ‘Continental’ European tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. It begins by considering the critique of the concept of God (with particular reference to the role played by Feuerbach) and the role of religion in the writings of 'the masters of suspicion' (Nietzsche, Marx and Freud), and proceeds to consider different responses to the critique of God and religion.

Culture, Gender and Sexuality

This module explores the relationship between issues of gender, sexuality and culture as key factors in human identity, development and society. It critiques traditional and static understandings of gender and sexuality, drawing on the insights of a diversity of disciplines, including those of gender studies, critical theory, queer theory, feminist theology and feminist criticism. The aim of the module is to encourage you to question your existing ‘common sense’ understanding of terms such as gender and sexuality, and to think about the uses to which such terms are put in contemporary culture. Indeed, the aim of this course is not to provide answers, but to encourage you to ask questions.

Evolution and the Mind

This module will introduce you to the philosophical study of the mind as a product of cognitive evolution. You will gain a better understanding of how humans think, and of how the evolved structure of the human mind has a profound influence on elements of human culture, such as religion and the arts. We will examine the relationship between biological and cultural evolution in human behaviour, exploring topics such as cultural group selection, the epidemiology of representations, and evolutionary psychology.

Hellenistic Philosophy

In ancient Greece, philosophy was thought to be more than simply a discipline of academic interest. Many philosophers saw themselves as analogous to physicians. If physicians treat and heal the body, the work of the philosopher was to provide comparable therapy for the soul. This view was common to Aristotle, the Epicureans, the Sceptics and the Stoics. This module is designed to introduce you to this philosophical tradition and the work of its proponents.

Philosophy of Language

Language is central to human life and so has attracted much attention from philosophers. This module examines some of the key debates about language that have excited philosophers over the past few decades. These include questions as to the nature of language, how language is acquired, whether language can be studied scientifically, and the relationship between language and thought.

Philosophy of Science

This module introduces you to contemporary philosophy of science. We will discuss a number of related issues concerning the nature and justification of scientific theories, the role of observation in science, the ontological status of theoretical entities and the structure of science.

Independent Study: Work and Community Related Learning

This module aims to support your development in relation to the world of work and future employability. It lets you pick your own work placement and write a reflective journal of 3000 words based on the experience. You can even use your existing job as a basis for a study topic. For example, if you work part-time in a care home you could write a project on memory loss in Alzheimer's patients, or look at issues of power and authority in the workplace.

Dissertation in Philosophy

In this module you will conduct an extended critical investigation and written presentation of a topic, theme or issue, relevant to the field of philosophy.

Experimental Philosophy

This module will introduce you to the recent field of experimental philosophy, helping you to understand how we can test philosophical theories empirically. You will examine the roots of experimental philosophy in early modern authors such as Hume and Locke, who attempted to resolve philosophical issues through empirical observations. You will learn to interpret and conduct (at an elementary level - no advanced mathematical background is required) statistical tests to examine philosophical hypotheses.

Freedom, Justice and Political Theory

This module will examine key political concepts: freedom, justice, and the community. It will take account of affiliated concepts including rights and equality. In considering these concepts, differing theoretical treatments of them will be related to the roles they play in the practical world of politics. Liberal, radical, feminist and communitarian theoretical standpoints will be analysed.

Independent Study Module

A single advanced module designed to develop independent learning skills and to enable you to build upon your knowledge and disciplinary skills in the philosophy field. You will carry out individual projects and must negotiate an overall programme plan and method of assessment with an appointed supervisor.

Medieval Philosophy

This module introduces you to an unfairly neglected period in the history of western philosophy. This module is designed to introduce you to the extremely high quality work produced in this period by a variety of thinkers, work that continues to attract current interest. It is also designed to provide you with the means of filling in the historical gap between ancient Greek philosophy and the modern period.

Metaethics

This advanced module is devoted to the sustained and detailed exploration of a topic introduced in the compulsory Introduction to Philosophy, namely, the realism vs. noncognitivism dispute in meta-ethics. The implications of meta-ethical theories for normative ethics will also be explored.

Moral Psychology

Philosophy of Mind

This module is designed to introduce you to one of the liveliest areas of current research: contemporary philosophy of mind. Much of the current work in the field is devoted to the task of explaining how mental phenomena can be accommodated within a physicalist framework.

Philosophy of Education

This module engages with questions about the nature, aims and justification of education through a distinctively philosophical approach. It will examine a range of contemporary, historical and international perspectives. You will engage in a critical dialogue with some of the seminal texts that have shaped the way we understand the educational endeavour and will be encouraged to examine your own assumptions about education.

Special Topics in Metaphysics

This module is designed to help you develop your reading and oral presentation skills. This is predominantly a student-led module. You will present seminar papers on classic philosophical works - either journal articles or chapters from seminal monographs - in the areas of metaphysics and the philosophy of logic. You will assess each other's presentations. You will also write an essay on a topic related to your seminar presentation.

Thinking in Dark Times

This module considers the problem of evil; the social context which surrounds the philosophical framing of it, and the way in which philosophers have responded to the events of dark times. Are there forms of philosophy more likely to enable ways of responding to and combating the lived experience of evil? What happens to philosophical and intellectual responsibility in dark times?

Work placements

You will have the opportunity to undertake a work and community-related learning module as part of your degree. We also offer you the chance to take part in the ‘philosophy with schools’ programme. This voluntary programme offers you specialist training before embarking on a placement in a local school, teaching philosophy to children as an enriching educational activity. Travel and associated costs of all work placements are the responsibility of the student, therefore it is advised that they organise placements bearing this in mind.