(BA) Bachelor of Arts
Philosophy and Politics
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Philosophy
Politics and International Relations
BA LV25
11/04/2013
Details
Professional accreditation
None
Admission criteria
A-levels: ABB-BBB
IB: 32-30 points
Entry requirements for students studying BTEC qualifications are dependent on units studied. Advice can be provided on an individual basis. The standard required is generally at Distinction level.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall. (Different requirements apply for second year entry.)
If you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels required. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications.
Course qualifiers
A course qualifier is a bracketed addition to your course title to denote a specialisation or pathway that you have achieved via the completion of specific modules during your course. The
specific module requirements for each qualifier title are noted below. Eligibility for any selected qualifier will be determined by the department and confirmed by the final year Board of
Examiners. If the required modules are not successfully completed, your course title will remain as described above without any bracketed addition. Selection of a course qualifier is
optional and student can register preferences or opt-out via Online Module Enrolment (eNROL).
None
Rules of assessment
Rules of assessment are the rules, principles and frameworks which the University uses to calculate your course progression and final results.
Additional notes
None
External examiners
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
Programme aims
To provide a sound academic grounding in the disciplines of philosophy and politics.
To encourage students to identify the relevance of philosophy to other forms of enquiry and to other disciplines, especially politics, and its applicability to issues in public and political life.
To develop students'capacities for independent thought and critical reflection.
To equip students with a range of intellectual skills fostered by the study of philosophy and politics, preparing them for subsequent research, further study and a wide variety of careers.
These aims are informed by the benchmark statements for Philosophy and Politics.
The outcomes listed below represent the minimum that might be expected of a graduate of the Departments of Philosophy and Government of the University of Essex.
It is the intention of the Departments that the vast majority of graduates will achieve significantly more.
Details of the different standards expected for the various classes of degree can be found in the Student Handbook produced annually by the Departments.
Learning outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment methods
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
A: Knowledge and understanding
A1: Knowledge and understanding of philosophical texts from a variety of traditions, analytic and continental, and of major philosophical issues.
A2: Knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and empirical aspects of politics.
A3: Knowledge and understanding of the methods appropriate to the discipline in question.
Learning methods
Outcomes A1-3 are achieved through teaching in the form of lectures and classes.
In the former module content is conveyed formally while the latter involve student discussion of that content.
Books and journal articles are recommended to deepen understanding of module content, and to assist in the writing of essays and exams.
Assessment methods
Outcomes A1-3 are assessed through continuous coursework and unseen written examinations.
Coursework consists of essays written during the academic year for a specified module, returned with a grade and written feedback for the student.
Coursework tests the ability to research a topic using, for example, library and internet resources, expound specified texts and enter into detailed argumentation with them.
Unseen exams test the ability to rehearse and assess arguments in relation to specific questions posed within a limited time frame.
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: Capacity to follow complex arguments, and to present one's own evaluation of them.
B2: Ability to gather and evaluate large amounts of information and data.
B3: Capacity to summarise complex and demanding texts, and to assess critically their strengths and weaknesses.
B4: Capacity to argue coherently and persuasively.
Learning methods
Skills B1-4 are obtained and developed through the teaching and learning methods described above.
Students are expected to read background material for lectures and classes, and to participate fully in class discussion.
Assessment methods
Outcomes B1-4 are assessed through continuous coursework and unseen written examinations.
Coursework consists of essays written during the academic year for a specified module, returned with a grade and written feedback for the student.
C: Practical skills
C1: Ability to write an essay, assimilating complex arguments and significant amounts of data, expressing oneself clearly and with argumentative cogency.
C2: Ability to abstract and synthesise relevant information from a range of sources, using books, journal articles, library and internet resources.
C3: Ability to use accepted conventions for presentation of footnotes, references and bibliographies in written work.
C4: Ability to use a range of methods (library and internet resources) to perform bibliographical searches.
Learning methods
Skills C1-4 are gained by the preparation for and writing of coursework, in conjunction with guidance given in teaching, in comments on essays and in departmental handbooks for both disciplines.
Assessment methods
Outcomes C1-4 are assessed through continuous coursework and unseen written examinations.
Coursework consists of essays written during the academic year for a specified module, returned with a grade and written feedback for the student.
D: Key skills
D1: Ability to communicate effectively.
D2: Use of relevant information technology to research and present written work.
D4: Ability to identify the problem to be solved, to analyse it carefully, and to compare and assess different solutions to it.
D6: Ability to organize one's reading and thinking in relation to specific topics, to work to a deadline, and to learn from comments on coursework and oral communication from teachers.
Learning methods
Skills D1,2,4,and 6 are acquired and developed through the teaching and learning methods described above.
Students are encouraged to use the university key skills on-line package, word processing packages, library searches and internet resources.
Assessment methods
Outcomes D1,2,4, and 6 are assessed through continuous coursework and unseen written examinations.
Coursework consists of essays written during the academic year for a specified module, returned with a grade and written comments for the student.