BA (Hons) Philosophy Bachelor's degree at Lancaster University

What is real, how can we know, and how can we check our reasoning? In this module you will study philosophical tools for reasoning and arguing (critical thinking) and discover fundamental philosophical questions about knowledge (epistemology) and the nature of reality (metaphysics). In studying critical thinking, you will learn methods of constructing and analysing arguments and acquire basic logical terminology. In exploring epistemology, you’ll discuss questions such as: what exactly is it to ‘know’ something? Can we know anything at all? Are there alternative knowledges? In metaphysics, you will consider questions such as: what is the fundamental nature of reality? How are we to understan

From questions about truth, justice, and knowledge to debates over freedom, power, and human purpose - how has philosophical inquiry shaped cultural, political, and scientific life across centuries? In this module you will explore the major ideas and traditions that have guided the development of Western thought. Specific thinkers examined will vary from year to year, but they will include philosophers whose ideas have helped shape philosophical viewpoints, categories and boundaries in the western philosophical tradition. You will be encouraged to think about the problems and limitations of different thinkers’ approaches, and their impact on the way we practice and understand the boundaries

How should you live? Who should you be? What should you value? What is value? And on what basis can anyone make such claims? This module introduces you to philosophical ethics, the systematic theoretical study of these questions. You will develop both your philosophical skills, and a map of the landscape of philosophical ethics by practicing critical reading and discussion and writing about questions relating to a range of topics. Topics may include: Major ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, contractarianism, or virtue ethics Global moral dilemmas relating to areas such as the environment, medicine, poverty, or technology Goodness and rightness Personhood and selfhood Practi

Explore philosophical traditions not usually studied in standard histories of philosophy, and understand what we gain by including them in our interpretation of the history of philosophy. By engaging with understudied texts and contexts in this module, you will learn to question familiar narratives about philosophical history and to reconstruct alternative lineages and conceptual resources. And by comparing various traditions, you will develop tools to think across boundaries and to put diverse voices into conversation, comparison, and contrast. You will study at least two philosophical traditions in depth, in dialogue, and in their historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts. The specif

Political philosophy explores how best to arrange our collective life - through our political institutions, social practices and shared values, and through the economic, private and public structures that support them. In this module you will consider critical debates that both historical and contemporary communities have faced about the boundaries, rights and duties of the state, community and individual citizens, through consideration of core concepts and values in political philosophy, such as justice, freedom, and equality. You will examine central questions about the justification of power and the rights and duties of people within political communities. And you will apply these foundat

Learn how to analyse highly contemporary political events and trends, and develop the vital critical skills required to be able to put them into context. You will also discover how to relate these issues to core empirical questions and debates within academic research on politics. Taking a problem-based learning approach, you’ll use evidence to evaluate competing explanations for recent political developments. These may include: Democracy and elections Political leadership The state and globalisation Structural inequalities Political institutions Public opinion and protest. Lancaster’s politics experts have extensive expertise across different regions of the globe and we are quick to respond

Your first theory module will introduce you to two key areas of study in psychology, developmental psychology and neuropsychology, plus the underpinning concept of individual differences. Developmental Psychology looks at change over time, using theories of learning (such as those from Piaget and Vygotsky) as a focus for discussion. Neuropsychology takes us into the realms of the brain and mind, where you will begin to understand the complex interplay between the brain and behaviour in real-world contexts. You will learn to use primary sources of knowledge - peer-reviewed journal articles presenting scientific theory and evidence - to enrich your thinking and talking about psychology and dev

Gain a nuanced understanding of the forces driving change in the international system and their implications for global order and human security. You will acquire the tools to navigate and contribute to a complex and interconnected world. The module moves beyond traditional state-centric perspectives to explore the complex interplay of actors, structures and processes shaping our world. You will delve into global governance and address the emergence of new security threats, while tackling shifting power-dynamics at both the national and international level. Throughout the module, you will engage with a variety of case studies that illustrate the complexities of these global issues. Through d

The medieval and early modern periods witnessed immense change. This module will introduce you to the key themes, sources, and methods you need to understand the patterns of change and continuity around the world over a period of more than a thousand years. The shift from a warm climate in the medieval period to a colder one in the early modern period may help us explain patterns of life in a world where most people depended on subsistence agriculture. Huge transformations were also wrought by the movement of people, diseases, animals, and goods, with events such as the Black Death in Europe and smallpox epidemics in the Americas decisively changing how people lived, and how they related to

Explore the dynamic field of Criminology where you will encounter a range of theoretical perspectives and debates that inform the discipline. Do you think that criminals are born bad? Or do they learn this behaviour from their families or as a product of where they grow up? We’ll debate it all! You will study both positivistic and social analyses of crime and criminalisation and learn to evaluate criminological theory in relation to a range of intellectual movements. You’ll evaluate these theories in relation to academic scholarship, empirical evidence, popularity and application in crime policy and practice, and in relation to their geographical, social, cultural and historical locations.

How are your personal experiences connected to broader social forces? This module introduces you to the ‘sociological imagination’, a way of thinking that helps you make sense of the relationship between individual lives and society. Drawing on classic and contemporary sociological debates, you’ll explore key questions about individualism, institutions and social change. You'll learn to critically analyse how biography and history intersect, engaging with foundational ideas in the discipline. By developing your own sociological take on these themes, you’ll gain essential skills in critical thinking, argumentation and analysis, preparing you for further study and enabling you to see the world i

The English language is not set in stone. It has changed over time and it differs depending on who is speaking it and where it is spoken. These facts are often ignored in the many myths surrounding its ‘proper’ form and use. This module will give you the knowledge to challenge those misconceptions by examining the history and varieties of English and attitudes toward it. You will gain an insight into the way English became standardised and into the complex role that prescriptivism has played in shaping it. You will come to appreciate that English is ever-changing as its grammar and vocabulary continue to evolve in new directions. You will also explore how and why the places where English is

At university, emphasis is placed on understanding general mathematical theorems. They apply in many different cases, and understanding why a result is true enables us to creatively use the underlying ideas to tackle new problems. Study the language and structure of mathematical proofs, illustrated by results from number theory. You will see the concept of congruence of integers, which is a simplified form of arithmetic where seemingly impossible problems become solvable. In relation, you’ll encounter the abstract idea of an equivalence relation. Sets and functions form the basic language of mathematics. You will study functions of a real variable and abstract functions between arbitrary set

In this module you will explore religion as a central dimension of global society, focusing on how religious ideas, practices, and identities intersect with major political and ethical issues. It provides a focused introduction to religion in global contexts. The module is organised into three main areas, which explore “religion” as a category of analysis. These may be organised either regionally – for example, Africa, South Asia, and the Muslim world – or thematically, depending on available expertise. Thematic focuses may include issues such as conflict and peacebuilding, climate change and environmental ethics, or questions of gender, identity, and power. Throughout this course you will e

This module starts with an introductory session on ‘What is culture?’, and will then take you onto a learning journey through a range of cultural phenomena and practices. In each case, you will engage with relevant critical and analytical theory from a different discipline and with an experientially grounded ‘voice.’ The theories, phenomena and practices include a selection of any of the below: The figure of the witch and Silvia Federici’s analysis of the European witch-hunts: feminist historiography and the critique of popular representations The reactionary mind: the interplay of disposition and ideology in the study of ultra-conservatism through political theory and programmatic texts Pow

Explore how philosophical thinking can tackle real-world problems, from personal dilemmas to global challenges, by linking abstract ideas to concrete decisions. In this module you will engage with an applied philosophical challenge, using your philosophical skills to provide compelling reasons in favour of your solution. Through production of a short podcast or in-person presentation, you will also develop your ability to engage in philosophical argumentation beyond the written word. And along the way, you’ll gain the tools to think clearly, act responsibly, and engage thoughtfully with the complex world around you. Specific topics studied each year draw on Lancaster’s wide range of applied

What does it take to have a mind? How does science work? Does human reason equip us to understand the external world? In this module we explore the nature of consciousness and reality, and the methods by which we understand them, focussing on key debates in the philosophy of mind and philosophy of science. In the first part of the module, you will explore what it takes to have a mind, examining and critiquing some of the wide range of answers philosophers have offered to this intractable problem. Questions you will investigate include: What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? How do animal minds or artificial intelligence fit into our understanding of thought and consciousnes

Create a portfolio of investigative and critical writing which explores a particular philosophical topic in depth. In this module you will be guided with expert support from Lancaster philosophers to develop your philosophical and independent study skills. Through deep engagement with a specific topic you will develop your ability to assess philosophical arguments and make independent judgements, informed by reasoning and evidence. You will engage with a text, problem, figure or body of work chosen by an academic within the philosophy team at Lancaster who is a specialist on the topic and work with their expert support, in groups and independently. Project topics offered each year will be dr

Global and local political and economic affairs raise complicated philosophical issues. While political theory and philosophy often focus on normative questions – such as the nature of justice, freedom, or legitimacy – this module centres on the epistemological and methodological challenges that underpin our understanding of political and economic life. These challenges are no less important for how we think about contemporary societies and the difficulties they face and are, as you will discover, closely connected to more normative questions. Concepts such as democracy or autocracy, money, taxation and national debt, power and economic growth – all are complex and contested: They raise meta

Critically engage with questions and debates about our socially connected lives and the ways in which we interact and act on the world through language and communication, individually and as a society, to shape knowledge and reality. In this module you will gain the skills and insight to ask questions which change each year but may include: How does communication work in our individual and collective lives? How might certain kinds of communication bring about ethical and political change (for example, by making something permissible or changing the boundaries of acceptable political discourse)? Are lying and other kinds of deception permissible, and if so, when and for whom? What does freedo

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a new approach to philosophy began to emerge that questioned and interrogated the inherited western philosophical tradition from Plato to Kant. This new approach was later described as ‘continental’ philosophy. In this module, you will discover some of the key thinkers from this continental tradition of philosophy. The particular philosophers will vary from year to year, but will include pioneering thinkers who have been particularly influential on later continental philosophers (for example, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Wittgenstein) as well as more recent continental thinkers themselves (for example, Lyotard, Derrida, Levinas, Badiou, Žižek,

Explore the two things that make us human – body and mind. Historians once regarded mind and body as the same across time and place. But more recently, historians have challenged this assumption, showing that changing societies have led people to experience mind and body in radically different ways. You will explore patterns of continuity and change from the medieval to modern periods by investigating key themes such as: How ideas about mind and body have impacted gender, race and social class Violence and injury Sexuality and gender identity Changing experiences of disability and transformations in attitudes to healthcare You’ll build the skills to historicise mind and body through innovati

To what rights are humans entitled? How are those rights balanced with the rights of other organisms and the environment? How are they balanced with the needs of societies and governments? The protection of human rights has been used to justify international conflict and military intervention to save lives, yet human rights critics have argued that they are a form of cultural imperialism limiting the sovereignty of local populations. You will explore the codification of rights, from Magna Carta and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Geneva Conventions, and how questions of rights have manifested in movements for decolonisation and self-determination, debates on the use of capit

What does it mean to die? Is it frightening? Will I see those I love again? What does it mean to kill, whether an enemy, a friend, or myself? Death is a universal human experience but, as you’ll discover, how we confront it has varied across history.You’ll explore varied experiences of death, from end-of-life care to execution, and from battlefields to pandemics. Religion can shape beliefs and customs, from the theology of the afterlife to funerary rituals and the treatment of the corpse. Yet at the margins have always lain a shadowy world, where the restless dead return, the living seek to summon the departed, and the despairing take their lives. You’ll discover the different means of inves

The future of state-funded welfare is one of the most pressing social questions of our time. This module explores the history, purpose and politics of welfare states, examining what social welfare is, who it is for and how it should be funded and delivered. You will consider the social and political debates that have shaped social welfare and trace their development over time. Topics covered may include education, health, housing, social security and unemployment. You will explore how welfare systems are funded, managed and organised and analyse the impact of social welfare cuts on poverty and social inequality. The module also examines the moral and political tensions within welfare debates

Explore how language is used to interact with others, form social groups and shape society. In this module, you will examine how communication functions socially, from the persuasive language used by politicians and advertisers to the way social organisation is reflected in and reinforced through casual conversations among friends. You’ll draw on different models in linguistics to explore the way language is used and organised to achieve social goals. This includes: Using principles of systemic functional grammar to identify who is represented in texts and how, Conversation analysis to uncover the structure and management of conversation Methods of visual analysis to consider non-linguistic

Move beyond introductory concepts to explore film theory in depth, examining how films construct meaning through form, representation, and audience engagement. You will critically assess cinema’s relationship with artistic expression and spectatorship, engaging with complex debates that have shaped film scholarship since the medium’s inception. Focusing on advanced theoretical analysis, this module equips you with the conceptual knowledge and critical vocabulary to interpret films using semiotic, psychoanalytic, formalist, philosophical and cognitivist approaches. You will explore key concepts such as cinematic modernism, subjectivity in film perception and cinema’s evolving relationship wit

In this module you will explore how issues concerning gender, womanhood, and sexuality have played out in relation to culture and religious traditions across the world and through time. You will be encouraged to question preconceptions and examine – through an analytical gender lens – how practices of piety have both empowered and enabled, as well as controlled, women in expressing their experiences, identities, and agency. You will explore how religious texts, rituals, and institutions have constrained or facilitated gendered expressions using case studies from Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and indigenous traditions. A focus on the subcontinent may examine sacred womanhood, investigating c

Spanning the linguistic and cultural contexts of France, Germany, Spain, and the Sinophone world, this module explores how language functions as a primary site of identity formation, political contestation, and cultural power. You will explore various topics, such as: Language standardisation and stigma Minority and regional languages Multilingualism and migration Linguistic nationalism Colonial and postcolonial language politics The relationship between language, class, and social reproduction Through sociolinguistics, cultural theory, and the analysis of film and literature, you will investigate: The ways in which language policies reflect and reproduce relations of power, and how their hu

This module equips you with the skill set to analyse films from the UK, Europe, Latin America and China in their socio-historical contexts through core themes, typically migration, the environment, artificial intelligence and gender. You will make use of the ‘language of film’ (cinematic techniques and genre conventions) to explore migration, for example, through sociological concepts of human movement, the role of documentary in representing beneficial and detrimental approaches to the environment, the concept of ‘artificial culture’ through the blurring of human/non-human boundaries in film, and the relationships between masculinities and different forms of violence on screen. In the proce

Hone a strong sense of purpose and gain the satisfaction of applying your skills and knowledge to a community, charity or student-led initiative. Your challenge will be to take responsibility for arranging and completing a voluntary or fundraising activity, locally, virtually or during vacation periods at home. You will need to show that you have made a positive difference through this activity. In class, you will be asked to reflect on this experience and explore the wider social impact of the work. In doing so you will build your confidence in your ability to contribute meaningfully to society through your future personal and professional path.

You are invited to collaborate in an interdisciplinary team with other students as you explore major global challenges such as climate change, inequality or emerging technologies. Throughout the module you will examine how the humanities, arts and social sciences contribute to understanding and addressing complex issues. Classroom discussions and activities focus on the process of identifying problems and considering innovative, ethical responses, while helping you to consider and articulate the relevance of this work to your personal and professional development.

Explore how ideas can be developed into real-world projects with lasting value. Through hands-on collaboration and problem-solving, you will develop innovative projects, learn how to bring ideas to life and explore ways to sustain them. Whether you are working in a team or individually, you will be encouraged to experiment with different approaches to making a difference in artistic, cultural, social and community spaces.

In this module you will develop either a single extended piece or a portfolio of independent philosophical work. This may take the form of either (1) a philosophical dissertation or (2) a communication and engagement portfolio of outward-facing philosophical work targeting a diverse range of audiences. 1) Dissertation Independent research and sustained long-form writing making up the core of professional academic philosophical study. With the Dissertation option, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your research and writing ability via completion of an independent dissertation project. You will identify a specific philosophical topic from the wide range of research specialisms within Phi

Politics is one of the most widespread and diverse phenomena of human experience. Yet it is often studied by relying on concepts, theoretical resources, and methodological approaches derived from a single intellectual tradition. This module seeks to reverse this trend by introducing you to global philosophical perspectives emanating from different intellectual traditions on a particular topic. The philosophical traditions with which we engage will vary from year to year, but may include Chinese, Continental, Analytic, African, Feminist, Postcolonial, and/or Decolonial perspectives. The topics that we look at will also change but may include one or more of the following: Democracy Modernity S

Engage with cutting-edge philosophical research, working with an academic philosopher on the topic of their live philosophical project and expertise. In this module you may be: Reviewing and critically commenting on the chapters of a manuscript Reading an academic’s recent publications and coming up with further questions and challenges to build on their ideas Discussing your module supervisor's new research and it's relevancy to contemporary philosophical debates In student-led and discussion-based workshops you will present your own summaries and arguments, take part in guided debates, and work on the challenge of your final written piece: a paper which is not only informed by, but may its