BA Philosophy, Ethics and Religion

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should be able to:
- engage in reasoned empathetic discussion of often highly-charged topics on issues with multiple and conflicting interpretations/viewpoints with individuals holding different views;
- display openness and independence of mind, be receptive to new ideas and approaches, subject new ideas and approaches to critical scrutiny;
- engage in informed reflection on their own lives and place in the world, the presuppositions of other individuals and groups (including awareness of differences created by time, place, culture, religion and society);
- carry out both guided and autonomous research;
- demonstrate extensive knowledge in their area of specialism;
- begin to develop original contributions in either discipline or an interdisciplinary area if their aptitude and personal aspirations make this appropriate;
- develop the kind of conceptual understanding which enables an argument to be developed and sustained;
- employ a variety of methods to analyse material, think independently, set tasks and solve problems;
- identify the underlying philosophical or religious issues in a debate, analyse complex problems and detect relevance and irrelevance;
- undertake research on particular topics and in defined areas;
- read and analyse complex texts (be they philosophical, religious, theological critical or analytic) and be sensitive to issues of interpretation (exhibiting, where appropriate and desired, linguistic and text-critical skills);
- understand and demonstrate coherent and detailed subject knowledge and professional competencies (including the accurate deployment of standard techniques of analysis and enquiry) informed by recent research/scholarship in the disciplines of Philosophy and/or Theology & Religious Studies;
- make appropriate use of scholarship, scholarly reviews and primary sources;
- evaluate material against consciously articulated and considered criteria that may be defended against alternative possibilities;
- construct reasoned argument for a point of view and present it in clear structured prose;
- synthesise material from disparate sources and make connections between different fields of study.

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:
- self-discipline, self-direction, attention to detail and independence of mind alongside listening, reasoned empathetic evaluatory, critical evaluatory and decision-making skills;
- the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in a plural society related to the area(s) studied (ie Communication, Group Work, Problem Solving, IT, evaluation of different sorts of evidence and the construction of argument, writing skills, including accurate referencing and clarity of expression);
- the skills necessary for the exercising of initiative and personal responsibility in a range of professional and personal situations (ie Learning to Learn, Self-management, Time-management, Self-sufficiency, interactions with others);
- skills in the communication of information, ideas, problems and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences;
- the ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature or postgraduate study.

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:
- demonstrating a broad knowledge-base;
- work that draws on a wide variety of material;
- the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
- work that is typically both evaluative and creative;
- demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the disciplines of Philosophy and/or Theology & Religious Studies;
- evidence of in-depth enquiry within the disciplines of Philosophy and/or Theology & Religious Studies;
- demonstrating the ability to work in an interdisciplinary way.