Program Overview

Philosophy is a fantastic degree choice for independent thinkers, and – beyond studying it for its own sake – it will help you prepare for any number of careers that involve asking questions, gathering evidence, drawing conclusions and communicating your arguments, such as law, politics, journalism, and even advertising.

You don’t need to have studied Philosophy before to join our degree programme. You simply need to be prepared to get stuck in – and to challenge everything. Your studies will begin with carefully designed introductory modules, which lay the foundations across all fields.

You will study great contemporary thinkers as well as those from the past, grapple with puzzles about ethics, God and religion, about the mind, and about language and how it relates to the world. What is there? How do we know? Does science have all the answers? What if there is a God? When, if ever, has anyone found the answers to these questions? These are just a few of the questions you’ll investigate. You can explore the philosophies of the non-Western world, engage with burning political or environmental issues, or examine the thinking behind literature or film. And your teachers will be scholars currently engaged in cutting-edge research in all these fields.

You can build your own tailored studies through your second and third years, when you’ll have an open choice of philosophy themes to follow. Examples include environmental philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of language, ethics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, logic, philosophy of art, literature and film, and various opportunities to study the work of ancient and modern thinkers including some non-Western philosophy. In your final year you might choose to undertake a one-to-one dissertation or enrol for a small group special subject.

Your degree also allows youto, if you wish, take one or two modules each year from complementary subjects outside of philosophy. Themes currently on offer include languages, politics, gender studies, film studies, history, literature, or students can design their own theme in discussion with their adviser.

Philosophy thrives on discussion. That is why you will explore and debate topics with your lecturers and fellow students in small discussion groups – as well as through lectures and independent study. You’ll also develop your thinking and communication skills through a variety of types of written work and exercises, some for practice, some for assessment.

Throughout your time at UEA you’ll work in close partnership with our lecturers and professors, who have produced work that’s discussed the world over. Studying at the forefront of philosophical thinking, you’ll be listening to your lecturers as they develop new ideas, and helping them to identify new ways forward.

Even when studying texts from the past, Philosophy involves fresh thinking, so our module content is newly worked over every time it’s delivered and discussed.