BA World Philosophies

The structure of the BA World Philosophies, taken as a single-subject honours degree, ensures that students gain a rigorous grounding in core philosophical themes, concepts, problems and approaches drawn from European, Anglophone, and non-European philosophical traditions with an accompanying flexibility built in to enable regional or thematic specialism or language capability.

Courses to the equivalent of 4 full units must be taken in each year. Courses to the equivalent of 2 full units are compulsory per year, with students free to select a further 2 from a list of options in various traditions or themes in World Philosophies, or to choose a language specialism.

The first year of the programme provides an essential foundation in World Philosophies, and introduces core topics in Philosophy, with additional options available that enable focus on discrete traditions, a language, or thematic components.

The second year builds on the foundations established in the first year, enabling students to grapple with questions of interpretation, hermeneutics, phenomenology, and dialogue between and within philosophical traditions. Core components of philosophical methods and concepts are also taught and students are encouraged to develop a regional or thematic specialism, choosing from a wide range of options that address philosophical themes or offer training in specific philosophical traditions. Language training is also encouraged.

The third and final year is characterised by a focus on epistemology and critique, independent research, and the consolidation of a chosen regional or thematic specialism. All students undertake a supervised Independent Study Project which is intended to consolidate and extend a student’s philosophical tradition-based understanding and knowledge applied to prominent themes or debates in the field of World Philosophies.

(note: half unit courses in ‘Aesthetics’, ‘Philosophy of Mind’, and ‘Political Philosophy’ will be developed in subsequent years to supplement the compulsory half unit courses but will also be available in year 3)

• Introduction to World Philosophies - 158000197 (compulsory/core, 1 unit)
• Introduction to Logic, Critical Reasoning, and Argumentation -158000193 (compulsory, 0.5 unit)
• Metaphysics in Comparative Perspective -158000198 (compulsory, 0.5 unit)
• Two options from the list below (1 unit):
  • Buddhism: Foundation - 158000110 (0.5 unit - term1)
  • Hinduism: Foundation -158000118 (0.5 unit - term 2)
  • Islam: Foundations - 158000189 (0.5 unit - term 1)
  • Judaism: Foundation - 158000148 (0.5 unit - term 1)
  • Religions of East and Central Asia -158000100 (0.5 unit - term 2)
• Open Options (1 unit, students are encouraged to choose a relevant open option (either a language or non language), non language open options / language open options

• Anglo-European Philosophies and Critical Dialogue: Hermeneutics and Beyond - 158000135 (compulsory, 1 unit)
• Comparative Ethics - 158000199 (compulsory, 0.5 unit)
• Philosophies of Language - 158000196 (compulsory, 0.5 unit)
• Options in ‘Traditions of Philosophy’ (1–2 unit, for available options, see List I)
• Extra-Departmental or Language/Non Language Open Options (0–1 unit, for options, see List II and available language open options / non language open options

• ‘The Margins of Philosophy’: Postcolonial, Gender and Queer Epistemologies -158000116 (compulsory, 1 unit)
• Independent Study Project in World Philosophies - 158000194 (compulsory, 1 unit)
• Options in ‘Traditions of Philosophy’ (1–2 unit, for available options, see List I)
• Extra-Departmental or Language/Non Language Open Options (0–1 unit, for options, see List II and available language open options / non language open options

• African Philosophy
• Afrophone Philosophies
• Classical Chinese Thought
• Developments in Muslim Religious Thought
• Death and the Meaning of Life
• Buddhist Philosophy
• Jewish Identity
• Modern Indian Philosophy
• Modern Jewish Thought
• Non-Violence in Jain Literature, Philosophy and Law
• Philosophies of the Vedic Traditions: Mimamsa, Vedanta and Vyakarana
• R210 Religion, Power, and Society in Modern Africa
• The Holocaust and the Problem of Evil

• General Linguistics: Understanding Language
• Gender, Art and Visual Culture: Explorations in the Representation of Southeast Asia
• The `Historical` Buddha: Explorations in Southeast Asian Arts
• Intermediate Semantics
• Introduction to Political Theory
• Islamic Intellectual History
• Islamic Law
• Issues in Semantics
• Law, Multiculturalism and Rights
• Modern Jewish Thought
• Music, Religion and Society in South Asia
• Neoliberalism, Democracy and Development
• Nation and Empire in Modern Japanese History 1868-1945

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules