BA Philosophy

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme students should have:
a) Acquired an advanced appreciation of philosophical analysis and so developed the skill of more independent analysis and construction of arguments
b) The ability to understand and critically engage (through advanced analysis) with the writings of some major philosophers in both contemporary theory and the history of philosophy
c) The ability to specialise and so apply their knowledge of philosophical concepts, theories and arguments to a more focused range of topics in their chosen area in which they can demonstrate advanced understanding and analysis
d) The ability to engage in informed reflection on their own lives and place in the world
e) The ability to identify and reflect on the presuppositions of specific disciplines and practices, such as art, politics, the physical, life and social sciences, as part of more focused study
f) The ability to apply their more advanced understanding of philosophical concepts and methodologies to their own views, thus developing those views to a higher level of sophistication

Transferable (key) skills

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

> Qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment (communication both written and verbal, problem solving, teamwork, ability to assess arguments, ability to construct and defend their own view, ability to work independently, and use of IT);
> Skills necessary for the exercising of personal responsibility (learning to learn, self management, awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses, strategies to improve their skills).

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:

1. Demonstrating an advanced ability to apply the skills of argument analysis and philosophical methodology to their own philosophical view and that of others
2. Demonstrating a developed understanding of, and critical engagement with, a broad range of concepts, theories, arguments, and topics/writers in contemporary theory and the history of philosophy
3. Demonstrating the ability to specialise and so attain a more advanced understanding of, and critical engagement with, a focused range of concepts, theories and arguments
4. Demonstrating the ability for in-depth, independent philosophical research
5. Demonstrating the ability to reflect upon the implications of philosophy for their own lives and the world around them