Philosophy, Politics and Economics with a Year in Industry BA (Hons)

This module provides an introduction to the main schools of thought and key issues in the field of International Relations (IR). It starts by offering an outline of these schools of thought and introduces students to important thinkers and theories within them. It then moves on to applying and comparing and contrasting different theories to a range of important contemporary issues, from the persistence of war to the environment. It concludes with a discussion of possible futures.

This module provides students with a critical introduction to a number of political concepts such as power, the state, legitimacy of sovereignty and gender through engaging with political thinkers such as Weber, Dahl, Tilly, Hooks and Rousseau. It also aims to establish a grounding in a number of areas that will benefit the students in the academic study of politics. For example, essay writing, debating in seminars, and an introduction to academic research. In so doing the module develops on the skills gained at A-level to ensure students are fully prepared for degree level study in Politics. Principally this will be accomplished through interactive lectures and seminars, as well as detailed feedback on their assessments. This module provides students with the tools they require to master different forms of assessment and course work. It also lays the foundations for the development of research confident students by making them active learners with a responsibility for their own academic study.

This module introduces students to techniques of proof and mathematical methods that will be assumed elsewhere in the programme.  It prepares students for the Year 2 Mathematical Economics II option, which is a prerequisite for certain Year 3 modules.

Students taking this module will develop key skills which are essential for studying philosophy. Students will learn how to approach philosophical texts written in a variety of styles – how to identify arguments, how to distinguish arguments from rhetoric, and how to evaluate arguments. They will also learn how to summarise views accurately, clearly and concisely, and how to write persuasively when presenting their own analysis of the philosophical topics covered. This module also includes lectures on successful presenting, and how to conduct fruitful philosophical discussions. Students will also be advised on understanding and learning from feedback. Students will gain skills in conducting their own independent, enquiry-led research, which is facilitated by a two-hour information and research skills workshop provided by the Library.
The seminar readings will cover three engaging philosophical topics. Since the lecture content is primarily devoted to developing the skills involved with philosophical practice, this module also features three podcasts which serve as introductions to the readings for the three seminar topics.

The module is assessed as follows: seminar participation counts for 10% of the overall grade, a 1,000-word executive summary of any two of the seminar readings counts for 30% of the module result, and a 2000-word essay counts for the remaining 60%. Feedback on the executive summary and the essay is provided online using the VLE. It specifically relates the assessed work to the marking descriptors (which are published online in advance). Feedback on seminar participation is provided informally by the seminar leader (and by the students’ peers). Students will also have the opportunity to discuss their participation by making use of their seminar leader’s feedback and advice hours.

This module introduces students to the main arguments and theories in the history of Western political philosophy. Taking this module will enhance students’ abilities to analyse political arguments and claims and to identify the philosophical assumptions that underlie them. The module is taught by lecture (2 x 1 hour per week in person, or pre-recorded mini-lectures available online, depending on the circumstances) and seminar (1 hour per week). Assessment is via a take home exam (2 hour equivalent, weighted at 90% of the module mark) and a 5-10 minute seminar presentation (weighted at 10% of the module mark). Seminar presentations may be recorded by students, if in-person presentation is not possible.

This module complements and builds on Principles of Microeconomics and provides a foundation for further studies in macroeconomics. It introduces concepts and theories of economics which help understand changes in the macroeconomic environment and enables students to explain and analyse the formulation of government macroeconomic policy.

The module acquaints the student with a foundation in neo-classical microeconomics. The module equips students with the knowledge and mathematical tools to approach fundamental problems in microeconomic analysis. Students are introduced to the importance of theoretical models and their role. The module is supported by a customized textbook. Students who engage fully with this course will receive a solid foundation in microeconomics, which forms the foundation of all future courses in microeconomics and related subjects.

The aim of this module is to give students an understanding of how statistics operates in Business and Economics. This module serves both as a foundation for further study and as a broadly based introduction to statistics and data analysis. It is practically based and will teach the foundations of statistical analysis including calculating and presenting statistics from sample data and inferential techniques for making inferences about variable parameters from these as well as a good understanding of probability and variables as probability distributions.

This module deals with business ethics and the social responsibility of business organizations. It is designed to inform decision-making about ethical challenges arising in business. It will help students identify and manage difficult ethical dilemmas they are likely to encounter in their future career. It is not intended to convert sinners into saints, to preach ethical truths, or to convey the wisdom of moral philosophers. However, it will develop students’ analytical skills in ethical reasoning and provide them with a substantive framework to deal with ethical challenges. The module is taught by lecture (2 x 1 hour lectures per week, or a set of recorded mini-lectures available online if necessary) and workshops (2 during the semester, 2 hours each, which may occur online if necessary). Assessment is via case study analysis (40%) and an open book examination (60%). There will also be formative tests during the term. This module is identical to PHIL271, except that it runs in Semester 2.

The module provides training in the principal methodologies, theories and techniques of modern macroeconomic analysis. It is designed to introduce classic macroeconomic issues such as growth, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, exchange rates, technological progress, and budget deficits. The course will provide a unified framework to address these issues and to study the impact of different policies, such as monetary and fiscal policies, on the aggregate behaviour of individuals. These analytical tools will be used to understand the recent experience of the United States and other countries and to address how current policy initiatives affect their macroeconomic performance.

The aim of this module is to further extend the study of macroeconomics at intermediate level. The module follows a modern approach to macroeconomics by building macroeconomic models from microeconomic principles.
On completion of this module, students should be able to: 1) examine macroeconomic data and analyse macroeconomic events; 2) critically evaluate macroeconomic models, 3) build and solve micro-founded macroeconomic models; 4) explain the implications of shocks and evaluate the effects of fiscal and monetary policies using macroeconomic models.

Introduction to the functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers. Students will learn the major principles of microeconomics including consumer theory, producer theory, and general equilibrium. Perhaps more importantly, students will also learn how to apply these principles to a wide variety of real world situations in both personal and professional lives.

This module aims to introduce students to three topics in microeconomic theory: game theory, asymmetric information and welfare economics.

The module aims to prepare students for a smooth transition into a work placement year and, more broadly, to develop lifelong skills, attitudes and behaviours and support students in their continuing professional development. This will help students lead flexible, fulfilling careers working as a professional in their field, and enable them to contribute meaningfully to society.

This module examines the governing institutions and processes associated with the US federal government, and how these interact with core linking institutions and structures of society to create what is understood as the American political process.

The module covers the media’s relationship to politics, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on Britain. It touches on the political, economic, moral and legal contexts in which journalists cover politics, and looks at how subsequent coverage relates to citizen’s attitides and to democratic politics. The module deals with a range of key topics, such as ‘the economy’, ‘climate change’ and ‘Europe’. Students should, as a result, get a rounded appreciation of the media’s role in contemporary society and politics. The module is delivered via a standard lecture and tutorial format.

This module analyses the major ideologies in British politics and explores how ideas have brought about change in British politics and society since 1945.

This module aims to develop students’ knowledge of British political parties and the party system within which they operate. It explores questions and issues surrounding party structure and organisation, electoral strategy, party ideology and the socio-historical contexts which lead to the rise of certain types of parties rather than others.

After years of authoritarian stasis, the tectonic plates of Middle East politics began to shift with the "Arab Spring" of 2011. Much media analysis reduces political explanation of the region’s politics to a single variable (Islam) or its impact on Europe (refugees, terrorism). This module will provide students with the tools to analyse the region’s politics in its richness. Students will critically engage with key concepts and debates in the study of Middle East comparative politics. These include the role of oil and the "rentier-state", democratisation and authoritarian resilience, and the role of religion in politics.

The module provides an overview of struggle for democracy in contemporary history. It challenges students to reflect upon why a particular variety of democracy, representative government (or ‘polyarchy’), has become one of the dominant political systems in the modern world. It explores the circumstances under which dictatorship gives way to representative government, and the conditions under which it endures.

The course focuses on three major approaches to questions of democratisation: modernisation theory; the social forces tradition; and transition theory. These rival theories provide the framework for an exploration of key cases in the history of democracy as the course follows the so called ‘waves of democracy’ and ‘reverse waves’ of democratic breakdown.

Moving to the frontier of democratic struggle, the course examines the prospects for democracy in the global South, or amongst countries that democratised during the most recent ‘Third Wave.’ Is there any reason to expect that democracy will take root and consolidate, or might new hybrid political systems establish themselves? Will struggles over the legitimate basis of political rule continue? What can this tell us about the future of democracy in an interdependent world?

The international system has no central authority that makes and enforces laws, yet it is not totally anarchic. A large number of international organisations allows states to co-operate in areas as diverse as the economy, international security, or the protection of the environment. The aim of this module is to enable students to systematically study international organisations. We focus on key questions: How do international organisations become (and remain) legitimate? Are they independent from their member-states? What inequalities and hierarchies do they transform or reproduce? Through a series of empirical examples – such as the United Nations, the WTO, the World Bank – students will be able to systematically analyse the role and functions of international organisations in global politics.

International (or Global) Political Economy (IPE/GPE) is a sub-discipline of International Relations. This module examines the interplay between politics and economics and the way this relationship is influenced by domestic and international forces. It examines the social underpinnings of economic transactions, the political frameworks that shape economic activity at national, regional and global levels, and the economic imperatives that impinge upon political decision-makers. During the module, you will be introduced to influential perspectives, theories and ideas that have been advanced to explain and anticipate events and developments in political economy. The module covers the most important issue-areas in international political economy and examines recent developments, including the global financial crisis of 2008, challenges to the western liberal order, and the impact of the ecological crisis on global political economy. Firms, individuals, markets, societies, social classes, and states are all important elements of IPE. Theories differ in the way they deal with these elements and the relative significance they accord to each of them. The tension between the elements, resulting in cooperation and conflict, is a major feature in the theory and practice of IPE.

Understanding security in international relations and how it is challenged by contemporary globalisation.

This is an opportunity to spend the third year of your studies working as part of your degree programme. The placement year is not just about gaining work experience, it is also about deepening your academic understanding in your subject. Whatever modules you have taken previously, your prior studies in Years 1 and 2 will have given you some appreciation of general issues and theoretical concerns in your subject area. Your placement will give you some real-world experience against which to compare that academic knowledge. The experience will in turn inform your studies in your final year, providing you with material to discuss in such modules as the Independent Project or the Dissertation. You will have the opportunities to learn and practise a range of intellectual, interpersonal and technical skills relevant to your chosen industry. You will be encouraged to think creatively and to develop skills in adapting and responding positively to changing circumstances. Ultimately, your academic learning will be enhanced in the final year of study through this opportunity to contextualise your studies in the workplace. Students who have taken SOTA600 are not allowed to take SOTA300.

Students can choose their own research topic at the interface of two or more of the constituent disciplines of PPE. This allows them the opportunity to pursue their own particular interests in depth via reading and private study under expert supervision. All students will have the opportunity to participate in the Philosophy Dissertation Showcase, the Dissertation ‘Boot Camp’, and training in how to write a dissertation.

This module is designed for Economics students who wish to advance further their understanding of modern macroeconomic analysis. The module considers a number of macroeconomics topics at a more advanced level and in greater depth. Why do countries grow? What are the sources of recessions and booms? Why is there unemployment and what determines its extent? What are the sources of inflation? How do government policies affect output, unemployment, inflation and growth?

This is a third year advanced module in microeconomic theory focussed on the study of asymmetric information environments. In the seminar/tutorial students will be expected to present and discuss additional material as well as solve exercises.

The module intends to familiarise students with central themes of aesthetics and art theory, especially questions about aesthetic judgement, aesthetic experience and aesthetic value. They will be able to strengthen their understanding of the history of philosophy, as well as the connection between theory and artistic practice. The module is taught by lecture (1 hour per week) and seminar (1 hour per week). Assessment is via a 3,000 word essay (85% of the module mark) and one 10-15 minute presentation (delivered during seminars, or recorded if on-line only teaching) that provides the remaining 15% of the module mark.

Since the financial crash there seems to have been a growing interest in economic ideas that challenge orthodox views. This unit provides an introduction to alternative ideas in economics. It provides the students with a knowledge of the debates between the different schools of thought, and also leads to a deeper understanding of mainstream views, and of the discipline of economics as a whole.

This module will introduce students to ideas formulated during the classical period of Chinese philosophy. The focus will be on the dialectic between the Daoist and Confucian schools. The module will help students to understand the ways in which Chinese philosophers approached topics that are also discussed in the Western traditions. It will also enable students to understand what is distinctive about the Chinese approaches. There will be one lecture and one seminar per week. Assessment is by examination (60%), essay (30%) and assessed seminar presentation (10%).

This module provides, from an economics perspective, the knowledge required to understand competition issues in the business environment. Understanding the concept and framework of regulatory policy, both within each region and country, and as applied to individual sectors and industries, is crucial to gain maximum benefit for companies and other organisations and to avoid inadvertently violating legal requirements.

The creative sector of the economy rivals the financial services sector in size in the UK. This module first provides context for the sector in both the UK and globally. It then explores the application and development of economic theory in a sector which is often characterised by ‘non-standard’ markets (i.e. markets where neoclassical microeconomic assumptions may not hold) such as: Insubstitutability of labour for capital; superstar labour markets; intangible property of copyrights; fundamental measures of economic ‘value’; demand under utility models influenced by taste formation and differing levels of public sector influence. It is applied by examining a variety of creative industries, including fine arts, music, broadcasting, movies and others.

Students will choose a topic of special interest related to their programme of study and conduct an independent research project upon up it in consultation with an allocated supervisor. The module is distinctive because the final project output is to be presented as if to a specified target external audience (such as sixth-form students, policy groups or the general public), and use a digital platform (eg website, vlog, animation, podcast). The module thus offers students opportunities to integrate their philosophical skills, knowledge and understanding with applied skills of digital communication relevant in arenas beyond the academic setting.

Students do not need digital skills beyond those they will have already acquired as final year students of Philosophy to take this module. Training is offered via a suite of learning materials as relevant to an individual’s chosen mode of presentation and through scheduled supervised workshops. Advice and support are provided. Students will have the opportunity to offer peer feedback on each other’s outputs before final submission.

Formal assessment is threefold:
a) Research Report (2000 words; 45%). The student, before embarking on the module, will have identified a question or problem which they wish to research and address. The Research Report offers a summary of this, arguments put forward and conclusions drawn. It also confirms the proposed audience and output format.

b) Digital Inquiry Project (45%). Guidance is supplied on appropriate size/length, which will vary according to platform, but be such that the project communicates the findings of the Report in a manner appropriate to the audience and digital format.

c)Reflective Commentary (500 words, 10%). This gives students the opportunity to reflect critically on the process, identifying challenges, how these were addressed and explaining presentational decisions made.

This module familiarises students with some of the main theories and arguments in debates about issues that raise problems for traditional ethics. These include the treatment of disability, the issue of humanitarian intervention and other matters of global concern, such as international justice, and issues raised by what some call the ‘environmental crisis’. The module is taught by lecture (1 hour per week) and seminar (1 hour per week). Assessment is via a 3,500 word essay (comprising 90% of the module mark) due in the January assessment period. Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on a draft essay plan towards the end of the autumn term. Students will also give one 10-15 minute seminar presentation that provides the remaining 10% of the module mark.

The objective of this module is to provide an introduction to Game Theory. This is the study of strategic interactions i.e. situations where outcomes depend not only on our own actions but also on how others react to our actions. This module complements those in core macro and microeconomics and offers more insight into strategic business decisions and competitive behaviour in general. In particular, we will use game theory to study market competition, auctions, bargaining, signalling, etc.

This module provides alternative perspectives on global politics, drawing on feminist theory and gender analysis, with a focus on conflict and peace, and the implications for global politics and International Relations (IR). The module will engage with theoretical concerns (how are women affected differently by conflict and peace, how do we engage feminist methodologies) to practical concerns (conflict, security, participation, sexual violence, human rights). Theories and concepts will be illustrated with relevant global case studies and examples. The module aims to encourage engaged, critical reflection on feminist approaches to our understanding of issues in world politics.

This module covers the main normative issues surrounding the delivery of health care in modern societies. It discusses the purpose of health care, the notions of health and disease, just allocation of medical resources, issues of inequity in health dispositions, and problems of prioritising and rationing in health care. It acquaints students with the main theories of health care justice and also covers problems in public health and global health inequalities.
After successfully taking the module, students will able be to explain the main moral and economic problems in the provision and allocation of health care resources. They will have sufficient knowledge of underlying philosophical debates and theories in these areas to engage critically with recent public debates about the just and economically viable provision for health care needs.

The module will be delivered by 8 x 2-hour seminar groups and two 2-hour workshops.

Modes of summative assessments are i) a group presentation (weighted at 15% of the module mark); ii) a brief argument (up to 500 words) in relation to the group presentation, in the style of a "Letter to the Editor" (15%); iii) a 2000-words essay (70%).

Industrial organisation is concerned with the economic analysis of firms and industries, with a particular focus on how well consumers (society) are being served by particular industry structures and firm actions. The module incorporates debate between alternative schools of thought. The coursework is based on an industry case study selected by each student, which they research and which develops skills of independent research, writing, analysis and critical appraisal. In particular students are asked to evaluate which school of thought provides the most plausible interpretation of firm strategies and market outcomes.

This module is addressed to students of both economics and business and management. It uses rational choice and public choice to study aspects of a globalised world, which is in key respects different from that of elementary textbook models. The first part of the module introduces theoretical concepts, which are then applied in the second part of the module to study open economies in a context of globalisation. The final part of the module examines Latin America as a case study.

This module aims to develop a good understanding of the main trade theories, their assumptions, implications, applications and limitations, and provide essential skills to students to engage in an analytical discussion of the impact of trade patterns,trade policies of government,foreign direct investment and World Trade Organisation on the economies of both developing and developed countries.

The module will be delivered via weekly small group face to face sessions and through weekly online recordings delivered asynchronously.

The module provides training in the principal methodologies, theories and techniques of modern macroeconomic analysis. It is designed to introduce classic macroeconomic issues such as growth, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, exchange rates, technological progress, and budget deficits. The course will provide a unified framework to address these issues and to study the impact of different policies, such as monetary and fiscal policies, on the aggregate behaviour of individuals. These analytical tools will be used to understand the recent experience of the United States and other countries and to address how current policy initiatives affect their macroeconomic performance.

The module will look at the manner in which a range of media engage with climate change and energy security, and the political and social implications that follow. Students should achieve an understanding the context of coverage (including the science, the surrounding political environment, and journalistic practice). They should also be able to understand the principal features of coverage (and their impact), and the political implications that follow. The module will be delivered via lectures, workshop-tutorials, and online tutorials. It will be assessed by exam, short essay and a student’s performance in a presentation undertaken in a group alongside other students.

This module gives students the opportunity to explore selected areas of conflict in social, political and legal domains. When rights or interests clash, or seem to clash, what philosophical issues are at stake? How should the state adjudicate? Key themes include rights, freedoms and responses to oppression. The module seeks to help students develop a philosophical manner of thought that will enable them to refine their views on other similar issues of public importance, often controversial in nature, which they might encounter later in life. Representative areas for inquiry include questions such as ‘Does the state have the right to display religious symbols in classrooms?’ and ‘How far should midwives be allowed to opt out of assisting with abortions?’, and topics such as freedom and the media, the ethics of immigration, forms of oppression within society, and sexual harassment.

There are no lectures for this module; it is based on student-led research and applied learning, facilitated by the tutor in weekly two-hour workshops. Some content is sensitive, and discussions are carefully moderated to respect this. The assessment asks students to integrate their academic skills with analysis of ‘real-world’ scenarios. There are three research-based applied components: a presentation (15% + submitted materials 5%), case study (2000 words, 45%), and an opinion piece (1000 words, 35%). The opinion piece is published electronically as a course wiki for peer comment prior to formal submission.

Samples and in-class support will be provided.

The course focuses on the philosophical implications of likely (or possible) future technological developments.

The universe is billions of years old, there are billions of stars in our galaxy and billions of galaxies, and thanks to recent discoveries it now seems likely that most stars have planets. Yet so far we have seen no sign of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. What is the significance of this ‘great silence’? Advances in medical technology will soon make possible significant ‘improvements’ to our bodies and minds. How serious are the ethical objections to human enhancement? If teleportation technology were available many of the all too familiar problems associated with ordinary modes of transportation could be avoided.

But is teleportation actually survivable? Computers are advancing all the time, and some say that super-intelligent machines are inevitable. Are they right, and if so, what are the implications? Will it prove possible to upload ourselves into computer-sustained virtual paradises, as some transhumanists hope? Is it likely, as some have argued, that we are in fact living our lives in virtual worlds? If so, how should we conceive of these worlds? Are they as real as the real world? If we could achieve immortality, either through bio-enhancement or uploading, would it be something we could coherently desire? Is time travel really possible? Some quantum physicists maintain that the universe is continually branching. What are the implications for how we think of our lives if they are right about this?

Many of these scenarios and issues have been anticipated in science fiction. While some (‘hard’) sci-fi authors seek scientific plausibility, i.e. they do their best to stick within the known laws of physics, they generally pay far less attention to metaphysical and ethical issues. Yet in working out how we should respond to what the future may bring, metaphysical and ethical considerations are of paramount importance. It is with these that this course will be dealing.

The module is taught by a combination of lectures and seminars. Assessment consists of a seminar presentation (10%), an essay on a relevant topic (2,000 words, 30%) and a take-home exam (60% approx. equivalent to a 2 hour exam).

​What are the institutional prerequisites of economic development? Global development institutions such as the World Bank or UNDP have proposed the concept of "good governance" as an answer to this question. This module critically engages with this concept by juxtaposing it with various historical institutionalist accounts of the state, including the East Asian developmental state, Africa’s failed states, and the Middle Eastern rentier state. Students engage with key debates about the role of the state, democracy, corruption and the "resource curse" in economic development.

This module explores the theories, ideas and concepts that underpin the development of contemporary public policies.

This module introduces students to a range of politicians and political thinkers from the African continent who were/ are responding to a range of political circumstances. The module aims to encourage students to think critically about the approaches studied, as well as the historical context that has led to the current political environment. In particular the module is intended to encourage students to move beyond the Eurocentric approaches often associated with canonical discussions of African politics and politicians and to think more carefully about how we engage with ‘Africa’. The module combines traditional approaches to thinking about questions of politics and international relations with a theoretical and cultural studies lens. In so doing it encourages students to engage with a range of different source material and thinkers.

This is an introductory module to the economics of international development. It introduces students to conceptual and methodological issues within international development and provides a solid grounding in various models of economic growth and development. It builds an understanding of various contemporary issues in this area and develops critical and analytical skills in analysing the problems of developing countries. From this perspective, it is designed to prepare students for a master’s course in international development or to simply bring a critical understanding of issues of developing countries to their chosen field of work.   ​

The module will cover a range of contemporary mass media and their role in the power structures of British society. Students should achieve an understanding of the mechanisms by which power is (or is not) exerted through and by the mass media; which models of power distribution are most plausible in this context; and which case studies best exemplify the mechanism at work (including mediation of protest; political mobilisation via the web; public relaations and spin practices; and the phone hacking affair). The module will be delivered via lectures and workshops, and will be assessed by exam, short essay and a student’s performance in a presentation undertaken in a group alongside other students.

This is the first substantive module in the UK to examine the rhetoric of British political parties at Undergraduate level. It roots its theories and methods in the classical schools of rhetorical analysis, alongside developing a more contemporary understanding of discourse analysis. This module will enable students to think critically about the political message, how it is constructed, and delivered to a range of audiences.