Religion, Philosophy and Ethics BA

This module offers inspiring content drawn from our department’s diverse research interests and current trends in the philosophical community. You’ll explore topics like the philosophy of video games, the family, AI, the transhumanist movement, deepfakes, and happiness economics, alongside traditional philosophical themes. 
 

Throughout the module, you’ll get a taste of these topics and demonstrate your understanding through assessments like short exams. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your philosophical interests, with the aim of sparking a passion for independent or collaborative research.  
 

This module is designed to foster engagement in higher-level philosophical activities, encouraging you to reflect on your personal interests and philosophical development. 
 

By showcasing the department’s current research, the module aims to inspire interest in contemporary philosophical issues. You’ll gain insights into various specialist topics that you might pursue in further modules or as research projects. The module also introduces diverse research methods in both theoretical and practical philosophy. 
 

Join us to explore cutting-edge philosophical debates and develop your skills in critical thinking, research, and reflection. 

This module will introduce you to some of the core debates in moral philosophy. We’ll consider both contemporary and historical philosophical discussions of questions like:

• What makes certain actions right or wrong?
• Is the rightness/wrongness of actions solely a matter of their consequences, or are certain types of acts inherently right or wrong?
• What is the relation between right action and good character?
• Under what conditions is an action to be counted as free, in the sense required for moral responsibility?
• What is it to hold someone morally responsible in the first place? 

This module will explore key concepts and themes in Africana philosophies and religions, paying particular attention to Africana notions of the human person and human life within a spirit-filled cosmos.

After reviewing critiques of Eurocentric conceptions of philosophy and religion by decolonial thinkers such as Okot p’Bitek, Kwasi Wiredu and Sylvia Wynter, we discuss a variety of texts and sources that highlight and elaborate core concepts in indigenous African modes of thought, such as ‘vital force’, ubuntu, destiny and the world. Thereafter, we consider how Africana philosophies and religions offer fresh approaches to addressing various issues in the contemporary world.

The sort of questions we might consider here include:

• How might African accounts of humanity radicalise concepts of gender?
• Are Africana cosmological narratives able to counter heteronormativity?
• Can the philosophy of ubuntu promote environmental justice?
• What do Africana notions of witchcraft disclose about the dangers of human sociality and the possibility of trust?
• Can black humanity be affirmed in ways that refuse the social death of anti-black racism?

This module will introduce you to a range of topics in applied ethics, with a focus on either biomedical or business ethics. Through examination of case studies, in-class debates and critical analysis, you will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate complex ethical issues in healthcare and/or business practice. 

You will gain an understanding of: 

• applying ethical reasoning to major practical themes

• debating contemporary and historical problem cases with appreciation for the perspectives of others 

• evaluating key ideas in primary and secondary literature

The group work assessment will require you to engage with others in approach to ethical dilemmas. You will draw on your own and others' lived experiences as examples to evaluate and respond to from an ethical perspective.

This module will introduce you to some central philosophical problems in aesthetics. It encourages your engagement with current views on aesthetic evaluations and has potential as a foundation for a level 3 research topic.

You’ll cover key topics and perspectives of aesthetics in philosophy, such as:

• contemporary views relating to the nature of aesthetics
• the relationship between artworks and other objects of aesthetic concern
• philosophical issues surrounding aesthetics
• critical discussion and evaluation of different philosophical views of aesthetics
• objectivity versus the subjectivity of aesthetic evaluations
• epistemology of aesthetic judgement
• aesthetics of nature
• aesthetics of human beaut
• aesthetics of everyday life

By the end of the module, you will be able to discuss and evaluate different views of aesthetics, explain some current views on the status of aesthetic evaluations, and present the main contemporary viewpoints on key topics in aesthetics.

This module offers inspiring and motivating content, drawing from our staff’s diverse research interests and current trends in the philosophical community. You’ll explore topics like the philosophy of video games, the family, AI, the transhumanist movement, deepfakes, and happiness economics, alongside traditional philosophical themes. 
 

Throughout the module, you’ll get a taste of these topics and demonstrate your understanding through assessments like short exams. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your philosophical interests, with the aim of sparking a passion for independent or collaborative research. 
 

By showcasing the department’s current research, the module aims to inspire interest in contemporary philosophical issues. You’ll gain insights into various specialist topics that you might pursue in further modules or as research projects. The module also introduces diverse research methods in both theoretical and practical philosophy. 

We look at some fundamental metaphysical questions about the cosmos. A selection of the following topics will be studied:

• Objects: concrete vs. abstract; existence and nothingness
• Sets and mereology
• Properties, Property bearers, Relations
• States of affairs and non-mereological composition
• Modality (including counterfactuals) and possible worlds
• Time, persistence, change, and the non-present

This module provides a diverse range of research projects for final-year students. You’ll have the opportunity to plan and execute an ambitious research project on a topic of your choice, working closely with staff and supervisors in the joint enterprise of ‘doing philosophy’. 

During your project, you’ll conduct independent research and collate ideas and information from the sources you examine. You will demonstrate an understanding of the key assumptions of the main protagonists in their research field, recognise the need to engage with those assumptions, and explore the potential problems raised by your own thinking.  

This module offers a rigorous grounding in formal and philosophical logic, building on the basics covered in Introduction to Theoretical Philosophy. You'll delve deeper into Truth-Functional Logic, First-Order Logic, and Modal Logic, exploring these areas with greater rigour and completeness. 

Key topics include existence, identity, possibility and necessity, along with formal techniques for testing argument validity. You'll also learn to challenge the logical languages studied, developing skills in philosophical logic by raising questions about logic and evaluating alternative logical languages. 

The module aims to provide a clear understanding of formal logic, introduce the basics of philosophical logic, and critically assess possible alternatives. In the process, you’ll enhance your logical reasoning and philosophical inquiry skills. 

• Are you obliged to obey the law even when you disagree with it?
• What features must a state have in order to be legitimate?

In this module we will approach these classic questions of political philosophy by examining the work of a number of important past political philosophers. This might include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau but this isn't a fixed list - it may vary according to particular issues and student input.

We will look at both:

• why the thinkers' works have been open to different interpretations
• evaluate their arguments under these different interpretations

This module is worth 20 credits.

Aristotle declared that “All men by nature desire to know”. But we allegedly live in a post-truth world characterized by fake news, alternative facts, and scorn for expertise. These are major dangers to our way of life, and dealing with them requires epistemology. Epistemology is the study of such topics as knowledge, evidence, and justification.

In this module, we'll explore issues such as: the nature and value of knowledge, the threat of skepticism, the role of testimony in acquiring knowledge, and intellectual virtues and vices. Some questions we will tackle include: What is knowledge? Why should we care about it? What is our justification for believing things? Do we know that we’re not brains in vats?

This module allows you to ask profound questions about meaning, truth and existence, which are central topics in contemporary philosophy. You'll tackle themes such as meaning and meaningfulness, sense and nonsense, reference, truth and truthmaking, speech acts, paradoxes, vagueness, realism vs. antirealism, conditionals, modality and expressivism. 

Through engaging discussions and critical analysis, you'll explore how these concepts shape our understanding of the world. This module encourages you to think deeply and critically about complex philosophical issues, providing a solid foundation for further study in philosophy.  
 

Where does the mind meet the world? In sensory perception.

By perceiving, we become conscious of a reality beyond our minds. Or do we?

Mind and Consciousness explores perception and perceptual consciousness.

It asks question such as:

• Do we really perceive a world beyond our minds?
• What are the theories of perception and perceptual consciousness?
• How do we distinguish different senses – what makes seeing different from hearing?
• Can our perceptions be biased? Do our prejudices change the way we see things?
• Is dreaming perceiving, or does it belong to another category of mind like imagining?

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

• understand the main positions in the philosophy of perception
• analyse and evaluate rival views on these topics

This module is worth 20 credits.

This module, Music, Ethics, and Identity, explores how our identity, preferences, and self-expression are linked to music. It introduces theories of identity, such as critical race theory and feminist thought, and uses case studies on ethnicity, gender, religion, and more to examine how music relates to identity and ethical issues in today’s society. These case studies will cover various styles and genres, including popular music, musical theatre, film music, and classical music. 
 

You will learn about the relationship between music, ethics, and identity. The module will explore how aspects of identity like race, religion, gender, queerness, and class influence the creation, listening, and performance of music. You will be introduced to key identity theories as you relate to music and will understand the ethical implications of linking identity to art. 

Discover how music has historically helped us explore life’s big questions - our place on Earth, our potential as a species, and our ultimate direction. 

While many religious and spiritual traditions include music in their practices, we will focus on individual artistic responses.

Through a playlist of European and North American works, from 18th-century classical pieces to 21st-century popular music, you will investigate music’s unique ability to express complex ideas and offer comfort in times of need.

Although we emphasise music created outside formal religious settings (like songs, albums, and concert works), lectures will also touch on relevant religious musical traditions where appropriate.

• What is art?
• Is there a relationship between art and ethics?
• What is the relationship between art and emotion?

Together we'll explore these philosophical issues and more. By the end of the module you'll:

• have a good awareness of many of the critical debates in the philosophy of art
• recognise and judge for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of arguments on the issues

This module is worth 20 credits.

Since the 19th century, historians have sought to link the past and the present 
 

This module will critically assess some of the most influential philosophical accounts of the nature of the past and its phenomena. It may focus on issues such as whether history has a direction, progressivist and teleological accounts of history, necessity and contingency in history, the historicist rather than universalist positions on the status of human nature, the ontological status of historical objects, or the putative meaning of history. 
 

We will also examine some of the ways in which, since the nineteenth century, historians have sought to link the past and present in a discipline designed to deliver genuine historical knowledge. Topics covered may include, but are not limited to: 

• the connection between the possibility of historical laws 
• actor-centered philosophy of history 
• causal explanations 
• the narrative approach to history 
• historical reasoning from evidence 
• historical objectivity 
• realism and anti-realism about the past
   

This interdisciplinary module aims to develop philosophy and history students' understanding of some central issues in the philosophy of history, including, but not limited to: 

• the nature of history itself 
• the adequacy of the practice of historians 
• whether we can demarcate appropriate and inappropriate methods in the discipline of history 
• whether history has a direction, purpose or significance accessible to critical scrutiny 

This module will explore the interactions between science and society through a series of lectures, discussion groups and workshops. Topics that will be explored include the ethical parameters that govern how scientific work is constrained, ways in which scientific discoveries can/should be disseminated to the wider community, the wider responsibilities that follow the acquisition of new knowledge and the concept of ‘citizen science’, where science takes place outside the traditional academic centres of work. This mode consists of a three-hour lecture incorporating discussion groups once per week.

This module addresses issues in social metaphysics and social epistemology. We will examine the metaphysics of social kinds and explore different accounts of social kinds that have been offered. We will also examine how the fact that we are situated in a social world can affect what we can or cannot know or understand about ourselves, each other, and the social world itself. We will also address ethical and/or political issues that arise once we take account of social metaphysics and social epistemology.

In particular, we might consider whether there are special kinds of injustices that arise due to our social reality. What is epistemic injustice and how does it relate to social injustice? How do certain privileged groups structure the social world that create and maintain privilege and patterns of ignorance that perpetuate that privilege? What are some obligations that we have, given metaphysical and epistemological concerns we have explored? 

What is the nature of space, time and motion? Is space/time/motion relative or absolute? How can we come to know? These are some central questions in the philosophy of space and time which this module explores. 

This module will discuss how thinkers such as Descartes, Newton, Leibniz, Du Chatelet, Mach and Einstein have used philosophical arguments to try to answer the question about the nature of space, time and motion.

We'll examine the Asian philosophical traditions, especially those of India, China, and Japan.

These Asian traditions address familiar philosophical themes - in ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - but often approach them in ways that seem unfamiliar.

You may well find your culturally inherited presuppositions challenged. This is good! As global power relationships change understanding culture is vital to meaningful communication.

Topics we may cover include:

• Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism the relationship between morality and religion
• etiquette, ethics and aesthetics
• the family and moral life
• social and political philoosophy
• animals, natural environments, and human flourishing
• the nature of ultimate reality and the good life
• the relation of Asian philosophies to the Western tradition

This module is worth 20 credits.

This module brings together philosophical, historical and sociological approaches to Buddhism. Students will learn about Buddhism as a philosophical and religious tradition – or set of traditions – with particular attention to the relation of Buddhist doctrines and teachings to the contemporary world. They will also learn about Buddhism as a living community, with particular attention to Buddhist life and practice.

This module aims to help you gain a deep understanding of key questions in the theological study of biblical texts. You will examine texts from the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Bible and explore how these texts have been interpreted in various Jewish and Christian cultural contexts. 
 

Learning outcomes 

By the end of this module, you will:

• Understand significant theological questions related to biblical texts
• Gain insights into the diverse interpretations of these texts within Jewish and Christian traditions

In this module, you will explore key relational concepts (love, hope and sin) in the Christian theological tradition – developing a rich understanding of their contemporary relevance. 

You will trace these concepts in the work of major Christian theologians, assess their contributions to an ecological understanding, and learn how to apply their ideas to today’s environmental crisis and look for meaningful theological responses to climate change.

Throughout the module, you will learn how these important ideas fit into the historical development of Christian theology and develop your ability to discuss complex and sensitive issues in small groups.

This module provides a history of Jewish life in continental Europe and Mandatory Palestine from the genesis of Zionism to the establishment of the state of Israel.

It focuses on perceptions and receptions of Judaism within modern Jewish culture. The module illustrates the intersection of modern Jewish history with the religious culture and thought of Judaism in the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries.

We’ll explore Central-, German-speaking Europe and follow the German-speaking Jewish peoples, many of whom emigrated to mandatory Palestine. The module sets out to explain how the contexts of fin de siècle and interwar Central-Europe shaped the history of both diasporic and Israeli Jewish peoples.

Furthermore, through its focus on Jewish religious culture, the module instils an understanding of how historical context influences interpretations of sacred texts. Conversely, it also explicates how forms of religious traditions and belongings impact secular politics and culture.

Finally, the module informs the students as to how Jewish history fits into the broader tapestry of modern global history. We’ll explore this using cultural, social and intellectual history across a range of topics related to modern Jewish history through the lens of religious culture, such as: Zionism; Antisemitism; the German-Jewish artistic and intellectual renaissance of the Weimar and Austrian Republics. It also provides an insight into the history of the Holocaust and its impact.

In this module, you’ll examine different types of interfaith encounter, which takes place in the intellectual, religious, cultural, societal and political spheres. The module will normally involve a field trip that explores interfaith encounter in one or more of these spheres.

The module will prepare you to undertake research or a special project in your final year. You’ll develop research skills and write a proposal for a final-year dissertation or project.

This module explores various philosophical perspectives on the concept of God, featuring thinkers like Baruch Spinoza, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Michel Henry. The aim is to challenge your preconceptions about religious belief. 
 

You will: 

• gain a deep understanding of key Western philosophical approaches to religion
• learn how different views on belief influence society, including ethics and politics
• develop skills to analyse complex philosophical texts and ideas
• integrate knowledge from different academic fields
• apply philosophical arguments to significant social issues

By the end of this module, you will have a nuanced awareness of how philosophical discussions about God and belief shape our world. 

Explore the landscape of religions in modern British society, with particular emphasis on:

• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam
• secularism
• nonreligion
   

You'll be introduced to leading theories of the sociological study of religion, including models for interfaith contact and dialogue, and examine how these theories and approaches developed.
 

Through groupwork you'll research an interfaith topic for a class presentation, learning to communicate your ideas to a supportive audience.

This module is based around a challenge: how do we use the digital humanities?

You are presented with a series of problems about how we can use the arts and humanities to address some of the major issues we face in technology and society.

For example, the acceleration of technology in both private and public life is immense, but this rapid pace of change should not prevent reflection.

In this module, you consider the major contemporary issues of how technology shapes our present and our future. We respond to these concerns using the specific skillset of the arts and humanities, where we ask: what does it mean to be human?

This module is worth 10 credits.

Stand out in your job search with employability skills and hands-on experience.

Learn key skills, from constructing an outstanding CV to practicing interview technique, before completing a part-time placement in the spring. This will be for one day a week, or equivalent, for up to eight weeks.

You can apply for placements in relevant local organisations. The dedicated faculty placement team have an established list of providers, or you can arrange your own placement, subject to approval.

Our placements include a range of sectors, including:

• creative and cultural industries
• media
• marketing
• heritage and museums
• the music industry
• education
• charitable and third-sector organisations

These are subject to change each year.

You will develop a wide range of transferable skills, including:

• communication
• presentation
• organisation
• professionalism
• time management skills

Assessment is through an online portfolio of materials, including application materials, reflective writing and a research report.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Community engagement is important in many careers, from politics and social work to marketing and business.

We do not work in a vacuum - our research and activities are linked to individuals and groups across society. By learning to engage with communities, researchers can reach wide audiences, learn from them and collaboratively make a real contribution to overcoming social problems. 

We need to understand how engagement works in order to work collaboratively, respectfully and sustainability with communities.

In this module, we will:

• Explore how our staff and students work with communities – from supporting immigrant communities settling into Nottingham, to engaging with schools to promote literacy and career opportunities
• Discuss how activism and advocacy can become part of academic work
• Explore how community engagement is structured and organised and how we can ensure our work within the arts and humanities has relevance and impact for diverse audiences

This module will prepare you for your future career, by focusing on the key skill of the arts and humanities: our ability to support and engage with those around us.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Explore the histories and legacies of colonisation, alongside the routes to justice through decolonisation.

Using examples from across the globe, we explore the impact of colonisation on society, politics, economics, and culture.

You will consider contemporary examples and a wide range of evidence, sources and perspectives, including from:

• art
• film
• literature
• archive materials and documents
• music and performance

You will also explore the debates around reconciliation, restitution and justice.

Together we will build an interdisciplinary analysis, drawing upon the research of the whole faculty to uncover, assess and deconstruct the practices of colonialism and their implications for our contemporary world.  

This module is worth 10 credits.

Doing an arts and humanities degree means you’ll gain the skills which are essential for changing the world we live in. Not only that, you are uniquely positioned to understand people, processes and culture.

This module lets you apply that knowledge to solve a real-life problem. The aim is for you to develop your understanding of your degree, and the range of careers open to you.

You will work in an interdisciplinary team on a real project connected to impact, which we define as our ability to ‘make change happen’. These projects have been designed by individuals, groups and organisations that are looking to make a difference to our world. This might be about sustainability, business, equality, culture, politics or society.

Teams will be given a project brief. You will then be guided through how to shape a project, and how to work as a team and deliver results. This will give you the employment skills and experience to show how you can make an impact as an arts and humanities graduate.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Wellbeing, the crisis in mental health care, and clapping for NHS staff during the Covid pandemic are all examples of health humanities. On this module, you will be exploring contemporary challenges in this area.

To build a healthier society, enabling access to healthcare for all, we must consider how people act, behave and build connections.

You will look at:

• how the arts and humanities respond to major issues in health, medicine and wellbeing – i.e. exploring how individuals use art, literature and culture to understand pain and loss, or analysing human behaviour with regard to new medicines and our relationship to health sciences
• topics such as cultural representations of health, places of medical treatment, or the relationship between medicine and emotions

The major challenges in health provision and healthcare can be influenced and directed by the arts and humanities. This module shows you how this field can be a powerful tool for change.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Discover how our world is experienced through language.

We live in a global society, where different languages build our perceptions, ideas and values. In this module, we respect that difference and participate in it.

You will:

• Use multilingualism as a tool to challenge our own thinking and to comprehend the lives of others in society
• Work through etymologies and translations from a wide range of languages, including Russian, Spanish, French and German
• Learn how understanding languages - not just speaking and reading them - can be vital in contributing to our community, enriching your experience, and participating in a global society

No knowledge of any language is needed, as we focus on understanding what it means to live in our multi-lingual world.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Explore how Nottingham creates ideas, identities, culture and products, alongside how you as a student are also ‘Made in Nottingham’.

This module will help you begin shaping your skills for the career you want, drawing upon the way arts and humanities work has transformed the city.

From the entrepreneurs who have set up businesses or those who have created and enriched charities and social projects, to the writers, artists, musicians and teachers who have all been created in Nottingham. We use their experience, their understanding and their skills to help you define your own path for after university.

You will be able to build your profile through this module, develop your own career narrative to use in your future work as well as engage in the variety of opportunities that are open to you as an arts graduate.

Through this module, we’ll address what it means to be ‘Made in Nottingham’.

This module is worth 10 credits.