BA (Hons) Philosophy Bachelor's degree at the University of Lincoln

A survey module introducing students to the main ideas of some of the key philosophical thinkers of both the pre-modern and modern periods that have helped to shape Western culture and philosophy (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Wittgenstein). Provides students with a map with which to navigate later developments in Western philosophy.

Students will learn essential skills that bridge academic study and professional practice in today's interconnected world. Through hands-on workshops and engaging activities, students develop crucial abilities in research, critical thinking, and effective communication. The module helps navigate the transition to university-level study while preparing students for the evolving demands of the workplace.

Introduces students to the three areas of discussion in contemporary moral philosophy: metaethics (the nature of morality itself), normative ethics (a general theory that tells us how to live), and applied ethics (the application of ethical principles to specific moral issues such as abortion, euthanasia, animal rights).

Introduces some of the basic ideas and concepts of philosophical logic and the technical vocabulary required for understanding contemporary philosophical writing. Students are introduced to logical concepts such as validity, soundness, consistency, possibility, necessity, contingency, inductive and deductive forms of argument, necessary and sufficient conditions, the rudiments of formalisation, and a range of logical fallacies.

Aims to introduce students to some of the central questions in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. For example: What is the self? What makes you the same person you were when you were five years old? To what extent is the world of everyday experience mind-dependent? Is free will compatible with determinism? What is the mind, and how does it relate to the body?

Introduces students to selected seminal works in the history of philosophy. Students will develop a detailed knowledge of two texts and of relevant aspects of their historical background. Sample texts include Plato's Meno, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, Berkeley's Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Kant's Prolegomena To Any Future Metaphysics.

Provides a broad introduction to some of the key issues in the theory of knowledge (epistemology). The main focus is the nature of knowledge – what is it, and what, if anything, can really be known? This leads on to questions about how knowledge relates to truth, belief, and justification, and to discussion of different kinds of knowledge (e.g., perceptual, religious, moral).

Enables students to examine claims about the existence of God and the nature of religious faith. Among the major thinkers considered are Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Issues include whether religious statements are meaningful, whether the existence of evil counts against the existence of God, whether religious beliefs are a projection of human desires, and whether life having meaning stands with the belief in God.

Engages students in a process of identifying and addressing inequities and inequalities within university life. Students explore current debates in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), sustainability and decolonisation, and propose actionable solutions to create a more just, sustainable and equitable higher education environment.

Tasks students with directing their skills towards solving a real-world business, policy, or organizational problem. Set a contemporary challenge by a current organizational leader, students will independently manage a group project and draw on their distinct and specific skills to propose a feasible solution grounded in the humanities.

Provides students with the opportunity to resurrect and understand the ordinary lives of people from the sources available. The course picks up on both well-established and recent trends in historical research that have sought to give voice to ordinary people and promote from the historical records the lives of marginalised people such as homosexuals, women, children, the working classes, ethnic minorities.

Introduces students to philosophical questions about the nature of art and beauty. For example: What is art? Can anything be a work of art? Is beauty objectively real or only 'in the eye of the beholder'? Can aesthetic judgements be right or wrong? Students consider questions that arise in relation to specific artforms and are encouraged to think for themselves about the problems addressed.

Explores the nineteenth-century literature of the USA, chiefly focusing on fiction and poetry. Authors covered include Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Walt Whitman and Willa Cather, among others.

Gives students an opportunity to engage in close philosophical study of texts by the most influential ancient philosophers. Texts will be studied in English translation and will include works by Plato and Aristotle, as well as by less familiar philosophers of the ancient world (c. 500 BC-500 AD Greece and Rome). The focus will be philosophical and students will assess the credibility of positions and arguments and develop their own views in dialogue with these thinkers.

Gives students the opportunity to build and demonstrate problem-solving skills in the context of applied philosophy. Students are introduced to the interdisciplinary methods of applied ethics and examine a series of selected applied ethics case studies drawn from areas including health care, climate justice, AI, beginning and end of life. Students work on an individual project which they present in poster form.

Provides an introduction to Indian philosophy and gives students the opportunity to study some of the classic texts of Indian philosophy in detail. Topics are drawn from both the astika (orthodox Hindu) schools such as Naya-Vaisheshika and Samkhya-Yoga and nastika schools such as Jainism and Buddhism, covering areas such as logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and linguistics. Students assess the credibility of positions advanced by classical Indian thinkers and develop their own views in dialogue

Examines the birth and development of historiography in Ancient Greek Literature. Students use a wide range of primary sources together with secondary sources and engage with diverse types of writing, ranging from military historians to ethnographers.