Compulsory modules

Philosophy as Reason and Wonder
This module opens your mind to philosophical questioning and gives you a logical toolbox to answer your new questions. You'll delve into core metaphysical and epistemological issues, emphasizing independent thought and philosophical relevance. Formal logical skills will be introduced, enhancing your academic and professional abilities. Additionally, you'll attend a Royal Institute of Philosophy session and report on it, offering an experiential learning opportunity that showcases philosophical debate in action.

What Does It Mean to Be Good?
You will be introduced to the ethical, practical concerns of philosophy, centering on the ancient question “how should we live?”. Religious belief and doubt usually had a role in these reflections, so this module makes an excellent link from Religious Studies, which you may have engaged in prior to university. You will have the opportunity to think philosophically in religious spaces through field trips and site visits. Assessed debates, as well as assessed PowerPoint presentations, will develop your transferable skills.

Ancient Global Wisdom
Ancient philosophy with a twist, for although Greek philosophy is discussed in depth, ideas from traditional Indian, Chinese and African philosophy are given prominence too. By seeing how similar philosophical concerns arose, you will come to a better understanding of how the past has shaped our thinking. You will write dialogues and empathetic monologues, in the spirit of ancient philosophy. For an unforgettable Experiential Learning, you will have an opportunity to perform these in the perfect setting: The Keele Amphitheatre.

Becoming a Social Scientist
This module transitions you to university scholarship and introduces the employability and professional skills that a social science degree provides through a range of action-focused activities, e.g. analysing local council budgets and making decisions about where to invest money. Overall, the module introduces you to vital academic and professional skills and competencies that will allow you to thrive in the first year of your undergraduate studies.

Optional modules

Nietzsche’s Death of God
Few philosophers hold more fascination to the beginning student of philosophy than Friedrich Nietzsche, the prophetic and iconoclastic 19th century philosopher who predicted a coming age of nihilism, which many think has now arrived; Nietzsche’s final lapse of sanity is often connected to his uncompromising path of thought. The excitement of reading Nietzsche provides a perfect introduction to close textual reading and analysis, which will prove useful as the degree progresses, and which is another of philosophy’s key transferrable skills. 

Compulsory modules

Philosophy of the Enlightenment
It is impossible to properly understand the rise of modern science and decline in the cultural influence of religion in Europe without understanding the rise of modern philosophy, and thus the great metaphysical and epistemological theories of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. A module such as this is essential to any serious study of philosophy. Transferable skills are developed through close textual reading and analysis, and through assessed group presentations, which develop presentation and teamwork skills.  

Knowing Minds
Is the mind the brain? Could a machine be conscious? What is time? What kinds of things exist and how? What is possible? Questions about the world and our place in it have been central to philosophical thought for thousands of years. This course takes a contemporary look at debates around these issues, also exploring questions about knowledge, justification, meaning and communication to better understand how we find things out. As well as writing essays and learning how to summarise philosophical arguments, you will also be encouraged to develop your own ideas and to practise presenting views visually by making a slide presentation.

Environmental Philosophy and Technology
This module is about applying philosophy to pressing issues such as environmental degradation and technological progress, particularly Artificial Intelligence. You'll evaluate leading philosophical perspectives on these topics, supported by site visits. Building on skills developed previously, you will tackle a contemporary local challenge set by Stoke City Council, a local business, or a third sector organization. Through vlogs and podcasts, you’ll engage with the community, understand local philosophical challenges, and devise philosophy-led solutions that are presented for external feedback.

Social Science at Work
This module begins to introduce you to possible careers for social scientists and links to the work you are doing in your subject core and option modules asking the question ‘how can we mobilise academic study into the real world?’ You will also be encouraged to prepare for placement work that you may pursue and reflect on your social media footprint; developing your personal/professional brand and digital networking platforms.

Optional modules

Meaning and Nihilism
A module on our existential condition as mortal human beings: whether there is a meaning of life, or whether nihilists are right that there is not. For some, nihilism is a source of liberation – ‘Sunny Nihilism’ is a popular online movement – while the traditional view is that it is a source of despair. In studying this fascinating and personally engaging topic, students will gain sought-after skills in presenting and advocating, e.g., by preparing speeches and drawing up debate maps.

Work Placement for Social Sciences
This module gives you, as a student in the School of Social Sciences, the opportunity to contribute to the world beyond the University, in any workplace where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The chosen workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency or third sector organisation, a charity, a community group, a criminal justice agency, a campaign group, a public service, a school or education provider, or another suitable opportunity identified by the student and approved by the module leader.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation in Philosophy
The dissertation module allows you to undertake independent study on a philosophical subject of your choice. You’ll receive individual guidance from a staff member to develop expertise, culminating in an 8,000-word dissertation. In Semester 1, you’ll have the opportunity to present your abstract at a Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture to an external academic. You will then present your thesis at the Philosophy Student Showcase in Semester 2, honing key skills in initiative, determination, and self-criticism.

Religion and Metaphysics
Mysticism and spirituality are of increasing importance to people in our technological, output-driven age, but few understand their roots in Neoplatonism, Sufism, the Kabbalah and other strands of ‘Perennial Philosophy’. Against the background of a rational philosophical tradition, today’s trends of mysticism can be critically assessed and improved, leading to clear practical applications. You will gain valuable skills for researching and reporting from close textual analysis and the need to collate information from a variety of difficult texts.

Evaluating Science with Philosophy
The philosophy of science is a central area of contemporary philosophy, as it should be in a world dominated by scientific understanding. However, not all attitudes to science are rational, with scientism generally regarded as an inappropriate, uncritical, almost religious trust in science. This module develops transferrable skills with an innovative video-making project for one of its assessments, showcasing how to channel your perspectives into engaging, audience-focused and interactive content.

Engaged Social Science
Moving on from the previous skills modules, you will further consider how your degree can link to a range of life skills and careers through engagement with community groups, activists and people working in public and private sectors. You will be supported in your next steps either through transition to the workplace or postgraduate study.

Optional modules

Practical Philosophy
In this module, you will explore the practical application of philosophy through philosophical counselling or other practical approaches to philosophy. You'll learn how philosophical thinking can improve your life, in a manner similar to psychotherapy, for example. Assessments include practical tasks like role-playing exercises, developing transferable skills such as empathetic understanding. Additionally, the module offers a toolkit to enhance your mental health, benefiting you both during and after your studies.

Work Placement for Social Sciences
This module gives students studying subjects in the School of Social Sciences the opportunity to contribute to the world beyond the University, in any workplace where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The chosen workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency or third sector organisation, a charity, a community group, a criminal justice agency, a campaign group, a public service, a school or education provider, or another suitable opportunity identified by the student and approved by the module leader.