Politics and Philosophy

This module explores contemporary political developments in Britain, Europe and the wider world. Content will vary from year to year and can include: post-war British politics, the organisation of the European Union and its impact on the member states citizens, global democratic transitions world-wide, and contemporary democratic structures.

You will study the rich tradition of existentialism, which has asked what it means to exist authentically as an embodied, gendered being in an absurd universe. While looking at the earlier existentialists, the module will concentrate on a close engagement with the writings of some of the most influential 20th century existentialists such as Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Classical philosophy posed some of the fundamental questions of philosophy, questions about what it is to be human, what attitude we should have towards life and death, what is true and what is real. This module will introduce you to these questions and, by examining the distinctive way in which they are posed in the works of the classical philosophers, it will help you to develop the ability to philosophise in response to them.

This module will introduce you to different political processes and institutions, and will review the key research methods appropriate to comparative politics. The course will help you to identify appropriate approaches to data interpretation and presentation, and provide an opportunity to develop your own case study.  

This module will look at some of the key arguments of early modern philosophers about such issues as the nature of the mind and what it can know with certainty, the relation between the mind and the world, and what nature is. Through a close engagement with the writings of some of these philosophers, it will encourage you to think critically about our view of ourselves and our relation to the world.

This module introduces you to the main contemporary political ideologies and contested concepts such as feminism, ecologism, human rights and terrorism.

This module develops your understanding of principles of social policy and concepts of social justice, social exclusion, difference and diversity, by using UK-based policy case studies and looking at future challenges for the state and its citizens.

What is it for an action to be right or wrong, and why should I be moral in the first place? This module introduces and critically explains the central issues in theoretical ethics in order to enable you to evaluate the arguments, positions, and theories that underpin these questions, and develop your own metaethical position. Throughout, emphasis is placed on developing the critical, analytical and conceptual skills needed to comprehend the complexity of ethical debates in the modern world and to engage with them.

This module will help you to develop an understanding of research methods in politics. The module will discuss both the limitations and advantages of quantitative and qualitative analysis for political research.

The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of the intersecting concepts of gender, race, and sexuality. Students will engage with the contributions of feminism, gender studies, critical race theory, and queer theory to making sense of identity, oppression, ideology, power, emancipation, justice, and resistance. Students will be introduced to the work of seminal thinkers in these respective areas, such as Simone de Beauvoir, Nancy Fraser, Iris Marion Young, W. E. B. Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, Gayle Rubin, Audré Lorde, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, and Judith Butler.

This module will focus on one key classical philosophical text (eg Plato’s Republic), examining it in terms of its historical and intellectual context. It gives you the opportunity to study how the earliest thinkers of the Western tradition thought about some of the most fundamental of all questions (eg what reality is and how we know it; what the best kind of life is and how we should best organise our societies).

This module introduces the history of modern political thought from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Studying a series of 'classic' texts by a range of political thinkers, we will discuss different frameworks for understanding key questions in politics such as: why should I obey the state? and what is political power, and how is it used? You will learn critical skills to evaluate the thinkers, examined with a focus on the social contract tradition.

After briefly covering the early Cold War, the module will account for and critique the direction of US Foreign Policy up to the present day, exploring how US policy has addressed post-Cold War conflict and 'rogue states', terrorism, the environment and increased global economic competition.

This module introduces students to the US political system and to key aspects of contemporary US politics. It combines an introduction to the main institutions and processes of the US federal government with an overview of key developments in American politics.

This module explores topics of contemporary ethical interest and provides you with the philosophical tools in feminist ethics required to make informed decisions about them. What is it for an action to be sexist or misogynistic, and why should we be morally concerned about such attitudes in the first place? In developing your own critical stance on such fundamental issues, you may also study the nature and ethics of implicit bias, stereotyping and advanced issues in feminist ontology.

This module will analyse the threat of climate change, and critically evaluate international efforts in dealing with climate change.

This module will explore links between art and politics in a thematic way focusing on the artist as witness to, activist in or victim of, political events. It will make reference to a wide range of international art, design and cinematic movements.

The module will explore key postcolonial thinkers and perspectives. Students will gain familiarity with these thinkers and their work. They will learn to engage in reflexive writing and discussions about how these perspectives challenge other theories.

The module will engage with authors such as Fanon, Said, De Bois, Spivak, Bhabha and Hall as an introduction to postcolonial work. Students will engage with questions about identity, nations/nationalism, decolonization projects, hybridities and questions of narrative and critique. A broader range of texts, including literary works will be used to complement more theoretical work.

This module provides a thorough grounding in the central concepts and themes in analytic metaphysics. You will reflect on the metaphysics of personal identity, objects, causation, consciousness, fictional kinds, free will, gender, race, and naturalism. In studying central concepts and themes in analytic metaphysics, you will balance their historical knowledge of Aristotle and Descartes, etc with sustained engagement with the work of contemporary metaphysicians in the Anglo-American tradition.

An innovative module which applies interdisciplinary methods and perspectives in a professional and/or public setting. Students work in interdisciplinary teams on one of a range of projects to showcase interdisciplinary skills in practice.

An innovative module that applies interdisciplinary methods, approaches and perspectives of humanities and social science disciplines to contemporary socio-economic challenges, complementing Engaging the Humanities 1. Each year the module will address a different contemporary issue or theme.

This module evaluates the changing character of politics and society in Britain during the 1980s. It adopts a broad perspective and examines a wide variety of themes: the dynamics of issues and ideology, the transformation of the political parties, the process of government itself and aspects of foreign policy. It considers debates surrounding the role of the state, the economy, organisation of industry and defence policy.

This module focuses on advanced topics in normative and practical ethics from a historical and contemporary perspective, and builds on the analytic skills and knowledge base gained at introductory level. Indicative topics include a critical re-assessment of the distinction between consequentialism and deontology in ethical theory, the nature of moral motivation in moral psychology, and theoretical questions about intrinsic value and the extent of its application to real-life ethical problems.

The module addresses issues in metaphysics through the in-depth study of the key thinkers of the Early to late Modern period. It focuses principally on the Continental European tradition, from Descartes to Leibniz and Kant. In addressing issues such as space and time, substance, reality, causality and personal identity, the module examines the philosophical underpinnings of the Scientific Revolution in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. You will come to understand the nature of metaphysical thinking and to comprehend the ways in which philosophical questions develop historically.

The module will analyse the processes and factors that shape public perception of security. In this module, we will discuss why our understanding of security and insecurity varies through time and space. The module will look at the role of media, propaganda, and ideology in the social construction of security.

This module develops the history of modern political thought since the late eighteenth century. We will discuss different frameworks (conservative, liberal, socialist, and others) for understanding some key questions in political theory. Questions that may be examined include: What is the role of tradition in politics? Is the personal political? Does democracy introduce the danger of a ‘tyranny of the majority’? How did the development of industrial societies transform the workings of political power? Students will reflect critically on the continuing significance of these issues in our own times.

This module will allow you to investigate the revolutionary impact of Nietzsche’s thinking on the history of philosophy. You will study various short texts or excerpts from Nietzsche’s work in order to understand its continuity with the philosophical tradition, as well as its radical novelty in respect to the consideration of ethical as well as metaphysical thinking.

This course will focus on the writings and ideas of two thinkers: Edmund Husserl (1856-1938), who re-invents phenomenology at the beginning of the twentieth century, and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1985), who responds to his writings and constructs a missing dimension, in terms of a concern with ethics, a concern for the self/personal identity, and with a construct called ‘the second sex’.

What is the relationship between philosophy and art? How can we think philosophically about and with art in order to further both our philosophical and artistic thinking? How have contemporary artists engaged with such philosophical problems as space, time, history, sensation, perception, and representation? This module will allow you to evaluate these central questions in relation to both philosophical texts and recent works of art and art practices. Reading both philosophers on art and artists on philosophy, you will develop an understanding of the complex and generative relationship between philosophy and art.

This module focuses on some grounding questions in the philosophy of religion. We will consider some basic definitional questions, as well as some more specific questions regarding philosophical understandings of the nature and attributes of God. We will also consider several proofs for the existence of God and the various ways in which religious belief has been philosophically justified.

This module focuses on various further topics in the philosophy of religion. We will look at topics that build upon those definitional questions that relate to God’s being and the justification of religious belief. You will study topics that include the problem of evil, karmic responses to the problem of evil, philosophical responses to immortality and the philosophical problems of hell. On completing this module, you will be able to critically respond to some of the most pressing philosophical issues that religion affords us with.

This module will look at a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, equipping you with a range of tools needed to critically evaluate and apply theories and methods in Politics.

This module introduces the main theories of policy change and provides a systematic examination of the policy process.

This module will concern itself with the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre through a reading of Being and Nothingness. While being one of the most influential philosophies of the 20th Century, providing a structured account of contemporary life, Sartre’s thought will also allow you to study the historical depth of thought.

This module will explore key social policy areas and discuss ways to resolve prevalent issues such as inequality, poverty, homelessness, and social care crisis.

Students will take 2x 15 credit Uniwide language modules. Languages available include French, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Modern Standard Arabic or Spanish and at a range of levels, subject to viability. You will be assessed in speaking, listening, reading and writing using an integrated skills approach.

You will work with a supervisor to define an independent project on an appropriate topic of your choosing. You may focus on an academic subject or work with an external partner. Preliminary research will generate a detailed proposal, which will form the basis of a guided independent research-based project to produce an extended piece of work that presents a thesis. Your final submission will be an individual project that builds upon the skills you have developed on your course.

An examination of the politics inherent in major professional sport.

This module examines the contested nature of security through a critical lens, and engages with the politics and power relations of security construction. It analyses the various theoretical approaches that challenge conventional conceptualisations of ‘security’ in what is often called ‘the critical turn’ in Security Studies, and studies their methodological implications.

This module introduces students to US policy toward Iran since the Second World War, focusing primarily on the period since the end of the Cold War. Alongside study of the historical relationship, students will also be introduced to bargaining/negotiation theory which they will employ in the course of the assessment for the module.

Using case studies from particular moments in the history of capitalism, this module explores the evolving challenges to liberal political thought, as industrialism and post-industrialism have transformed global politics. You will develop your capacity for critical thought by exploring a series of key themes to interpret diverse forms of modernity.

This module will explore the use of fiction to discuss major global political events and how they are experienced by everyday people. The module will introduce narrative postcolonial approaches to international relations to address themes of epistemic violence in the production of knowledge about specific events.

The module provides an understanding of the ethical dimensions of politics through an examination of persistent moral problems and dilemmas concerning war, violence and political obligation. The course adopts an inter-disciplinary approach, combining elements of political theory, moral philosophy and twentieth century British and European political history. 

Since its inception, philosophy has had a critical function, interrogating the basic presuppositions and prejudices of its time, in order to distance itself from them. But what role does philosophy play in actual social and political change? The aim of this module is to examine the link between philosophy and revolution, exploring how philosophy has conceived radical change, and how it has promoted it, contributing to social and political transformations.

This module focuses upon Britain's changing role and influence in world politics. It examines the major events and issues by which foreign policy has been defined. Chronology is modulated by key foreign policy concepts.

The study platform of this module is values, relations and professional ethics, with special emphasis on contemporary philosophical issues in bioethics and real-life ethical dilemmas in the medical humanities in view of emerging technologies. Special emphasis is placed on the concept of patient autonomy in medical ethics and the putative difference between fact and value in the philosophy of medicine. Thus, you may study questions ranging from practical issues, such as the ethics of biomedical enhancement, to the philosophical foundations for person-centred health and care.

The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the significance of the philosophical concern with the body in 20th century continental philosophy, through the work of Henri Bergson and Michel Foucault.

This module looks at a variety of approaches to the philosophy of religion from philosophers who have disrupted the canon and whose work has been marginalised. We will discuss the religious philosophy of figures as diverse as Simone Weil and Benedict Spinoza, for example, as well as the relationship between the philosophy of religion and feminist theory. Turning to such figures and problems as these will allow you to develop a sophisticated and nuanced position on issues surrounding the philosophy of religion beyond traditional debates.

This module looks at the role of cities and city networks in a rapidly urbanising world and reflects on how cities might be reorganised in more socially just and sustainable ways.

The module explores the dominant paradigms in political science and is designed to equip students with the tools to study the key ways in which analysts construct understandings and explanations of political phenomena. The module combines conceptual analysis with direct application to contemporary examples.

What is art? What is beauty? Does beauty have a relation to truth? What is the relationship between art and society? What is the creative act? This module will introduce students to questions such as these through a study of the history of aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

This module examines advanced issues and challenges in contemporary moral philosophy. Indicative module content includes critical examination of specific moral phenomena, such as moral dilemmas and disagreement, regret and forgiveness. You may also study the recent turn to thick evaluative concepts in metaethics and contemporary neo-Aristotelianism in detail, and discuss the bearing of these approaches for the nature of argument and persuasion in interpersonal moral discourse.

This module will teach students how to design and propose a research project, evaluating questions of ethics, funding, impact, research relevance and methodologies. The module also has integrated placement and work experience opportunities. The module has a bespoke structure designed to incorporate tailored pathways linked to Politics, International Relations, Political Communication, and Public Policy. 

The module consists of a series of case studies informed by current research interests and findings of the politics and public policy teams. The case studies have a special focus on questions related to theory and/ or methods in politics, IR, political communication, and Public Policy. The module has a bespoke structure designed to incorporate tailored pathways linked to Politics, International Relations, Political Communication and Public Policy.

This module aims to introduce you to the politics, government and foreign policy of Russia as it has developed since 1991, in order to allow you to analyse and assess the challenges Russia faces today and its complex role in contemporary geopolitics.

This module will investigate one of the most significant texts of the Western philosophical tradition: Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit.

Martin Heidegger is a key figure in the transformation of philosophy in the twentieth century. Being and Time is the publication in which his challenge to philosophical tradition begins, and the course will familiarise students with some of the moves made there.

This module will examine the role of housing in developing sustainable communities and how social housing providers are working to improve the opportunities of tenants and residents and impact positively on individual and collective wellbeing.

This module introduces students to key issues and major thinkers in modern Italian political thought. It provides an opportunity to explore the political tradition and culture of a bellwether European nation.

The aim of this module to provide students with a thorough grounding in the central concepts of and themes in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Students will reflect on the most important topics in the Critique, such as the problem of metaphysics, Kant's transcendental methodology, the synthetic a priori, Kant's theory of space and time, transcendental idealism, the Discursivity Thesis, the Categories, the Analogies of Experience, the Refutation of Idealism, the Paralogisms, the Antinomies, and the Ideas of Reason.

This module will focus on the relations between traditional and social media and environmental politics, in a range of national and international settings. More specifically, the module will explore three key areas. The first will look at the role of media in addressing various global environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and environmental colonialism.

The aim of this module is to examine the relation between philosophy and education, and to offer you the opportunity to learn how to plan and deliver a philosophy lesson in a local school or college.

The aim of this module is to examine the relation between philosophy and education, with reference to key theorists in the history of philosophy and contemporary theory and practice.

The aim of the module is to provide students with a thorough critical grounding in pragmatism, one of Western philosophy's most rich and complex traditions.

This module raises some of the most significant questions of the philosophy of religion. What is the relation between faith and human freedom? What is religious fundamentalism? What is the relation between the monotheistic religions and paganism? How does Buddhism react to Christianity in the globalised world of the 20th century? What is the difference between animal and human life and what effect does this have on the theory of religion? We will address these questions with the help of some of the most influential philosophical texts from the last 200 years to see how these help us to understand the question of religion in the contemporary world.

This module aims to give students a broad understanding of the welfare state, what factors determine its evolution and how we can explain the differences we observe across countries. It provides an introduction to the comparative study of welfare state regimes with a particular focus on the effect of welfare state regimes on social inequality.

You can add a foreign language to your portfolio of skills. Enhance your employability by learning French, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Modern Standard Arabic or Spanish alongside your main degree. Whatever your language knowledge, from beginner to advanced, these classes will take you to the next level of proficiency.