History and Philosophy

Studying history and philosophy together gives you a wide range of modules to choose from.

We teach social, cultural, and political history from the early modern period through to the contemporary period, focusing in particular on the British Isles, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and India.

You'll use primary sources from the start, analysing various kinds of historical evidence, including written and oral materials, maps, visual images, feature films, art, and music. You'll consider how the use of sources and media representation inform our reconstructions of the past.

Philosophy explores our existence using critical thinking and argument. If you find yourself thinking about life's big issues, philosophy could be for you.

We specialise in continental (European) philosophy and teach key texts from the European tradition. You will look at how it is important to real-world concerns and contemporary issues by:

exploring films and artwork

discussing important scientific and technological developments

debating controversial ethical issues

looking at how texts written 300 years ago can be relevant to political situations today

At Levels 1 and 2 you will receive a grounding in ancient and modern philosophy and be introduced to fundamental ideas concerning ethics, epistemology (the nature of knowledge) and metaphysics (the nature of reality).

You then specialise in Levels 3 and 4 by drawing on a range of philosophy modules taught by lecturers engaging in interdisciplinary research.