BA Philosophy and Politics (Placement Year)
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects
About this course
BA Hons in Philosophy and Politics (Placement Year), a philosophy and politics degree centred on the intersection of philosophical theory and political institutions. Core topics include Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Social & Cultural Analysis, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The programme incorporates a mandatory professional placement year in the third year, enabling students to gain graduate-level work experience. The first year introduces foundational concepts through compulsory modules such as Knowledge and Reality in a Complex World, Ethics: How Should I Live?, Political Philosophy: How Should we Live Together?, Parties, Populism and Protest, and Political Theory for a Troubled World, alongside a range of optional choices spanning diverse academic disciplines. The second year advances analytical capabilities with core study in Philosophy Guided Project, Theories of Power and the State, and Understanding Political Research, complemented by optional modules covering various applied and theoretical themes. The third year is dedicated entirely to a professional placement via the Work Based Learning Year module. The final year focuses on advanced theoretical concepts through compulsory modules including Comparative Political Philosophy and Critical Critical Theory, with further specialisation available through optional modules such as Philosophy Independent Project, Parliamentary Studies, and Politics and International Relations Dissertation.
Modules
- Knowledge and Reality in a Complex World
- Ethics: How Should I Live?
- Political Philosophy: How Should we Live Together?
- Parties, Populism and Protest
- Political Theory for a Troubled World
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Global Challenges in World Politics
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- Explaining Criminology
- Thinking Sociologically
- Developmental Psychology and Neuropsychology
- English across Space and Time
- Global Religions and Society
- Understanding Culture
- Philosophy Guided Project
- Theories of Power and the State
- Understanding Political Research
- Applied Philosophy: Decisions that Change the World
- Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and Economics
- Mind, World and Science
- Language, Communication and Knowledge
- Democracy, Dictatorship and Everything in Between
- Who Governs Britain? Policy, Politics and Political Change
- Global Superpowers
- Politics of the Global South
- Welfare States: Poverty, Policy and Politics
- Body, Mind and Society
- Death
- Britain in the 20th Century
- Inventing Rights
- Discourse Studies
- Film Theory and Aesthetics
- Global Religions, Women and Gender
- Language and Identity in France, Spain, Germany and the Sinophone World
- Society on Screen: The Language of Film
- Employability, Purpose and Social Impact (Discovery module)
- Global Challenges and Collaborative Solutions (Discovery module)
- Taking an Idea and Making it Happen (Discovery module)
- Work Based Learning Year
- Comparative Political Philosophy
- Critical Political Theory
- Philosophy Independent Project
- Philosophy and Popular Culture
- Textual Explorations in Philosophy
- Questions at the Frontiers of Philosophy
- Philosophy For Times of Global Crisis
- Democracy Under Pressure
- Parliamentary Studies
- Policymaking in the Real World
- Europe and America
- Politics and International Relations Dissertation
- Politics of the Middle East and Asia Pacific
- The Politics of Crises and the Future of Governance
- The Politics of Borders and Migration
- Crimes and Harms of the Powerful
- Autocrats, Dictators and Caudillos: Dictatorship and Representation in the 20th and 21st Centuries
- Sciences and Cultures Lab
- State and Religion
- Queer Futures (Discovery module)
- People Power and Collective Action (Discovery module)
- Confronting the Climate Crisis (Discovery module)
- Artistic Fusions (Discovery module)