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BA in Philosophy

This degree will enable you to wrestle with fundamental questions about the nature of existence, minds, objects, language, logic, space and time. You will not only learn about philosophical topics, but you’ll also develop the skills required to engage actively with those topics, in a vibrant and supportive academic community.

Programme content

We emphasise the study of Philosophy’s core traditions (e.g. in the works of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume and Kant), as a background to understanding and critically interrogating more recent philosophical questions and concerns. In your second and third years, we give you the freedom to choose your own path through the subject, selecting from an exceptionally broad range of module topics, which currently include: Hegel, Nietzsche, Sartre, Russell, Ethics of Sociability, Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems, Aesthetics, Feminism, Meaning, and Mind. Throughout your degree you will also have the opportunity to take modules from outside of the department, tailoring your degree to what interests you.

Our students benefit from expert guidance from staff in developing strong analytical and critical skills alongside the ability to integrate large bodies of information involving multiple perspectives.

A wide variety of employers value the core abilities of philosophers to explain ideas clearly and to argue persuasively, orally, and in writing. In your first year, you'll gain a solid grounding in the art of philosophy and its history, and familiarity with an unusually broad range of philosophical questions. You'll also develop proficiency in the close reading of complex texts and the preparation of well-crafted prose. Throughout your time with us, we'll support you in improving your philosophical abilities and your knowledge of the subject.

In your second and third years, we'll help you to deepen your philosophical knowledge and skills through a wide range of more specialised option modules.Through engaging in depth with specific topics and thinkers, you'll learn how to closely read and analyse philosophical and other literature, and to think and write clearly.

Our academics produce world-leading research in both analytic and continental philosophy, as well as in interdisciplinary work involving psychology, mathematics, and literature. Because we are involved in teaching at all levels, you are learning from individuals at the forefront of their fields from day one.

Course Structure/Modules

In your first year, your modules will include the following core modules:

You'll also select optional modules comprising 30 CATS.

Some recommended choices from the Philosophy department are listed below. However, you may select modules from other departments if you wish.

In your second year you will study the following modules:

In your final year, there are no core modules. You choose optional modules totalling 120 CATS. At least 90 CATS should come from our optional philosophy modules. The remaining 30 CATS may come from other departments if you wish.

*Full module description will be available in September 2018.

View our list of optional philosophy modules available in 2017/18 academic year (which is indicative of the type of list available in future years)

Further Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

The student experience

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If I could sum up the Philosophy course at Warwick in one word it would be...modern. I found that unlike some institutions that tend to focus only on the typical Plato and Aristotle type modules, Warwick gives you the opportunity to intertwine philosophy with your everyday life. One of my favourite modules was ‘Philosophy through film’ which involved investigating whether films could actually do philosophy. Although we didn’t get to swap lectures for film screenings, we had fun movie nights, thoughtful debates and eventually created our own short films.

Our lecturers encouraged us to genuinely investigate the aspects of philosophy that interestested us so that we were constantly curious in what we were studying and keen to contribute our own ideas.

The department is keen to show us that we have support systems and holds events, talks and movie nights to bring philosophy students together. As a smaller department, philosophy students here are very connected and have a safe space (common room) with free drinks to accommodate us. I like the fact that no matter how intense things get, you know you have someone to rant to and a nice cosy space to do it in.

- Oray Adedulu, BA Philosophy (2018)