Program Overview

• Focus on values and beliefs to deepen your understanding of the specific needs of individuals and communities within local and global societies
• Learn the highly transferable skills of speaking and writing clearly and convincingly along with the capacity for independent thinking
• Study one of the oldest university subjects
• Learn from leading international thinkers across the campus on a wide range of questions relating to your course
• Gain real-world work experience as a part of your degree programme by volunteering for a placement with a range of organisations, from charities to think tanks

Philosophy is arguably the oldest university subject and has the widest field, with philosophers asking fundamental and important questions about values, culture, science, religion and society. As such Philosophy sits at the heart of any university, engaging with and enriching other programmes. In fact, at Winchester, Philosophy has a special role pledged to pioneering values-driven education and asking big questions about human existence.

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3).

A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of Philosophy and related subjects.

In Year 1 (second year of study), you begin by studying modules in Philosophy that are designed to develop your study skills and enhance your confidence in critical writing and reading. Among others, these include Ethics and Religion, Philosophy in the Ancient World, Paradoxes and Puzzles, God, Soul and the World in Early Modern Thought, and Introduction to Political Philosophy. There are optional modules on Contemporary Conversations and The Meaning of Life on Film.

In Year 2 (third year of study), core modules include Thinking with the Earth, Research Methods, Kant and Copernican Revolution, and Nietzsche, Freud and Atheism. In your final year you focus on a Dissertation and core modules in Phenomenology and Existentialism, and Contemporary Philosophy.

In Year's 2 (third year of study) and 3 (fourth year of study), you build a profile of options around your philosophical studies to reflect your own academic interests. A wide range of optional modules include Bioethics, Christianity, Race and Colonialism, Questions in Metaphysics, and Religion, Ethics and War.