BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Compulsory modules

Reason and Argument 

Explore arguments in different contexts such as newspaper opinions, social media spats and philosophical treaties. You’ll develop critical thinking and logic to evaluate claims and arguments. 

Principles of Economics 1

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics. You'll learn how the real world works by developing your understanding of key economics concepts, mathematical tools, and microeconomics.  

Principles of Economics 2

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics and develop your understanding of key economics concepts and mathematical tools. You’ll learn concepts of macroeconomics and how they overlap with microeconomics. You’ll also consider key topics such as what can markets do and cannot do, and when can government improve economic performance.

Politics of Climate Change 

Explore the political challenges and debates on climate change, analysing how and why decisions are made, their consequences, and underlying ethical issues. Through analysing climate change across various interconnected settings, you’ll reflect on the relevance of climate change across the wider discipline of political science.

Introduction to Political Ideas

Explore some of the major debates in political theory through the study of four themes: authority, freedom, democracy, and social justice. You’ll focus on conceptual and normative debates about politics and critically analyse, deconstruct, and develop arguments.

Optional modules

Radical Philosophy 

Question your assumptions and beliefs by exploring radical philosophical claims. You’ll compare and contrast different ways of doing philosophy, such as phenomenology and deconstruction. 

Global Justice 

Discover global perspectives on justice and freedom, from the Buddha to Christian female mystics, to acquire new insights and question your own beliefs and ideas.  

Philosophical Skills for Life   

Develop the skills needed to produce persuasive and nuanced academic arguments, research, and referencing. You’ll learn how to identify limitations and advantages of philosophical writing. 

These are the modules we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest teaching and research methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Intermediate Microeconomics 

Develop an in-depth and rigorous understanding of the core concepts and methods of microeconomics. You’ll learn more about consumer and producer theory, and discover new topics including game theory, bargaining, market competition, general equilibrium and welfare.

Intermediate Macroeconomics 

Develop in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles and analytic concepts related to economic growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation of the interrelationship between macroeconomic variables and government policy, and be able to analyse relevant issues discussed by news and politicians.

Study of Politics

Learn how to identify different methods and approaches to the study of politics and international relations. You’ll study qualitative and quantitative methods of research, as well as methods of political theory, to prepare you for more advanced study in the subject.

Optional modules

Ethical Argument 

Develop your knowledge and skills by considering arguments in moral philosophy and contribute to debate by learning how to argue in a charitable but critical way.  

Oppression, Inequality, and the Enemies of Democracy 

Explore the concerns of society by asking questions within contemporary political philosophy. You’ll enhance your ability to think reflectively and critically about the role of fairness in society. 

Meaning and the Mind

Consider questions such as How can there be minds in a physical world? How does a mental state (like a memory or a perceptual experience) come to represent the world? What role does consciousness play in the mind? Discuss and analyse some of the core arguments in philosophy of mind, including with historical reference to the figures who originally formulated those arguments.

Global Philosophies

Participate in cross-cultural conversations about global issues such as gender, race, social identities, and death. You will be introduced to and taught how to analyse a range of concepts, including Buddhist, Jain, and African American critical theories, performative theories, and phenomenological theories.

Aesthetics 

Explore topics that are central to philosophical aesthetics including beauty, definitions of art and truth in literature. This will enable you to develop critical understanding of philosophical problems raised by art and aesthetic experience. 

Philosophy through the Ages: The Minds that Shaped our World  

You’ll engage with a range of ideas and theories from classic texts that mark some of the most important and influential ideas in philosophy, from Socrates to the present day. 

Ignorance, Doubt, and Relativism

Investigate the concept of knowledge and analyse and evaluate some of the core arguments in contemporary epistemology. You will learn about the different theories of knowledge and explore famous works from Ernest Sosa, Alvin Goldman, David Lewis, Edward Craig, and Miranda Fricker. 

Comparative Government and Politics 

Examine and compare the origins of political systems, political institutions, regime formation, and democratisation from all regions of the world. You’ll learn how to nuance, unpack, and conceptualise some of the contemporary challenges that democratic nation-states face.

Global Order

Discover what international order is, how orders function, and the variety of different ways that relations among political communities can be, and have been, organised. You’ll explore key dilemmas and trade-offs that characterise international relations and how contemporary problems are best addressed.

Political Thinking 

Deepen your understanding of the ethical dimensions of contested political issues, from how societies should deal with statues of historical wrongdoers, to whether inheritances should be taxed. You’ll explore how political decisions are made and the substance of such decisions, with weekly focus on a concrete policy question.

American Government and Politics

Discover how ideas and values, such as liberty and individualism, influence the American system of government and politics, both at national and local level. You’ll learn about all the institutional actors in the US political landscape, and explore central policy issues such as gun control, immigration, and environmental policy.  

Politics Classics 

Discover thinkers, ideas and traditions that have always played a central role in the study of politics. Through the writings of a selection of classic thinkers, you’ll explore difficult debates around private property, democracy, individual autonomy, and other topics that have never been resolved.

The Media and Politics

Develop your understanding of the role and influence of media in contemporary politics and society through a combination of lectures and media. You’ll refine your ability to engage broad audiences in political debate by producing a pre-recorded documentary that you’ll present as part of a radio broadcast.

British Government and Politics 

Discover the workings of British government and parliament and explore a range of related topics, such as elections, political parties, and the relationship between government and the judiciary. You’ll discuss current events and put your knowledge into practice through a micro-placement.

War, Peace and International Ethics

Examine ethical questions surrounding the threat of war using thought-experiments and real-world examples. You’ll discuss whether war is ever morally permissible and if so, for what reasons and with what limitations.

These are the modules we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest teaching and research methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation in Philosophy

Engage in original and independent research to produce an extended essay that focuses on a philosophical topic of your choice. You’ll also submit an assessed research proposal and give a presentation. 

OR

Independent Learning Module 

Choose a philosophical topic that fascinates you to form the basis of an extended essay. This will enhance your independent learning skills, self-awareness and ability to reflect on your progress and strengths. 

OR

Dissertation in Politics

Produce your own piece of work in consultation with an expert supervisor. You’ll plan and execute a project of your own devising, making use of ideas, materials and methods introduced  in the first half of the year.  

OR

Dissertation in Politics (mini)

Work on an independent dissertation project of 8,000 words, under the guidance of a supervisor. You’ll identify the research question, critically evaluate the relevant literature, apply theoretical frameworks and research methods to your research questions, and learn to analyse and synthesise the research findings.

Optional modules 

Free Will and Responsibility  

Investigate the concepts of freedom and responsibility using philosophical thinking and by applying approaches from different cultures.  

Philosophy of Language: Animals, Babies, Colours, and Language Death 

Engage with questions concerning meaning, language and communication. To address these, you'll engage with foundational texts in linguistics, psychology and anthropology and research informed by developments in the cognitive sciences.  

Public Economics 

The module aims to examine the rationale for government intervention in the economy. You’ll apply microeconomic theory to contemporary policy issues, analysing some of the principles involved in tax design and the equity and efficiency implications of taxation.

Environmental Economics 

Get an overview of the theories, methodological tools, and evidence to understand contemporary environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, and sustainable development. You’ll learn the framework to evaluate various important policy questions.

Behavioural Economics 

Understand the limitations of the neo-classical theory in explaining many economic phenomena. You’ll become familiar with the common biases and their implications on decision-making. You’ll also gain knowledge of basic theories of behavioural economics and an understanding of games used to test these theories.

Industrial Organisation 

Learn from theoretical industrial economics to understand corporate decision-making, such as price-setting, output-setting,  advertising, product differentiation,  and collusive behaviour. In this context, you’ll learn about the role of industrial competition, reflecting on market structure and competition policy intervention.

Financial Economics 

Learn about the economic reasoning that underpins much of modern finance, including portfolio theory and asset pricing. You’ll apply neoclassical financial analysis to financial decision-making in the world of uncertainty and market imperfections. You’ll also learn about the role of financial intermediation in facilitating investment.

International Economics 

This module is concerned with economic interactions among sovereign nations in terms of trade in goods and services as well as investment in financial and real assets. You’ll explore answers to questions such as fair distribution of benefits, regulation of trade, and financial relations. You’ll also learn to apply the theoretical concepts and models introduced to the policy context of Brexit and EU integration.

Development Economics 

Apply economic tools to the study of issues that are of particular importance to low-income countries, such as microeconomic theory to understand the causes and consequences of underdevelopment. You’ll be equipped with an understanding of relevant economic theory, evidence, and implications for policy. 

Money and Banking 

Build on your knowledge of intermediate macroeconomics as you study the economics of money, banking, and financial markets. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge about financial markets and institutions, central banking and monetary policy, with a focus on analysing the role of money and understanding the financial structure of financial institutions, businesses and the process of banking.  

Karl Marx 

Explore the Marxist interpretation of history and its political implications with a focus on the questions of alienation, ideology, exploitation, class struggle, and revolution. Discover where Marxist thought has continuing value and where its more vulnerable to criticisms.

Risk 

Delve deeper into a wide range of issues in the ethics and politics of risk, focusing on the debates around how societies and individuals should act in the face of risk. You’ll explore the links between theoretical arguments and real-world cases and apply your knowledge to concrete problems, such as self-driving cars, and pandemic policy responses.

Politics and International Relations of the Middle East 

Gain a nuanced understanding of the politics of Middle Eastern states and how they relate with international tensions and conflicts of the region. You’ll study the history of these countries and their state-civil society relations, as well as the international politics, roles of superpowers, and their interests in the area.

International Political Economy 

Explore the interaction between states and markets, and between winners and losers, at domestic and international levels. You’ll discover the major theoretical approaches to international political economy through a range of topics, including international trade and finance, development, the effects of globalisation on the welfare state and the environment, and the use of economic sanctions.

Feminism and Political Theory 

Explore the role of feminism in the political landscape and the theoretical controversies surrounding it. You’ll examine a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, marriage, and the body.

Democracy, Division and Disagreement  

Discover how contemporary democracies are marked by deep disagreement, intense divisions, anger, hate, disinformation, and distrust. You’ll explore how we should respond to public disagreement and division from an ethical perspective.

Paradoxes

Explore some of the great contemporary and historical paradoxes in philosophy, and their proposed solutions. Philosophy is full of paradoxes – logical, semantic, metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and others, which shed light on big philosophical issues.

Metaphysics

Discover metaphysics, one of the foundation stones of philosophy, and how the way we deal with metaphysical problems affects our approach to problems in many other areas of philosophy, such as philosophy of mind and epistemology.

Philosophy of Religion 

Explore central topics within the philosophy of religion. You’ll examine contemporary ideas and their historical origins, evaluating their significance and validity. 

Early Chinese Philosophy 

Deepen your understanding of the history of philosophy. You’ll focus on early Chinese philosophy to include the Confucian and daoist traditions, as well as moral, social, and political philosophy. 

Current Moral Philosophy

Explore current debates in ethics, roughly focusing on material published in the last 20 years. These debates could be totally new, or they could be current takes and debates about much older issues (such as Aristotle's ethics).

Fairness

Learn about leading contemporary theories of fairness, including the relation of fairness to impartiality, equality, proportionality, need, desert, and free-riding. You'll address conflicts between fairness and other values, while developing your skills in dealing with abstract moral concepts and normative arguments.

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Explore and debate critical issues in business ethics from a moral, practical and, sometimes, political perspective. You will learn about topics such as the morality of sweatshop labour, the ethics behind advertising, and the corporate obligation to do what is right

Society and State in Ancient Greece

Study the classic works in Ancient Greek political philosophy, including some or all of Aristotle's Politics and Rhetoric and Plato's Republic and Gorgias. You'll look at the philosophers' conceptions of politics, society, and government, and examine their relevance to modern concerns and issues.

The Scandal of Film

Study the role films play in our cultural lives. Explore film in relation to reality, the human condition, philosophy and art. 

Hume and Wittgenstein

Investigate the concept of knowledge and analyse and evaluate some of the core arguments in contemporary epistemology. You will learn about the different theories of knowledge and explore famous works from Ernest Sosa, Alvin Goldman, David Lewis, Edward Craig, and Miranda Fricker.

Speech Attacks: Bullshit, Lies, Propaganda

Discuss the foundations of speech act theory and examine ways that it has been applied to philosophical problems in feminist theory and political and social theory. Explore lies and bullshit, and what (if anything) is wrong with these uses of language. And we will discuss the nature of propaganda and 'fake news' and how to resist its effects. 

Global Justice

Explore some of the main debates around justice at a global level, focusing on how theoretical arguments are applied to real-world challenges. You’ll examine discussions around various topics, including open borders, climate change and countries’ responsibilities, colonialism and reparations, and economic globalisation.

Political Behaviour around the World

You’ll discuss whether it is right to vote, voter turnout, voter choice, protest and other forms of contentious participation. You’ll also consider the effects of class, religion and other social cleavages on shaping political engagement and voting behaviour. 

These are the modules we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest teaching and research methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.