Philosophy and Politics - BA (Hons)

Durham University

Gain an understanding of the human mind, organisations and political power. Studying BA Philosophy and Politics will allow you to develop critical capacities and gain insight into how political theories, organisations and communities work. You will learn skills from both subjects that employers value, including how to analyse evidence, assess experts’ arguments, work collaboratively to solve difficult problems, and write with clarity and precision. Rather than learning a body of work, the philosophical element of your degree will equip you with the reasoning skills needed to formulate, present, defend and criticise philosophical and political positions. The political element is structured around three main streams: Political Thought, Political Institutions and International Relations. As well as developing your research skills, you have the opportunity to study the politics and international relations of specific regions. You will undertake theoretical examinations that help to understand how to make sense of a complex and interconnected world. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to the course, increasing the course from three years to four. Philosophy is a new subject for many students, so in your first year you will follow a range of introductory courses, introducing the fundamental philosophical subject areas. In your second year, you will further increase your knowledge by taking two core modules, Moral Theory and Political Philosophy, and you also have a wide selection of optional modules to choose from across both disciplines. The third year includes a dissertation that allows a deep, independently driven, exploration of a topic of your choice.Course structureYear 1 modulesCore modules:Ethics and Values provides a structured introduction to moral philosophy, including applied ethics, by exploring key moral concepts and showing how they influence moral practices and theories.Knowledge and Reality introduces philosophical problems in epistemology (the study of knowledge), and metaphysics (the study of reality and ourselves).Reading Philosophy allows you to acquire an understanding of the issues of interpretation and comprehension in reading primary authors, through a detailed study of four thematically related texts.Political Theory lays the basis for a systematic understanding of the role that key political ideals, values and theories play in shaping modern political thought: justifying and critiquing political institutions and public policy, and influencing political behaviour and change. You will be introduced to the contested nature and boundaries of political theories and ideas, offering initial insight into the significance of this contestation for wider human activity.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: International Security, Interdependence and OrganisationGlobal Regions in International RelationsIntroduction to International RelationsIntroduction to Comparative PoliticsBeing Human: An Introduction to Post-Kantian Philosophy Year 2 modulesCore modules:Moral Theory develops an understanding of important moral theories past and present and is also intended to provide a background to applied ethics.Political Philosophy examines how philosophical perspectives can aid understanding of social and political issues, and how social and political issues can have relevance to philosophical theories.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Philosophy of MindLanguage, Logic and RealityFundamentals of LogicEarly Modern PhilosophyPhilosophy of ReligionPhilosophy of ScienceHistory, Science and MedicineThe Philosophy of Economics and Politics: Theory, Methods and Values. Year 3 modulesCore modules:Dissertation The final year includes a philosophy or politics-focused Dissertation in which you research a topic in depth and present your findings and conclusi