"reason rules the world, and world history has proceeded rationally" Hegel

MA Philosophy, Sociology and The Environment

This course can be taken either full-time over one year, part-time over two-years, or by credit accumulation between three and six years.

MA Philosophy, Sociology and the Environment

The new MA in Philosophy, Sociology and the Environment is jointly taught by the Departments of Philosophy and Sociology. It provides students of various backgrounds with advanced, critical knowledge of past and present philosophical reflections about nature, both within continental and analytic philosophy. It also helps them to chart the new and quickly developing field of environmental ethics and introduces them to the main theories in that area. It provides students with advanced knowledge of (a) social movements and environmental issues, (b) different sociological theories explaining the functioning and impact of globalisation on the environment and (c) the mechanisms and effects of globalisation in the realms of economy, politics, social relations and culture. It also fosters the development of a range of critical and applied skills central to the development of new theories and policies, such as the capacity for logical analysis and problem solving, or the ability to deploy a complex conceptual apparatus to interpret and illuminate empirical cases. In doing so, the degree prepares graduates to enter employment in a number of areas such as academia and governmental or non-governmental organisations.

Entry Requirement:  BA 2.1 in either Philosophy or Sociology or an equivalent qualification.

Course Structure

Module Code Module Title Credit value
PY943-7-AU MA Seminar in Environmental Ethics (compulsory) 15
PY944-7-SP Philosophies of Nature (compulsory) 15
SC554-7-AU Society and the Environment (compulsory) 20
SC654-7-AU Social Movements & Environment Issues (compulsory) 20
  Philosophy Option 15
  Sociology Option 20
  MA Writing Workshop (recommended) None
PY988-7-FY Dissertation.  The length of the dissertation is 15-16,000 words (core) 90
Total   195

Optional modules. Not all modules will be available every year. 

Module code Module Title Credit value
SC504-7-AU Quantitative Analysis from Univariate to Multivariate Methods 20
SC509-7-SP Media Theory 20
SC510-7-SP Culture and Intimacy:  Gender, Sexuality and Citizenship 20
SC519-7-SP Consumer Culture 20
SC520-7-SP Interviewing and Qualitative Data Analysis 20
SC523-7-SP Texts, Documents and Ethnography 20
SC526-7-SP The Contemporary Nation State 20
SC530-7-SP The Political Sociology of the Nation-State and Citizenship 20
SC550-7-AU Sociology of Human Rights I 20
SC551-7-SP Dynamics of Home and Work 20
SC552-7-AU Gender Divisions and Feminist Theory 20
SC553-7-AU Cultural Studies:  Theory and History 20
SC610-7-AU Culture and Intimacy:  Queer History and Visual Culture 20
SC650-7-SP Sociology of Human Rights 2:  Selected Topics 20
SC654-7-AU Social Movements and Environmental Issues 20
SC901-7-AU Contemporary Debates in Sociology` 20
SC915-7-SP Gender, Justice and Development 20
PY401-7-AU Philosophy & Rights IIA 15
PY401-7-SP Philosophy & Rights IIB 15
PY500-7-AU Kant's Revolution in Philosophy 15
PY501-7-SP Heidegger 15
PY502-7-SP Hegel 15
PY503-7-AU Nietzsche 15
PY504-7-AU Psychoanalysis, Symbolism and the Unconscious 15
PY936-7-AU MA Continental Philosophy III 15
PY937-7-SP MA Continental Philosophy IV 15
PY940-7-AU Phenomenology & Medicine 15
PY941-7-SP Illness and Existence 15
PY942-7-SP Philosophy and Medical Ethics 15

You can find more information on the relevant modules by visiting the online Module Directory.

Dissertation

During the Spring and Summer terms and vacation, students prepare and write a 15,000-16,000 word dissertation in a subject falling into one of the specialist streams which may be in any relevant area of philosophy, sociology or the domain of intersection between the two.

Assessment

All departmental modules will be assessed by their agreed procedures. The core seminar will normally be assessed by written work equivalent to two 4,000 word essays. Students must receive at least a pass mark for each overall component of the degree course, the pass mark being 50.