Philosophy, Religion and Ethics BA

Writing Philosophy

Philosophical writing is a skill that you, the student, must hone early on in order to succeed in your degree. It is also a transferable skill that will serve you in your post-academic career. Philosophical writing combines the general virtues of clarity, organisation, focus and style found in other academic writing with particular philosophical virtues; namely, the ability to expose the implicit assumptions of analysed texts and to make explicit the logical structure of one's own and other people's arguments. A precondition of philosophical writing is a unique form of textual analysis that pays particular attention to its argumentative structure. In this module you will learn and practice philosophical writing. You will learn how to read in preparation for philosophical writing, learn how to plan an essay, learn how to rework your drafts and learn how to use feedback constructively.  Short writing exercises will help you hone specific writing skills. You will bring these skills together by writing a number of complete essays. The lectures in the course will be split between lectures on the art of writing and lectures on philosophical topics in the domain of fact and value. Essay topics will be based on the topical lectures and their associated readings.

20 credits

Religion, Reason and Reality

Religious traditions typically understand reality as involving more than just the tangible physical world.  This module tackles philosophical questions about religion and reality.  These include questions about different conceptions of God and the justification for religious beliefs, such as belief in God, supernatural forces and an afterlife.  And questions about the nature of religious 'beliefs': are these the same kind of thing as mundane 'beliefs'?   They also include questions about reality, raised by potential technological advances, like the question of whether we are living in a simulation, and how we should think about God if we think we are.  And the question of whether technologies like virtual reality can offer what people have long sought from religion.

20 credits

Plus the below - details to be confirmed.

- Religion in Britain
- Ethics and Society

Optional modules:

Mind and World

This module is an introduction to a range of topics in epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind. In the first half of the module we consider questions such as: How should we understand knowledge? What implications does cognitive and cultural diversity have for our understanding of knowledge? Should we privilege some points of view? Should we trust others? Can we wrong them if we don't? And what should we say about disagreement? In the second half of the module we ask questions such as: Is the mind a physical thing? Can a machine have a mind? Can you survive the destruction of your body? Do you have free will? And can a machine be responsible for its own actions?

20 credits

Bodies, Sex and Desires

This module introduces students to some key topics in the Philosophy of Sex and Queer Theory. We will begin with the surprisingly difficult questions of what sex is, and what a sexual orientation is, examining these questions from the perspective of contemporary philosophy, and also the history of sexuality and desire. We will consider a range of issues around the nature of embodiment, for example, whether there are only two biological sexes (male and female), as well as social and political implications of these categorisations. We will also discuss the nature of intimacy and relationships, including asexuality, aromanticism, polyamory; 'sexual racism'; how we should understand consent; and whether having power over someone makes it impermissible to have sex with them. Finally, we will think about some issues surrounding sex work, focusing on whether or not it is inherently different from other jobs, and whether there is anything morally problematic about pornography.The readings and perspectives covered in this module are diverse, and include examples from empirical studies, media and popular culture. You can develop knowledge of your favourite topics in the portfolio assessment, engaging with module readings in Philosophy of Sex, and Queer theory.

20 credits

Reason and Argument

This module teaches basic philosophical concepts and skills to do with argument.  The first part of the course deals with arguments in ordinary language.  It teaches techniques for recognizing, interpreting, analyzing, and assessing arguments of various kinds.  It also teaches important concepts related to arguments, such as truth, validity, explanation, entailment, consistency, and necessity.  The second part of the course is a basic introduction to formal logic.  It teaches how to translate ordinary-language arguments into formal languages, which enables you to rigorously prove validity, consistency, and so on.

20 credits

Science, Medicine and Society

This is a module on the relationship between science, society, and values and serves as an introduction to the philosophy of science and bioethics.

Science plays an essential role in modern society. We trust science, and its results, on a day to day basis as we navigate our worlds and interact with each other. Yet, what is it about science, or scientific methodology, that makes it so trustworthy? We will investigate a range of questions that concern the epistemology and social structure of science. These include: What is the relationship between evidence, observation, and theory? Is there a distinctive scientific methodology? Does the social structure of science help or hinder scientific research? After considering these theoretical questions, we will turn to questions of value and a range of problems that arise with the application of science. Some of these problems are historic but many have emerged as we move through the 21st century. In a pandemic, for example, how should we balance concerns for liberty and protecting the vulnerable? Should we try to 'enhance' human beings, or should we be happy with the way we are? How might the use of artificial intelligence impact trust in the healthcare system? This module thus moves from the theoretical to the practical.

20 credits

Death and Killing

This module introduces students to some key philosophical questions about life and death. What is death? What happens to us when we die? Could there be an afterlife? Would it be a good thing if there were? Is it rational to fear death? Do we have moral duties towards the dead? If death is usually bad for us then killing someone, or allowing them to die, is usually wrong. But it is not always wrong. There are exceptions. The module looks at a range of life-and-death situations that may include euthanasia, abortion, killing non-human animals, war and capital punishment.

20 credits

History of Philosophy

In Philosophy the past can be a guide to the present.  The ideas that shape and guide philosophical thought can be understood by examining their historical development.  This module will introduce students to key debates and the thought of key figures from the history of philosophy. The focus will be on a number of selected readings covering topics of central philosophical importance from philosophy's long past.

20 credits

Plus Foundations in literary study: Biblical & Classical Sources - details to be confirmed

Core modules:

Religion and the Good Life

What, if anything, does religion have to do with a well-lived life? For example, does living well require obeying God's commands? Does it require atheism? Are the possibilities for a good life enhanced or only diminished if there is a God, or if Karma is true? Does living well take distinctive virtues like faith, mindfulness, or humility as these have been understood within religious traditions? In this module, we will examine recent philosophical work on questions like these while engaging with a variety of religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Islam, and Judaism.

20 credits

Plus the below - details to be confirmed:

- Life Worth Living
- Ethics: from Theory to Practice
- Ethnography and Lived Religion

Optional modules:

Feminism

Feminists have famously claimed that the personal is political. This module takes up various topics with that methodological idea in mind: the family, cultural critique, language. We examine feminist methodologies - how these topics might be addressed by a feminism that is inclusive of all women - and also turn attention to social structures within which personal choices are made - capitalism, and climate crisis .

20 credits

The Philosophy of AI and Robotics

This module will investigate a range of philosophical  issues pertaining to current developments in AI and  robotics. Example topics might include relationships with  AI and robots, responsibility concerns in regard to  autonomous technology such as self-driving cars, the rise of data ethics, and the rights of cyborgs and future  artificial beings. By studying these topics and others,  students will gain a broad knowledge of the philosophical  questions pertaining to contemporary and near-future  technology, develop their ability to critically assess and  discuss philosophy in regards to real world uses and  developments in AI and robotics, as well as improve their  understanding of how theoretical philosophical theories  can be applied and used to tackle practical challenges  posed by modern technology.

20 credits

Good Books: Intertextual Approaches to Literature and the Bible

Literature, film and television constantly return to the Bible as a source of narrative, character and image. Biblical texts are translated, rewritten, transposed and radically challenged by literature from the medieval period to the present day and so intertextual readings of the Bible and literature provide insight into the ways authors engage with politics, philosophy, and tradition. Our module explores a range of intertextual relationships, from medieval dream poetry through to contemporary writing and cultural representation, including a range of genres and approaches. We will analyse film, TV and visual media as well as literary forms, to explore the ways in which creative writers interpret and re-imagine biblical narratives and tropes.

20 credits

Philosophy of the Arts

This module introduces students to a broad range of issues in the philosophy of art. The first half asks 'What is art?'. It examines three approaches: expression theories, institutional accounts, and the cluster account. This is followed by two critiques focusing on the lack of women in the canon and problems surrounding 'primitive' art. The evolutionary approach to art is discussed , and two borderline cases: craft and pornography. The second half examines four issues: cultural appropriation of art, pictorial representation, aesthetic experience and the everyday, and the nature of artistic creativity.

20 credits

Philosophy of Education

What is education? And what is it for? These are the questions at the heart of this course. To begin to try to answer them, students will engage in: (1) a theoretical exploration of the central philosophical problems related to education and schooling; and (2) a practical task focusing on learning how philosophy can be taught effectively to secondary school pupils. The theoretical exploration will be taught in a similar way to other philosophy modules (through a weekly lecture and seminar) and a mid-term coursework essay will assess this component (counting for 50% of the module grade).

The practical element will be taught through workshops, engagement with reflective practice, observations at a secondary school, and actual experience of running seminars with secondary school pupils at the University during a three-day conference at the end of the course. The practical part of the course will be assessed by a teaching portfolio (which counts for 50% of the module grade) composed of lesson plans and a reflection. Teaching is a special kind of challenge, but students on the course are not expected to have any previous experience in teaching or in planning lessons. Help and support will be provided throughout the module to make the delivery of lessons to secondary school pupils a realistic goal for all motivated students.

20 credits

Plus the below - details to be confirmed:

- Science and the Search for Reality
- Mind and Language
- Global History of Philosophy
- Political Philosophy
- Knowing and Being
- Social Justice Today

Core modules - details to be confirmed:

- Dissertation project
- Communicating Philosophy

Optional modules:

Ethics and Belief

We know things as individuals, but we also know things collectively. And what we know individually can depend on our relation to other knowers and collective knowledge. These relations are not merely epistemic, they are also practical and ethical. Knowledge can, for instance, be based on trust, while a failure to recognize someone as a knower can be a matter of injustice. Knowledge thereby has a social character and an ethical dimension. This course will introduce a broad range of topics in epistemology that explore this social and ethical turn.

20 credits

Global Justice

What are the demands of justice at the global level? On this module we will examine this question from the perspective of analytic Anglo-American political philosophy. We will start by looking at some debates about the nature of global justice, such as whether justice demands the eradication of global inequalities. We will then turn to various questions of justice that arise at the global level, potentially including: how jurisdiction over territory might be justified; whether states have a right to exclude would-be immigrants; whether reparations are owed for past international injustices such as colonialism; and how to identify responsibilities for combatting global injustice.

20 credits

People, Organisations and Technology

This module addresses some of the most important moral and political questions faced by human beings in our relation to each other, to organizations and to technology.  The aim of the module is to understand some of our  basic moral concepts as they apply in the context of organisational life as mediated by technology; including truthfulness, trustworthiness, integrity, manipulation, freedom, responsibility and complicity. 

Can organisations be held morally responsible for the effects they have on the world, or is moral responsibility restricted to individuals? What about the effects of technology, such as artificially intelligent machines? 

Does it make sense  to hold a machine morally responsible for its behaviour? Is information technology a threat to human freedom or flourishing  in virtue of its ability to predict, manipulate or control human thought and behaviour? And to what extent do current technological development reinforce existing injustice, oppression or prejudice, as opposed to presenting us with new form

of emancipation, protection or control? In this module these and related questions are addressed both theoretically and by applying them to actual example in the present.

20 credits

Memory and the Self

Our memories of our personal past (i.e. our episodic memories) play an important role in our lives. They help us perform mundane tasks like finding our keys, but they arguably also form the foundation of our sense of self and personal identity. They let us know who we are by recording what we've done and experienced. In this module we will try to better understand what episodic memory is and to what extent it grounds our understanding of the self. This module will introduce students to the cognitive science of memory and to core issues in the philosophical foundations of cognitive science.In the first part of the module, we will look at methodological issues that arise when we attempt to describe the mind's structure within philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. In the second part of the module, we will look towards the cognitive sciences to better understand what sort of thing episodic memory is. In the final part of the module, we will consider the relationship between episodic memory and our sense of the self. This is an interdisciplinary module. Understanding how the mind is structured is a complex project. In order to make progress we need to appeal to both empirical and philosophical work (and work that blurs this distinction). We'll read scientific and philosophical papers; however, no prior knowledge of cognitive science (or neuroscience) will be presumed.

20 credits

The Science of Consciousness

Consciousness is at once both something incredibly familiar and something utterly mysterious. Consciousness seems to be a subjective phenomenon to which we have a privileged first-person access Yet, this very subjective nature of consciousness makes it hard, if not impossible, to scientifically study. In this module we'll look at recent developments in the study of consciousness from across the cognitive sciences (including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and biology). This module will also serve as an introduction to some core issues in the philosophical foundations of cognitive science.In the first part of the module, we will look at various theories of consciousness from across different disciplines. In the second part of the module, we'll look at specific methodological issues that arise in studying consciousness in human and non-human animals.This is an interdisciplinary module. Understanding how the mind is structured is a complex project. In order to make progress we need to appeal to both empirical and philosophical work (and work that blurs this distinction). We'll read scientific and philosophical papers; however, no prior knowledge of cognitive science (or neuroscience) will be presumed.

20 credits

Phenomenology

This module introduces students to Phenomenology - a philosophical tradition in continental European philosophy, which is closely related to Existentialism. Phenomenology seeks to understand the human condition. Its starting-point is everyday experience, where this includes both mundane and less ordinary forms of experience such as those typically associated with conditions such as schizophrenia. Whilst Phenomenology encompasses a diverse range of thinkers and ideas, there tends to be a focus on consciousness as embodied, situated in a particular physical, social, and cultural environment, essentially related to other people, and existing in time. (This is in contrast to the disembodied, universal, and isolated notion of the subject that comes largely from the Cartesian tradition.) There is a corresponding emphasis on the world we inhabit as a distinctively human environment that depends in certain ways on us for its character and existence. Some of the central topics addressed by Phenomenology include: embodiment; ageing and death; the lived experience of oppression; human freedom; our relations with and knowledge of, other people; the experience of time; and the nature of the world. In this module, we will discuss a selection of these and related topics, examining them through the work of key figures in the Phenomenological Movement, such as Edmund Husserl, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Frantz Fanon, and Edith Stein.

20 credits

Free Will & Religion

This module focuses on philosophical questions about the relationship between free will and theistic religions. It has often been claimed that adherents of these religions have significant motivations to affirm an incompatibilist conception of free will according to which free will is incompatible with determinism. Incompatibilist conceptions of free will, it has been argued, have benefits for the theist such as enabling them to better account for the existence of moral evil, natural evil, divine hiddenness, and traditional conceptions of hell. Yet, on the other hand, it has been argued that there is a significant tension between theistic religions and incompatibilist conceptions of free will. For example, there are tempting arguments that an incompatibilist conception of free will makes trouble for affirming traditional views about God's omniscience, freedom, and providence. We will engage in a critical examination of these and related arguments.

20 credits

Work Place Learning

This module involves a work placement of 35-70 hours with a local organisation (voluntary or commercial sector). You will experience firsthand the practical challenges and problems facing the organisation. You will learn about the organisation's overall aims, and the various methods and strategies employed to accomplish those aims. You will draw on the concepts and theoretical frameworks studied in your other philosophy modules to identify a philosophical issue relevant to the organisation's work or goals, and to write a piece or pieces of coursework addressing that issue; or you will be able to use the skills and knowledge you have gained in your other philosophy modules to analyse a problem of philosophical interest faced by the organisation or encountered in the course of your employment. You will have two meetings together with other students in the module to discuss your work placement and formulate ideas for your written coursework. You will have a further individual meeting with the module convener or an appropriate supervisor from the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities to discuss the progression of the coursework.

At the end of the module, you should have:

    the ability to apply ideas from your other philosophy modules in rigorously assessing the challenges facing organisations like the one you worked for, and interrogating potential solutions to them

    insight into the practical application of theoretical issues in philosophy

    practical experience that will make you a strong candidate for jobs in the sector you worked in.

20 credits

Philosophy of Psychology

This course provides an in-depth look at a selection of issues in contemporary philosophy of psychology. Philosophy of psychology is concerned with such questions as : What is the structure and organisation of the human mind? Is the mind one big homogenous thing, or is it made up of smaller interacting components? If it has components, what sort are they and how are they interrelated? What aspects of our minds are uniquely, or distinctively human? What is the cognitive basis for such capacities as our capacity for language, rationality, science, mathematics, cultural artefacts, altruism, cooperation, war, morality and art? To what extent are the concepts, rules, biases, and cognitive processes that we possess universal features of all human beings and to what extent are they culturally (or otherwise) variable? Do infants (non-human) animals, and individuals with cognitive deficits have minds, and if so, what are they like? To what extent are these capacities learned as opposed to innately given? How important is evolutionary theory to the study of the mind? What is the Self? What are concepts? Is all thought conceptual? Is all thought conscious? What is consciousness? This course will discuss a selection of these and related issues by looking at the work of philosophers, psychologists, and others working within the cognitive sciences more generally.

20 credits

Utopia, Reform and Democracy

Humanity faces a recurrent political challenge: the task of steering itself towards a sustainable and just future. A crucial part of this challenge involves developing a vision of change, of an achievable good society: a vision of the harbour we are aiming for as we sail through these troubled waters. But how are those visions to be enacted in the world? What theories of change lay at the heart of various philosophical visions? This module will introduce students to some of the major schools of thought - historical and contemporary - regarding the relationship between social theory and political practice.

20 credits

Pain, Pleasure, and Emotions

Affective states like pain, pleasure, and emotions have a profound bearing on the meaning and quality of our lives. Chronic pain can be completely disabling, while insensitivity to pain can be fatal. Analogously, a life without pleasure looks like a life of boredom, but excessive pleasure seeking can disrupt decision-making. In this module, we will explore recent advances in the study of the affective mind, by considering theoretical work in the philosophy of mind as well as empirical research in affective cognitive science. These are some of the problems that we will explore: Why does pain feel bad? What is the relation between pleasure and happiness? Are emotions cognitive states? Are moral judgments based on emotions? Can we know what other people are feeling?

20 credits

Bodies and Souls

Descartes is famous for his view that all mental activity takes place in an immaterial substance, so that what we call a human being is really two things: a thinking soul and an unthinking body. Aristotle thought that every living thing, whether conscious or not, was a compound of matter and form, and he called this form a 'soul'. This view, 'hylomorphism', dominated European philosophy throughout the middle ages. Both views are currently the subject of renewed interest. This module will examine them from a contemporary perspective.

20 credits

Plato's Symposium

The Symposium is a vivid, funny and moving dramatic dialogue in which a wide variety of characters - orators, doctor, comic poet, tragic poet, soldier-cum-statesman, philosopher and others - give widely differing accounts of the nature or erotic love (eros) at a banquet. Students should be willing to engage in close textual study, although no previous knowledge of either ancient philosophy or ancient Greek is required. We will be exploring the origins, definition, aims, objects and effects or eros, and asking whether it is viewed as a predominantly beneficial or harmful force. Are some manifestations or eros better than others? Is re-channelling either possible or desirable, and if so, how and in what contexts? What happens to eros if it is consummated? We will in addition explore the issues that the dialogue raises about relations between philosophy and literature, and the influence it has had on Western thought (e.g. Freud). The edition we will use is Rowe, C . J., 1998, Plato Symposium. Oxford: Aris and Phillips Classical texts.

20 credits

Language, Speakers and the World

This module explores in depth some of the most important notions in 20th and 21st century Philosophy of Language, an area of study which has often been seen as central to analytic philosophy more generally. As well as examining theories of central elements of language, such as names and descriptions, it investigates potentially puzzling phenomena such as fiction and the vagueness of language. And it explores issues in Applied Philosophy of Language including questions about lying and misleading, about forms of silencing, and about language and power. Language is at the heart of much distinctively human activity, and so study of language provides insight into us - its users/speakers - and also into how we relate to each other and to the world.

20 credits

Political Resistance

This course examines various dimensions of political resistance in the face of injustice. 



The course begins with a basic examination of some key texts discussing concepts such as individuals' natural duties, political authority and political legitimacy. Here, the goal is to figure out the bases of citizens' obligation to comply with the law, in order to specify the conditions in which those obligations might be void, unenforceable, or overridden. This is crucial for understanding the conditions in which political resistance or even disobedience of the law could be permissible.

We will also examine various justifications for political resistance and disobedience. Is the point of resistance to communicate one's principled disagreements with, or objection to, some law or public policy? Or is it to make an appeal to the sense of justice of the community, in the hopes of stirring democratic action to remedy injustices? Or might resistance and disobedience be justifiable in a more direct fashion, as a form of defensive action which eliminates or at least mitigates injustice? Following this, we turn to the question of whether there might be principles that can even impose duties on individuals to engage in resistance or disobedience.

We will also examine the distinctions between different forms of political resistance and disobedience. How do we differentiate among legal protests and marches, illegal sit-ins or occupation of public or private spaces, property damage, rioting, among others? Why should we be interested in differentiating among these forms of political action? How can those who engage in political protest against injustice differentiate themselves from non-politically motivated criminals? A related goal is to critically examine the arguments for and against each of these forms of political action. We shall also consider the weight of pragmatic or strategic considerations, relative to those of normative considerations. 

We will also examine how the state should respond to political resistance and disobedience which disrupts social norms or breaks the law. How should law-enforcement decide whether and how to intervene? How should prosecutors decide whether and when to file charges against protestors? How should judges and juries decide whether to convict, and how much to punish? 



Throughout the course, the discussions are anchored in a variety of historical and contemporary cases of political resistance and disobedience, and in a variety of contexts. We will examine environmental activism, animal rescue, hacktivism, facilitating illegal migration, anti-colonial resistance, civil rights movements, independence and liberatory struggles, among others. Students should expect to develop their ability to critically analyse and assess these cases with reference to the philosophical ideas discussed in the course.

20 credits

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

This course will introduce students to ancient Chinese Philosophy through a study of some of it classical texts.

20 credits

Philosophy of Law

Law is a pervasive feature of modern societies and governs most aspects of our lives. This module is about some of the philosophical questions raised by life under a legal system. The first part of the module investigates the nature of law. Is law simply a method of social control? For example, the group calling itself Islamic State issued commands over a defined territory and backed up these commands with deadly force. Was that a legal system? Or is law necessarily concerned with justice? Do legal systems contain only rules or do they also contain underlying principles? Is 'international law' really law?
The second part of the module investigates the relationship between law and individual rights. What kinds of laws should we have? Do we have the moral right to break the law through acts of civil disobedience? What is the justification of punishment? Is there any justification for capital punishment? Are we right to legally differentiate between intended crimes (like murder) and unintended crimes (like manslaughter), or does this involve the unjustified punishment of 'thought crime'? Are we right to legally differentiate between murder and attempted murder, despite the fact that both crimes involve the same intent to kill?

20 credits

Language and Religion

This module examines the ways in which people talk about what they hold sacred, both in overtly religious and 'secular' contexts. This module takes a critical, functional approach to language, first asking, what does religious language do for us? Among the topics that will be covered are definitions of religion and religious language, a three-dimensional approach to studying religious language and common discursive strategies and linguistic features used to perform religion. The module will be of particular interest to students interested in language and power as well as language and ideology, but we will also be looking at language and religion as it enacts and represents the full range of human experience.

There will be opportunities each week to examine religious language in a variety of contexts, using specific analytic tools within three levels of critical discourse analysis (text, discourse practice and sociocultural practice). In the assessments, you will have the freedom to develop these skills further by analysing texts of your choice, taken from contexts that suit your interests. The tutor will provide support in finding and selecting these texts.Overall, this module aims to examine the porous boundaries between the sacred and the secular. In so doing, we will consider the language not just of those looking to a sacred supernatural but those who articulate ultimate significance to values and priorities without adherence to organized religion.

20 credits

Plus the below - details to be confirmed:

- Feminist and Queer Studies in Religion
- Social Philosophy
- Modality and Logic
- The End of the World