Philosophy, Politics, Art BA(Hons)

Course structure

You will be taught in small, participatory seminar groups, which foster skills in oral presentation, debating and listening. All of the seminars are supported by lectures.

Year 1
All degrees within the humanities programme area share a first year. Students take six modules that develop the skills central to our courses. They cover topics such as philosophy, history, cultural politics, theories of social organisation, and the globalised world.

Year 2
In year 2, students choose two option pathways to follow for the rest of the degree. Pathways are sets of modules which give students a deep, critical engagement with the subject.

Final year
Students complete their year 2 option pathways and undertake a dissertation. Project findings are presented in an oral exam that tests skills of presentation, communication, discussion and debate.

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through Student View.

Year 1

In year 1 you take six modules that help develop the skills that are central to your studies.

Modules

• Historical Inquiry

  This module will introduce you to the practice of historical inquiry through an exploration of various approaches to the study of crisis and conflict in the mid-twentieth century. You will explore the dilemmas that the study of conflict poses for global and transnational history; the impact of war and crisis on social, gender and race relations, and the international order; and the ways in which memories of this period act in the contemporary world.

• Philosophical Inquiry

  This module introduces you to key topics in philosophy. Studying moral and political philosophy will enable you to explore questions such as How can I act ethically? and Could a more equal society be built? Philosophy of science and epistemology will empower you to interrogate arguments behind various truth claims encountered today. You will explore Plato, Hume, Kant, Utilitarianism; inquire into the nature of art and freedom; and interrogate philosophy’s historical complicity in sexism and racism.

• Studying Cultures

  This module introduces fundamental concepts and methods in cultural studies. Through a case study of Britain in the counter-cultural period of 1968–74, you will explore conflicts involving questions of ‘race’, national identity, gender, class and youth. Focusing on the distinction between lived cultures and cultural texts, you will relate the practices and values of everyday life to the workings of ideology within narrative forms including girls’ magazines, a novel by Angela Carter and a James Bond film.

• Democracy

  This module introduces you to the histories and contexts within which the concept and practice of democracy developed. You will study classical, republican, liberal, anarchist, Marxist, communitarian and global conceptualisations of democracy, in each case examining their relevance to our current political circumstances. You will explore the cultural preconditions for democratic freedoms and the representation of democratic values in different social and political movements.

• Globalisation, Conflict and the Environment

  This module introduces key concepts, theories and questions in international relations and global studies. You will interrogate and evaluate the political implications of different approaches for the study of key aspects of our contemporary world. You will explore how concepts and theories are applied to contested global issues, such as environmental sustainability and war/conflict. 

• The Politics of Representation

  This module introduces you to political, historical and structural approaches to the study of narrative and representation. You will critically reflect upon how the stories we encounter construct particular visions of our world. Focusing on issues of narrative, ideology, language and semiotics, you will explore textual and visual forms, including television and film, news media, the internet, imaginative fiction and photography.

Year 2

In year 2 you will choose two option pathways to follow for the rest of your degree – a specialist pathway that is specific to this degree, and one from the wider humanities programme. You’ll also take core modules and start the research for your final-year dissertation project.

Core modules
Critical Traditions in Western Thought 1 and 2 explore some of the key debates and concepts in history, culture, politics, and philosophy since the Enlightenment.

Philosophy, Politics, Art specialist pathway
The pathway starts by looking at problems in contemporary society and culture, and by relating them to art and its histories. In doing so, it focuses on issues around race, sexuality, class and the legacies of colonialism. The course then uses art and visual culture as a means of exploring themes, such as the nature of power, belief, political struggle and the emergence of the modern world.

Option pathway
You also choose an option pathway from the wider humanities programme. You can either follow this option for all of year 2 or choose the Humanities Placement: Active Citizenship module and study the option pathway for a semester. The options are:

• Politics, History and Ideology
• Race and Resistance
• Self and Society
• War, Violence and Mass Killing
• Culture and Conflict
• Terror and Terrorism
• Globalisation, History and Identity
• Global Politics
• Contemporary Global Challenges
• Literature, History and Social Change
• Critical Theory and Radical Politics
• Morality, Politics and the Good Life
• Philosophy and Literature
• Politics of the Past
• Radical Histories

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placement

During your second year you can choose to take the Active Citizenship module. This is a 50-hour professional work placement at a not-for-profit organisation. This could be a local charity, a non-governmental organisation or a community organisation.

The university’s Active Student service will help you to find the right placement opportunity – and you will be offered support in putting together your application and your CV and cover letter.

Final year

In your final year, you continue studying your PPA-specific and option pathways developing and extending the work started in year 2, inviting deeper engaged reflection through seminar discussion and coursework essays on the broader themes you have examined.

Philosophy, Politics, Art specialist pathway: Contemporary Debates in Art, Philosophy and Politics
Part 1: The module builds upon the work done in years 1 and 2 to provide an in-depth exploration of contemporary debates in art, philosophy and politics. It looks at current art movements, issues and conflicts in modern popular culture, and draws on contemporary philosophical approaches to address this material.

Part 2: Building on Part 1, you'll engage in the in-depth study of a particular contemporary issue or area of inquiry. The specific area of focus will be shaped by the current research of the staff who teach this degree and topics will change every few years to ensure that they remain at the cutting edge of contemporary debates in philosophy, politics and art.

Dissertation
You will complete and submit a dissertation, drawing on your subject knowledge and research method skills, as you develop your own extended critical response to your chosen topic. You also take part in an oral exam: drawing from a theme in your dissertation, you will prepare and deliver a presentation and take questions. In doing so you demonstrate your presentation, communication, discussion and debate skills.

Resources

• You will have opportunities to take part in subject-related events at the university including evening lectures and debates organised by the student-run Humanities Society and the Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics.
• The university's excellent art and design library St Peter's House.
• Screen Archives South East, a moving image archive, is based on city campus.

The university has close relationships with local festivals and organisations such as CineCity, the Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton Festival, Brighton Festival Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Fabrica and Lighthouse. These connections provide many opportunities for students.

Students have access to the world-class Design Archives.

Meet the team

Dr Tom Bunyard, course leader

Tom Bunyard is the degree leader of the Philosophy, Politics, Art BA(Hons). His research and published work addresses a range of topics in philosophy and cultural theory. He teaches across the humanities, with a primary emphasis on philosophy, culture and politics, and his current work is centred around problems in the philosophy of history.

Find out more about Tom.

Find out about our other staff

• Dr Nicola Clewer
• Dr Zoe Sutherland
• Dr Jonathan Gilhooly
• Dr Anthony Leaker.

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

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