BA Philosophy and Politics

Year 1

(Award available for year: Certificate of Higher Educ)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year students should have developed to an intermediate level the skills developed at Level 1, and should have:
- acquired a sound grasp of central contexts, texts and theories in central areas of the discipline
- begun to develop the ability to see interconnections between different areas of the discipline, and to synthesise a view of their own.
They should have provided evidence of being able to:
- apply generic and subject specific intellectual qualities to standard situations outside the context in which they were originally studied;
- use a range of techniques to initiate and undertake the analysis of data and information;
- effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms.

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:

- demonstrate grasp of basic concepts and theories relevant to understanding and explaining political processes
-demonstrate grasp of the basic fundamentals of political systems

- critically appraise key aspects of political systems and political concepts
- present structured arguments which develop sustained evaluation of key debates concerning political processes
- generate and support one’s own interpretation of political events or processes
-access and utilise key readings within the discipline of political analysis and cognate disciplines where appropriate

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

- accessing library materials; accessing on-line materials; ability to construct and defend written arguments; ability to construct and defend orally presented arguments; ability to evaluate competing interpretations
- ability to organise time; to submit completed work to deadline; to work with others in completing set goals

Assessment

The achievement of the programme outcomes 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 the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the disciplines;
- work that draws on a wide variety of material associated with the disciplines;
- the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
- evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the disciplines;
- work that is both evaluative and creative.

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:

- completing essay/exam work in which students will evaluate aspects of political systems, processes and theories/concepts
- preparing oral presentations which critically assess key political issues;