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Philosophy and Literature BA (VQ52)

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Explore our Philosophy and Literature degree at Warwick

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VQ52

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Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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3 years full-time

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26 September 2022

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Department of Philosophy

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University of Warwick

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Both philosophical and literary works ask us to reflect deeply on human experience in different ways.

Our Philosophy and Literature (BA) degree gives you a chance to think about the wide range of methods and capacities – thought experiment, dialogue, argument, storytelling, conceptual analysis and emotion – that contribute to human understanding.

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Both philosophical and literary works ask us to reflect deeply on human experience, but they commonly do so in different ways. This course gives you a chance to think about the wide range of methods and capacities – thought experiment, dialogue, argument, storytelling, conceptual analysis and emotion – that contribute to human understanding.

Interdisciplinary modules put you in conversation with scholars in both fields, around texts of shared interest. You can take module options in both departments in all years, and a free third year option in any subject.

You may choose to apply for an intercalated year, spent either studying abroad or on a work placement. This extends the duration of your degree to four years, with your third year spent abroad or on placement, and will be reflected in your degree qualification (i.e. BA Philosophy and Literature with Intercalated Year).

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Year One: 90 CATS of core modules, including 30 CATS in English, 45 CATS in Philosophy, and 15 CATS in a combined module. 30 CATS are chosen from options in English or Philosophy.

Year Two: History of Modern Philosophy (30 CATS), options in Philosophy (30 CATS), and options in English (60 CATS)

Year Three: Options in Philosophy (30-90 CATS), options in English (30-90 CATS), and up to 30 CATs of options to be chosen from any available subject.

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Our main teaching methods are lectures, lecture-discussions, and seminars alongside private study and study skills sessions.

Our students benefit from expert guidance from staff in developing strong analytical and critical skills, and our students highly rate the feedback they receive. In addition to compulsory teaching, we also offer many extra academic activities, including optional lectures, colloquia, discussion groups and workshops.

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Seminar sizes are typically 12-18 students. Lectures vary by module from 20-220.

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Typically three hours of contact time per week per module, in most cases this would be two hours lecture and one hour seminar but is variable depending on teaching methods.

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We track your progress and provide you with a variety of opportunities for getting feedback on your work for your course.

Your final degree classification is based on assessed essays, other assessed work (which may include, for example, group work or video presentations), examinations and an optional dissertation or individual project. Your second and third year work carries equal weight in determining your final degree classification, with each counting for 50% of your degree.

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Study abroad

We run successful undergraduate exchanges with Queen’s University, Ontario, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enabling second-year Philosophy students (single or joint honours) to compete for the chance to spend a full year studying in North America. Modules and examinations taken at Queen’s and Madison count towards your degree.

All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities, which currently include: Bourgogne, Dijon; Erasmus, Rotterdam; Copenhagen; Friedrich Schiller, Jena or Cologne; Vienna; Autonoma or Complutense, Madrid or Seville; Rome or Turin; and Koc, Istanbul. The Study Abroad Team offers support for these activities, and the Department’s dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.

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Placements and work experience

Study skills will be built into your core modules in the first year. In those modules, you will develop skills in close reading, essay writing, exam technique, critical thinking and presentation. As well as the opportunity of individual careers appointments, there are a wide range of events and workshops – including small workshops for people with no career ideas, speaker events for people interested in a certain sector, and large career fairs for organisations wanting to recruit a large number of graduates each year.

We also offer specific sessions for second and third years, directed as honours level assessed work. Warwick also offers the Undergraduate Skills Programme and Academic Writing Programme to help you further develop academic and career-related skills.

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A level typical offer

AAB to include grade A in English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).

A level contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is ABB including an A in English Literature or English Literature and Language (combined). See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

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IB typical offer

36 to include 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined).

IB contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 34 including 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). See if you're eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

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BTECs will be considered for this course.

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Year One

Problems in Philosophy and Literature

This module introduces you to the combined study of philosophy and literature, bringing literary theory, criticism and philosophical thinking about literature to the study of epistemology, and metaphysics and ethics. You will study the latter key areas of philosophy as represented by the work of Descartes and John Stuart Mill respectively. You will move on to articulate your own interpretations of texts by authors such as Proust, Coetzee, Nietzsche and Beckett. To read, discuss and write reflectively about philosophical and literary texts, and you will combine the approaches and concerns of the two disciplines.

Modes of Reading

What is a reader? How is our understanding and perception of a text formed? What does it mean to think critically when we read? This module allows you to explore these questions by putting a spotlight on the question of critical thinking in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By studying a series of literary texts in relation to some of the most influential literary and cultural theorists of the last hundred years, you will take your own position on everything from Marxism, queer and feminist theory to ecocriticism and postcolonial critique.

Introduction to Philosophy

You'll have a wide-ranging introduction to philosophy, including ancient, continental, moral and political philosophy, followed by epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and aesthetics, and logic. You'll learn to engage critically with different viewpoints and critically analyse and evaluate arguments central to philosophy.

Year Two

History of Modern Philosophy

You will discover the metaphysical and epistemological ideas of great Empiricist philosophers Locke, Berkeley and Hume on substance, qualities, ideas, causation and perception. You will then explore Kant's ideas, including metaphysics, space, self-awareness, causation, scepticism and freedom. You will develop skills in critical engagement, articulating your own views of the relative strengths and weaknesses of these arguments and interpreting key philosophical ideas.

Year Three

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• Nietzsche in Context
• Philosophy of Photography
• European Theatre
• The Global Novel

For a list of current philosophy optional modules, click here.

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Find out more about fees and funding

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There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.

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Graduates from our Philosophy single and joint honours degrees have gone on to pursue careers as: Authors, writers and translators Legal professionals Marketing professionals Management consultants and business analysts Chartered and certified accountants Teaching and educational professionals

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Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you. They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include: • Philosophy Orienteering/Scavenger Hunt • Identifying Your Skills, Strengths and Motivators for Philosophy Students • Thinking about Work Experience for Philosophy Students • Careers in the Public Sector • Warwick careers fairs throughout the year [Find out more about careers support at Warwick. https://warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/careers_skills]