BA Philosophy and Politics(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the year, you will be able to:
Philosophy LOs
1. Apply advanced skills of philosophical analysis to the writings of some major philosophers in contemporary theory and/or the history of philosophy
2. Demonstrate specialised knowledge and analysis of philosophical concepts, theories and arguments in a chosen area(s)
3. Identify and reflect upon the implications of philosophy for your own life and/or the world around you
4. Apply your understanding of philosophical areas of enquiry, concepts and methodologies, to effectively develop and articulate a sophisticated philosophical view of your own

Politics LOs
5. Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the core concepts and processes of Politics, and competency with specialist theories and literatures relevant to specific areas of study.
6. Appreciate and critically evaluate the appropriateness of different theoretical approaches to the processes and dynamics of Politics.
7. Evaluate and critique the roles and practices of various political actors, such as states, parties, and non-state groups; as well as themes and concepts such as gender, violence, identity, and culture.
8. Appropriately select between generic and subject specific intellectual tools to evaluate empirical material and case study examples from politics.
9. Critically appraise a range of research techniques used to produce and assess data and information, and apply relevant research skills for assignments.

Joint LO
10. Undertake extended, detailed independent research and apply an advanced understanding of concepts and methodologies in either discipline to develop and defend your own views

Skills Learning Outcomes
1. Express yourself orally and in writing in a clear, concise, focused and structured manner (Academic and Work Ready skill)
2. Use a range of digital technologies to find, retrieve and process data, and to produce outputs such as presentations, summaries, reports, and discussions (Digital, Work Ready and Academic skill)
3. Search for, evaluate and use a range of relevant sources to strengthen the quality of academic work and independent research (Academic, Work Ready and Enterprise skill)
4. Plan and execute a self-guided piece of research (Academic and Work Ready skill)
5. Identify when, why and how to appropriately acknowledge someone else’s work and ideas (Academic and Work Ready skill)
6. Work with others in a collaborative way and have well developed strategies for overcoming the challenges of such collaboration (Work Ready and Enterprise skill)
7. Communicate complex information, ideas, problems, and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences (Academic and Work Ready Skill)
8. Manage your time, prioritise tasks, organise academic and personal commitments effectively to meet deadlines (Academic and Work Ready Skill)
9. Work independently, and on own initiative (Academic and Work Ready skill)
10. Learn proactively and adopt effective learning strategies (Academic and Work Ready skill)
11. Be aware of your own strengths and development needs and seek/accept feedback (Academic and Work Ready skill)
12. Set and achieve goals (Work Ready skill)

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year and will include essays, presentations, portfolios, literature reviews, reports, learning logs, blogs, poster-presentations, and podcasts.
All final year students complete a research project in either Philosophy or Politics which showcases the academic skills developed through the programme. The final year project also develops work-ready and enterprise skills.
Assessment is streamlined so that LOs are not assessed more than once on each module. There will be varied forms of unassessed formative exercises allowing students to make progress with the LOs and skills outside an assessment context. Opportunities for explicit discussion and support will continue to be made available by module leaders in office hours and in routine meetings with academic personal tutors.
Core modules and any combination of optional modules will enable students to achieve all the learning outcomes.