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BA (Honours) Politics, Philosophy and Economics - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

This degree aims to:

  • provide you with a good understanding of economics, politics and philosophy at post-introductory level
  • introduce you to a range of concepts, theories, debates and methods from social science and philosophy
  • provide you with skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis and communication
  • enhance employability by providing recognised training in a range of background skills and issues useful in policy making.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

When you have completed this degree, you will have knowledge and understanding of the following:

  • key concepts, ideas and theories from the disciplines of politics, philosophy and economics.
  • key contemporary debates in the disciplines of politics, philosophy and economics, particularly as they apply to our understanding of the contemporary social world
  • the role of debates in politics, philosophy and economics in shaping contemporary ethical, political and social issues
  • how theoretical debates about contemporary society are constructed, developed and evaluated.

Cognitive skills

You will be able to:

  • use concepts from politics, philosophy and economics to develop analysis of social problems and issues
  • analyse, compare and evaluate different theoretical approaches, understanding of how different approaches work to highlight and explain different aspects of society
  • understand, evaluate and manipulate information presented through primary sources, textual analysis, statistical tables and mathematical representations
  • recognise the ambiguities inherent in knowledge, recognise the contested and contingent nature of social knowledge, and show an awareness and understanding of the grounds for the contingent and contested nature of social knowledge.

Practical and/or professional skills

You will be able to:

  • critically reflect upon information presented to you
  • appraise, monitor and reflect constructively on your own developing understanding of new data and new explanations
  • plan workload and meet deadlines under increasing levels of pressure
  • work independently to analyse a research question using quantitative or qualitative data.

Key skills

You will be able to:

  • construct a logical argument, and identify flaws in an argument
  • select, interpret and synthesise data from a range of sources, including qualitative and quantitative data, and evaluate its significance
  • present information (usually in written format) which is coherently organised and which effectively communicates complex ideas
  • search for information independently, often using IT tools, and to integrate this information/data within established understandings, or show how it challenges them.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

This takes place via printed texts, study guides, workbooks, interactive exercises, audio-visual material, with accompanying media notes, essays and other assignment activities, with continuous assessment and feedback.