Philosophy Lectures Oxford

[Senaqua Hildreth]

Lecturesand classes in Trinity Term 2024 will be delivered in-person. Canvas will be used to hold materials pertinent to lectures and classes as prepared by individual lecturers, such as handouts, slides and reading lists. Relevant student cohorts will be given access to the Canvas sites, variously those for graduate classes, for FHS lectures, and for Mods/Prelims lectures. We restrict access to online Philosophy material to Oxford students enrolled on a Philosophy course, and to Oxford students with a curricular or research interest in philosophy.

Important: you are advised to check the lists as close as possible to the start of each term. There are often last-minute changes to lecture schedules. We recommend that you do a cache refresh on your browser to be sure of seeing the most up-to-date versions as linked to below..

PPE is a highly flexible degree which allows you to shape your own path through it. You may choose to specialise in two branches at the end of the first year, or continue with all three. You can also explore a wide variety of disciplines under the overarching headings of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. For example, you can specialise in Sociology or International Relations by choosing the relevant Politics options.

In turn, the study of politics provides a thorough understanding of the impact of political institutions on modern societies. It helps you to evaluate the choices that political systems must regularly make, to explain the processes that maintain or change those systems, and to examine the concepts and values used in political analysis.

Economics is the study of how consumers, firms and government make decisions that collectively determine how resources are allocated. An appreciation of economics has become increasingly necessary to make sense of governmental policy-making, the conduct of businesses and the enormous economic transformations throughout the world.

'PPE this year has been a thoroughly enjoyable course. The three branches are perfect for a generalist like myself, and jumping from an economics problem set to a politics essay and then a logic exercise means you'll certainly never get bored. You'll have the opportunity to explore the perennial questions, of what's right and wrong, and how we ought to govern. You come to your own conclusions, and then pit your ideas against incredibly bright peers and expert tutors. I've had a great time so far.'

'I enjoy PPE because it allows me to develop distinct lenses through which to engage with foundational questions about things that are entrenched in our common-sense understanding of the world. Why should I be moral? How do I know anything? How important is free speech? What happens if the banks close tomorrow? What does it mean to be efficient? Each discipline gives you different tools to examine the world as it is, and to think about how it should be. For example, Economics will allow you to quantify and model total welfare, whilst Philosophy will require you to question how welfare is defined in the first place and whether it can be aggregated at all. These diverse ways of knowing will sometimes reinforce and sometimes challenge each other, and that process is genuinely exciting.'

Your weekly timetable will usually include six to eight lectures and two to three tutorials and classes, supplemented by private study, which will be mainly spent preparing essays or problem sets for tutorials and classes.

Teaching in all three PPE subjects is normally done in tutorials rather than classes. Where a class does form part of the teaching for a paper, it will typically include around six to ten students, although one computer-based training course in Politics may have up to 24 students in it.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are specialists in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students, typically doctoral students who are also expert in the relevant field.

* Although a background in Mathematics is not an essential requirement for admission, it is recommended, and PPE applicants should have sufficient interest in, and aptitude for, mathematics to cope with the mathematical elements of the course. Mathematics is a particular advantage for the Economics component of the course, as well as for the first year logic course in philosophy, and for understanding theories and data in politics. It is recommended to have learnt the basics of differentiation before starting your university course in PPE. Many successful applicants have studied Maths to at least AS-level, or another equivalent.

You may like to consider taking Maths to AS-level, or an equivalent qualification such as IB Standard Level, even if you do not pursue it further. However, we do understand that these qualifications may not be available to all students.

Extra tuition will be available to students that have not studied Maths A-Level who require any assistance. View the PPE admissions statistics for information on the success rates for applicants applying with different A-level subjects.

If your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades listed above for undergraduate study, but you still have a strong interest in the subject, then applying for PPE with a Foundation Year might be right for you.

Admissions tutors will want to find out if you can think clearly and analytically. They are less concerned with what you know than with how you think and use your knowledge. They will seek evidence of interest in all three subjects.

'PPE encouraged me, more than anything else, to think critically about the social world and our place in it. It taught me how to test and challenge arguments and disentangle their constituent parts. That experience has been crucial to my pursuing a career as a barrister. First, because the philosophical skills that I acquired have proven invaluable in thinking about, developing, and challenging legal arguments in practice. And second, because it's helped me to continuously reflect upon the social impact of the law and its relationship with political power.'

We don't want anyone who has the academic ability to get a place to study here to be held back by their financial circumstances. To meet that aim, Oxford offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK students and this may be supplemented by support from your college.

Living costs for the academic year starting in 2024 are estimated to be between 1,345 and 1,955 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our living costs webpage.

In 2024 Oxford is offering one of the most generous bursary packages of any UK university to Home students with a family income of around 50,000 or less, with additional opportunities available to UK students from households with incomes of 32,500 or less. The UK government also provides living costs support to Home students from the UK and those with settled status who meet the residence requirements.

Unistats course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about a particular undergraduate course at Oxford. For a more holistic insight into what studying your chosen course here is likely to be like, we would encourage you to view the information below as well as to explore our website more widely.

College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research. Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.

The study of Philosophy develops analytical rigour and the ability to criticise and reason logically. It allows you to apply these skills to many contemporary and historical schools of thought and individual thinkers. You will also apply these skills to questions ranging from how we acquire knowledge and form moral judgements to central questions in the philosophy of religion, including the existence and nature of God and the relevance of religion to human life.

The study of Theology provides an understanding of the intellectual underpinning of religious traditions and of the social and cultural contexts for religious belief and practice. It brings together a wide range of skills and disciplines, historical, textual, linguistic, sociological, literary-critical and philosophical.

The Philosophy Faculty is the largest in the UK and one of the largest in the world. Many faculty members have a worldwide reputation, and its library and other facilities are acknowledged as among the best in the country.

'The course itself exceeded my expectations, not only in the way it was taught, but in the extraordinarily wide range of topics that it was possible to study. It is a course that allows the study of Byzantine church history alongside the philosophical problems of the mind and of language, to name just a few diverse areas. This has really allowed me to follow what I found I was genuinely interested in. The freedom the course gives me to follow my passions in the subject is a massive boost.'

Your weekly timetable will be divided between one or two tutorials, which may take place at your college or at the college of a specialist tutor. A large part of your week will be spent in independent study to prepare for tutorials. Each week you will also attend up to six lectures, or small classes for some course options.

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