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Preparing for PPE

What is a Module?

A module is much like a topic or subject studied at school. It is a unit of study in which a single topic or a small section of a broad topic is studied for a given period of time.

Warwick uses CATS to express credit weightings for each module. PPE students must take 150 CATS of credit in their first year, and modules are generally worth 30 or 15 CATS.

30 CATS modules run for the whole year and 15, 12 and 6 CATS modules run for one term or less.

Each University module has its own code, e.g. PH133 Introduction to Philosophy. This code tells you three things:

  • PH - the two letters tell you the department (e.g. PH for Philosophy)

  • 1 - The first digit tells you the year of study (1, 2, or 3 for undergraduate, 9 for postgraduate).

  • 33 - the other digits are the module's serial number

The module code tells you which Department is responsible for teaching any particular module.

EC Economics
PH Philosophy
PO Politics and International Studies


What will my First Year look like?

Core Modules

Core modules are compulsory and form the basis of your learning. Your core modules will be:

Optional Core Modules

Optional Core modules allow you to choose between a number of compulsory modules. In the case of the below modules, your mathematical background will guide which modules are the most appropriate.

Choose between Mathematical Techniques A or B and Statistical Techniques A or B. Maths and Stats B is recommended for students with A Level or IB Higher Maths or equivalent, while the Maths and Stats A options are for those without a higher level Maths qualification.

You are able to attend lectures for both Mathematical Techniques A and B in Weeks 1 and 2 if you are unsure which is most suitable for you. We would also recommend that you look through the topics covered on the module webpages to see what areas you have already covered:

Optional Modules

Finally, you have 30 CATS worth of optional modules; you can take either one year-long module (30 CATS) or two term-long modules (15 CATS). Your options include modules from Philosophy, Politics and International Studies or Economics, and also approved outside options from Social Sciences, Humanities, Warwick Business School or the Language Centre. Popular options include: World Politics, The World Economy, Nine Ideas in International Security and Introduction to Ancient Philosophy.


Suggested Reading List

Students are not expected to have studied any of the three disciplines before coming to Warwick. If you are particularly enthusiastic and feel like getting started, however, the below are the recommended general readings for our first year modules:

PH133 Introduction to Philosophy

Ancient Philosophy: a very short introduction - Julia Annas (2003)

Gorgias - Plato

Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes

On liberty, utalitarianism, and other essays - John Stuart Mill

The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics - Jerrold Levinson (2005)

An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology - Jonathan Darcy (1985)

PO107 Introduction to Politics

Politics: An Introduction - Barrie Axford (2002)

Politics: Why it Matters - Andrew Gamble (2019)

Introduction to Politics - Robert Garner; Peter Ferdinand; Stephanie Lawson (2016)

Using Political Ideas - Barbara Goodwin (2017)

Political Analysis - Colin Hay (2002)

Politics - Andrew Heywood (2013)

Theory and Methods in Political Science - David Marsh; Gerry Stoker (2010)

Economics Modules

Please see the Economics offer holders' webpageLink opens in a new window for resources.