Philosophy and Politics BA (Hons)

University of East Anglia

Overview

The big questions facing society are both political and philosophical. Is democracy broken? Can we achieve environmental justice? Should media be under tighter control?

Because the political arena is guided by big ideas, bringing the rigour of philosophical thinking to your political engagements and actions will have great benefits for you and your community. At UEA, you’ll work with world experts in both politics and philosophy to become a more informed citizen or perhaps even a future politician campaigning for office, or an activist trying to change the terms of a socially important debate.

Your politics and philosophy degree at UEA will offer you a wide range of module options covering fascinating historical and contemporary topics in philosophy, political theory and political philosophy, as well as current international relations debates.

About This Course

UEA’s Philosophy and Politics degree is designed to allow you to engage equally with both disciplines. You can also shape the degree in the direction of your core interests which might align more to one or the other subject. You have a wide choice of modules in each discipline.

The philosophy experts at UEA are engaged in issues that relate to the future of our planet – and to future generations. Alongside the Western intellectual and cultural heritage, from the Ancient Greeks to the great works of modern political philosophy in the West, you’ll be invited to take a module in world philosophies that covers an array of thinkers from the Middle East and Asia. You could further explore the influence of culture on a series of political issues by choosing modules in philosophy of literature and aesthetics.

UEA’s political scientists and international relations experts will guide your study of democracy’s philosophical underpinnings, and will help you understand better the clash between different world views, and the ideological basis of utopian political systems.

You’ll come to appreciate why philosophy is so central to politics – and why all politicians should have a better grasp of different traditions of thought. We sometimes see politicians and commentators who are let down by sloppy thinking, their inability to detect and deflect the shoddy rhetoric of the interviewers, or their simple misunderstandings of basic distinctions. These are traps that you will be able to avoid in your future careers thus making a difference to how a future political order might look like.

By year 2, you’ll be ready to decide which aspects of philosophy and politics you want to pursue further, depending on your interests and talents. You can pursue either an equal number of modules in each subject or opt for a more specialized cluster of modules (either in philosophy or political science). You will take one compulsory keystone module, which will give you the opportunity to combine the skills, methods and concepts from philosophy and politics. You can further deepen your understanding of politico-philosophical topics by choosing a complementary module in year 3. In your final year, you’ll also be able to choose a research-led special subject module or to write a dissertation on a topic that closely reflects your interests and theoretical strengths.

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