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Our Undergraduate Community

Our Community

The Philosophy Department at Warwick is home to a large, diverse, and active student community. Each year, we welcome over 300 new undergraduate students to our philosophy programmes, many of them from outside of the UK. Besides enhancing discussion in the classroom, this community enriches the learning and development of our students by supporting a host of extracurricular activities. Below are some examples.

PhilSoc

The student-run Philosophy Society, known locally as PhilSoc, is open to all students with a passion for philosophy. PhilSoc offers peer-support for students, as well as a range of regular socials and speakers throughout the year. It is also home to Warwick’s undergraduate philosophy magazine, Pharos, and the Common Room Philosophy podcast.

To find out more, check out the Society on Facebook or follow their Instagram page.

“The Philosophy Society is a space built by students for students interested in philosophy to come together to share, debate, and develop their philosophical skillset. The Society holds regular talks with prestigious speakers, weekly socials, a peer mentoring program, and guidance events to help you flourish academically. In 2021, we have been nominated as one of 3 societies for Academic Society of the Year. We look forward to welcoming you to Warwick’s philosophy community. Feel free to step into the common room if you’re looking to make new friends or to participate in our events!”

Alicia Lukman, President of Warwick Philosophy Society 2020/21

Minorities and Philosophy

Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) is a worldwide network that aims to facilitate the participation of underrepresented groups in Philosophy. The MAP chapter at Warwick is a student-run group that hosts a variety of events such as student and staff workshops, external speakers, a cinema club, and reading groups. It has helped to organise a student-faculty reading group on race and philosophy, and it has sponsored events on mental health, disability, women in philosophy, and aesthetics and race. MAP events are not just academically focussed, but also respond to issues of broad concern to students and staff. MAP aims to help Warwick Philosophy be an inclusive, thriving community. All students are welcome to participate.

For more information, see the MAP Warwick webpage.

Philosophy in the Wild Essay Competition

Each year the Philosophy Department runs an essay competition challenging students to demonstrate how studying philosophy can help us to understand the world in which we live, by applying philosophical ideas to real world issues. The first prize is £100. You can read two previous winning essays below.

The first winning essay, written by Toby Tremlett, uses Simone de Beauvoir’s account of love and friendship to sensitively explore the difficulties involved in loving another person at a distance in lockdown. Toby, who graduated this year, also hosted the Philosophy Common Room podcast. Read Toby's essay hereLink opens in a new window.

The second winning essay, written by Ronja Griep, uses Jean-Paul Sartre’s concepts of freedom and bad faith to explain why people seek advice from newspaper agony aunts. Ronja is now studying for a PhD in philosophy at Cambridge University with a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She is also head of conferences at Let’s Phi!, an organisation that helps philosophy graduates find employment outside of academia. Read Ronja’s essay hereLink opens in a new window.

Our students are passionate about philosophy and they form a friendly community. If you're keen to explore big questions, you'll fit right in. Student societies and student-run events will help you form new friendships with fellow philosophers and students in other subjects.