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Philosophy with Psychology BA (V5C8)

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Find out more about our Philosophy with Psychology degree at Warwick

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V5C8

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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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By studying our Philosophy with Psychology (BA) you will learn to understand, critically analyse and construct complex theoretical positions, integrating conceptual arguments and empirical research.

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Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Psychology are key strengths of the Philosophy Department. It supports strong teaching and research links with the Psychology Department. Both are widely recognised for the high quality of their research, meaning you will be inspired by learning from academics at the cutting edge of their fields.

As a philosophical psychologist you will learn to understand, critically analyse and construct complex theoretical positions, integrating conceptual arguments and empirical research. We offer an unusually broad range of modules in both Philosophy and Psychology as well as the freedom to choose your own path through the subjects.

Our first year is designed to help you develop the skills and confidence to succeed on your selected path, using a variety of methods of teaching and assessment in order to foster your development.

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 with Psychology with Intercalated Year).

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Year One: 60 CATS of Philosophy core modules, 30 CATS of Psychology core modules and 30 CATS of options.

Year Two: 30 CATS of Philosophy core modules, 30 CATS of Psychology core modules and 30 CATS of optional modules (with at least 30 CATS from Philosophy and a maximum of 30 CATS from another department).

Year Three: No core modules but at least 60 CATS of optional modules from Philosophy, 30 CATS of optional modules from Psychology and 30 CATS of optional modules.

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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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Seminars typically have between 12 and 18 students.

Lectures vary by module and can have between 20 and 220 students.

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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.

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. 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.

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. 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

Key Debates in Moral and Political Philosophy

We often try to do the right thing. But what is the right thing? This module will explore key debates in ethics and political philosophy on how we should live and how we should live together. It will use texts from Thomas Hobbes and John Stuart Mill to address contemporary ethical issues. For example, can living morally sometimes be too demanding, or risk undermining our integrity? And what moral standards, if any, apply in political life? What obligations to politicians have towards the citizens?

Mind and Reality

Look around. What if all your experiences were the products of dreams, or neuroscientific experiments? Can you prove they aren’t? If not, how can you know anything about the world around you? How can you even think about such a world? Perhaps you can at least learn about your own experience, what it’s like to be you. But doesn’t your experience depend on your brain, an element of the external world? This course will deepen your understanding of the relationship between your mind and the rest of the world.

Plato and Descartes

What would you do if you had a magic ring that made you invisible? Be an invisible superhero or use your power for ill? Why exactly should we be just and good? In the first half of this module you will study Plato's Republic, a classic work examining questions like these. You will learn about the answers Plato proposed and, by evaluating Plato’s answers, deepen your understanding of the questions and the problems they raise.

Suppose an evil demon causes your experiences now to be radically misleading about the real world. There is no computer, no cup of coffee on the desk, even though it appears there are. In his Meditations on First Philosophy, which you will study in the second half of the module, Descartes uses such exercises to argue that we can find truths about the world independently of the senses, simply through reasoning and reflection.

Logic 1: Introduction to Symbolic Logic

This module teaches you formal logic, covering both propositional and first-order logic. You will learn about a system of natural deduction and understand how to demonstrate that it is both sound and complete. You will learn how to express and understand claims using formal techniques, including multiple quantifiers. Key concepts you will consider are logical validity, truth functionality and formal proof quantification.

Brain and Behaviour

In this module you'll learn about the structure and function of the nervous system, how we detect and respond to stimulation and how behaviour changes with experience. After exploring memory, language, emotion and goal-directed action, you'll study contemporary and historical approaches to psychological disorders. This will give you a critical appreciation of psychology as a science.

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Psychology in Context

This module introduces you to the history of psychology and core topics in social, developmental and cognitive psychology. You'll be able to discuss some of the classic studies, critically appreciate the main concepts and take a historical perspective on psychology as a science.

Year Two

Language and Cognition

In this module, you'll investigate cognitive processes that underlie language, decision making and problem solving, in the context of investigating the evolution, biological mechanisms, and cognitive processes of language and communication. You'll master key findings and methods in psycholinguistics and cognitive science, and be able to critically evaluate theories of language and cognition.

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.

Developmental Psychology

The module builds on the first-year developmental module of Psychology in Context by exploring current research in infancy, childhood and adolescence, linking to examples from atypical development and education and focusing primarily on cognitive and social development in childhood. You'll develop an understanding of how different influences interact in development, and be aware of links between cognitive and social growth, and the development of reasoning and language.

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• Philosophical Issues in Behavioural Science
• Making Decisions
• Consciousness and Reality
• Moral Psychology: The Science of Good and Evil

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]