Author: Amy Hobbs

What Makes Philosophy So Special?

/ Amy Hobbs

I would assume that if you’re reading this then you’re applying to Lancaster to study Philosophy, or are at least interested in it? But what is it about the course, specifically at Lancaster, that makes people like it so much and want to stick with it? I even know some people who changed their major because they enjoyed doing Philosophy so much as a minor in their first year! Here are some factors that I feel make the course so wonderful and appealing. Of course, it may be a possibility that I am slightly biased…

The work itself; there really isn’t much else like it. Philosophy is analytical and rigorous, and although it can be very challenging at times, there will always be something that you can take out of a lecture or seminar that resonates with you. I think it is quite rare to be able to say that you relate to a university course on a personal level; especially when talking about your own morals, values and beliefs. I think that the constant possibility of showing up to a Philosophy lecture and leaving with a completely different perspective on an issue that you already thought you had set opinions in is intriguing and exciting. It’s definitely one of the factors that keeps me engaged and wanting to learn more.

The fact that Philosophy allows for your own values and opinions to shine through in your work (to an extent, of course) is something else about the course that I think students really appreciate. Of course you have to learn the theory and the technicalities that come with it, but essay questions always allow for a degree of your own interpretation. The important part is being able to be analytical and think critically of the arguments that you are writing about. Your own interpretation can always play a role in the essays as long as you do this, and support your assertions with academic sources!

The development of yourself and your knowledge. It is easy to feel disheartened sometimes when you are confronted with a reading or lecture that you don’t fully understand, but you have to remember not to panic. Philosophy seminars are incredibly enlightening, people make fantastic points all the time and the lecturers and tutors are very supportive. The more seminars you go to, the clearer the things that once puzzled you become. This only gets better with time. I can tell you from my own experience currently being a third year student, that Philosophy seminars only become more and more enjoyable.

This leads me on to another factor; the class sizes. When it comes to the amount of students on the course in general, Philosophy is usually one of the smaller courses. It depends on people’s learning styles; some people may like having busy lectures and larger seminars, but I really believe that smaller class sizes is what allows Philosophy students to really shine and flourish. Especially in the second and third years, I think my largest seminar group over the past two years has been around 13-14 people, my smallest was 6! For me, I really appreciate the small class sizes as I think it allows everybody to have a voice. Debate and reasoned argument are a central part of Philosophy and smaller seminar groups not only allow for everyone to be heard, but it also allows support from fellow classmates.

This takes me to the inspiration I had to make this particular post. During my seminars that I’ve been attending this week, there has been almost a shift in atmosphere amongst us students. Everyone has been chatting and laughing together, and just making being in to lectures and seminars an enjoyable experience in general. I feel like this really reflects a special type of comradery and sense of community that is present in Philosophy that I can’t imagine finding anywhere else. Everybody; students and lecturers alike, wants to see you succeed and develop within the discipline. It really is a fantastic feeling!

On another note, an update on me; the workload has really upped this week- lots of presentations and essays to prepare for! It’s all about time management, I have two essays to hand in by the beginning of the final week of term so I am spending week 6 (this week) and week 7 discussing the essay questions with my lecturers, doing all of the readings that I need to do and making thorough essay plans, that way I can spend weeks 8 and 9 working solidly on writing them. Weeks 9 and 10 for me will be used to discuss, read for, and plan my extended essays for my special subjects that are due for January.

Applying to graduate jobs is also a huge part of third year, particularly in first term. These past couple of weeks I have been applying to some of the schemes that I am most interested in. That means writing a lot of answers to competency questions, completing countless online assessments, and doing a lot of nervous waiting for updates on my application progress. I will be going down to London at the beginning of December to attend the assessment centre for one of the schemes I have applied for. I’m extremely nervous, but no matter the outcome I will have gained valuable experience and be able to develop my interview and assessment centre techniques. Despite the hectic and challenging nature of this week, I managed to take this weekend to go home and visit family and friends. It’s always such a lovely feeling after being away for 6 weeks! It was a great weekend of relaxation but now it’s back to work, wish me luck!

A Week Of Top Tips

/ Amy Hobbs

Over half way through first term already! Time is definitely not slowing down for anyone and essay deadlines are already looming.

An update on me for this week:

My two regular modules are progressing nicely; we are already onto our second thinker in Continental Philosophy- Foucault and his ideas on disciplinary and regulatory power, how they appear to organisations and institutions and how this affects who we are. Darwinism is also moving swiftly, we are now looking at Evolutionary Psychology – the theory that the traits we have as humans are products of evolution that can be traced back all the way to the Stone Age. We will also be looking at the moral controversies and scientific criticisms that this theory faces. The essay deadlines for these modules are slowly creeping up, so my essay plans are taking shape. It may seem very early for me to start planning two essays that are due five weeks from now, but it is definitely necessary (especially in philosophy)! Secondary readings are just as important as primary readings, not just for your grade, but for your understanding of the subject. There are so many great resources out there, and Lancaster is lucky to have so many of them on the library system. Talking to lecturers is also a must during essay time! It may seem daunting at first, but (in my experience) the philosophy lecturers are all friendly, encouraging and very helpful. In fact, they insist that you talk to them as much as you need! Speaking of which; I am also meeting with my dissertation supervisor next week to discuss my plan and how I can begin writing the actual thing! It’s all becoming very real.

Three Things I’ve Taken From This Week:

  • Make a schedule. This does depend on how you work in a lot of cases, but trust me, it’s very likely that you will need one! It’s always good to be able to see what you need to get done, right in front of you, instead of having it playing on your mind all week. I’m really appreciating the weekly schedules I’ve been making so far, and there’s no better feeling than being able to check something off your list- one step closer to free time!
  • Ask questions. This applies particularly to seminars. Lecturers- believe it or not- do notice who engages and who doesn’t, and making an effort to take part in discussions really helps with learning the material. Often, one comment can spark a conversation or debate that will be useful for understanding the material when it comes to essay writing and revision period. You can’t lose.
  • Don’t be afraid to be ‘wrong’. This is one that I am guilty of. There is nothing worse than having a gut feeling about an answer to a question, staying quiet out of self-doubt, then someone else saying the same thing and being right. Take the risk! Even if it turns out the answer wasn’t quite what the lecturer wanted, you won’t be ridiculed for it. Instead, they will offer you some constructive criticism and tell you how to get to the correct answer next time, so you won’t make the same mistake again in your essays where it counts.

I did my presentation of the primary reading in Popular Music and Philosophy this week and lived to tell the tale! I talked about ‘The Value Problem in Cultural Studies‘ by Simon Frith. I highly recommend it, it’s a really interesting read and has actually taught me how to argue more effectively when it comes to different stances on art! I feel that the presentation itself went really well, and it seemed to be well-received by everyone. Presentations at university level really aren’t as scary as you might think. One of the many plus sides of being at university is being around people that are passionate about the same things as you, so everyone is respectful and engaged in what you have to say. (It also helps that everyone is a bit older too!) My presentation in Feminist Philosophy is coming up next week on Luce Irigaray and the relationship between women and nature. These presentations really require you to read the texts in depth and think critically about them- what philosophy is all about! I’m definitely getting some great material out of them for my essays.

Three quick tips for presentations:

  1. Don’t include things that you don’t understand! It seems self explanatory, but you’d be surprised how many people include quotes and ideas that they think are useful but don’t understand- this makes them stumble over their words and get nervous. If you don’t understand something, go and learn about it from other sources, or pose it as a question! That way, you can get input from the lecturer and your course-mates, and spark a discussion at the same time.
  2. Prepare what you want to say. Whether this means writing out a script or simply having buzz-words, knowing what you want to get across is key. Preparing this way will help you articulate your points more effectively, be able to formulate relevant, cohesive arguments, and make it easier for everyone else to follow. Don’t ‘wing it’- it definitely takes the pressure off!
  3. Take it slow. This is a tip that I have had to remind myself again and again. If you’re a nervous talker like me, presentations become a race to get to the end, but because you’re going so fast, you hit bumps and end up stumbling along the way. If you find yourself rushing and tripping over your words, just take a breath and collect your thoughts, even shuffle through your notes if you need to. Nobody will be pressuring you to keep up your speed. The more you practice, the easier this will get and eventually you’ll find your stride.

On a less work-related note: alongside reading for my dissertation and presentation preparation, my housemates and I are planning on having a ‘pizza and movie night’ this weekend! It’s all about balance and allowing for taking some time for yourself. Appreciate the friends you make at university, you’re all going through similar situations and you’ll need each other so you can take your minds off work every once in a while. So, that should be a nice break from university work- even if it is just for an evening!

It’s (almost) Christmas!

/ Amy Hobbs

It’s finally here! The coveted end of term!

This has definitely been one of the most intense, hectic semesters I’ve ever had during my time here- but by far one of the most fulfilling!

On the 1st of December I went down to London to take part in an assessment centre for a graduate-job that I applied for. It was a nerve-wracking and emotionally draining day, but the whole experience was fantastic overall! Both the assessors and the other applicants were so friendly, and the activities that we had to do throughout the day (while challenging) were surprisingly enjoyable! I think the reason that I was a little nervous was because I was really passionate about getting a place on the programme. But that passion must have showed, because I got an offer!! The work didn’t stop there though; I’ve had to do a lot of subsequent work and assessments to secure my place. So, balancing all of that along with my uni essays has been challenging to say the least.

That didn’t stop the flow of university work though, so I’ve definitely had to prioritise and get myself organised over these past 10 weeks (my experiences and helpful advice can be found previous posts!). I had two essay deadlines for the end of this term, which I count myself lucky for, as some of my friends have had as many as four! Nevertheless, they have still been a lot of work.

For Continental Philosophy, I wrote about Friedrich Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals and his account of the origins of morality as we know it, suffering and blame, and the creation of guilt. I spent a lot of time reading the Genealogy and using other sources to try to formulate my own interpretation of Nietzsche’s work whilst remaining close to what he wanted to argue. It took a lot of work as anyone who has read Nietzsche will know some of his work can be a little ‘out there’ at times! Despite this, I still found him really engaging and, as exaggerated as some of his rhetoric can be, I found myself considering his account and seeing and making links between his history of morality and my own experience and thoughts on morality in modern day. This is one of my favourite things in philosophy; the fact that the material you study can end up in you really questioning your views about the world, and even end up changing them!

In Darwinism and Philosophy I chose to write about whether thinking about evolution can help us to understand human psychology. This is a big topic with some quite technical language so it required a lot of concentration on my part. However, this has been, by far, one of my favourite essays that I have had to write in the whole time I’ve been here! I find the theory around the topic fascinating! I would definitely recommend reading into the topic if you have a combined interest in philosophy and psychology. I focused on Evolutionary Psychology, sociobiology and the criticisms of each (one of which is called ‘The Flintstones Fallacy’- who said philosophy can’t be fun?!). I initially thought I was going to argue that thinking about evolution could further our understanding of human psychology, but after going through my sources critically, I ended up arguing the opposite stance! That’s something else I like about philosophy; you think you know what your opinions are on something and that you’ll stick by them, but reading such engaging literature and talking to people with all kinds of different opinions really influences you to be open to changing your mind. Of course, I’m in my third year so I’ve had the past two years to get used to the course, but no matter what year you are in, please try to stick with the course! I find it quite humorous actually, back in first year I was struggling to make the 1500 word count, but now in third year I’m going way over my 3000 word count and having to cut my essays down! My point is; the course may seem difficult at times, but there will come a point where everything falls into place, and there are always people you can talk to if you’re really struggling to get some support.

As for my social life; it has been quite lacking of late! I think that is understandable though. This weekend my housemates and I are making up for it my doing a ‘Secret Santa’, watching Christmas films together, and going for the traditional end-of-term-celebratory drinks in the pub! It’s going to be great to spend time with everyone without deadlines being on everyone’s mind!

The Christmas break is going to be different for me, as I have two 5000 word essay due in for the first day back in January. So, I’m actually remaining in Lancaster for an extra week after term officially ends to work on those. One is for Feminist Philosophy in which I will be discussing and evaluating Simone de Beauvoir’s account of women’s oppression. The second is in Popular Music and Philosophy: I want to write about value judgements and authenticity in music alongside how music forms our identity. I’m not too sure where I want to take my argument yet, so I’m going in for an essay consultation tomorrow! I also have to write an abstract for my dissertation in which I will be doing a critical reading of Thomas Kuhn’s; ‘The Structure of Scientific Revolutions’, drawing moral parallels to his arguments, and assessing what this means for moral progress.

Even though there is work to be done, I’m still going to make sure I have at least a small break and visit home and spend Christmas and New Years with my family and friends! It’s going to be great to get into the festive spirit, not think about uni for a few days, and eat lots of food and not have to buy it for myself for a little while. Sometimes you just need some good old home comforts!

 

The Importance of Balance

/ Amy Hobbs

Just over 2 weeks left of this term until we break for Christmas, the time has really flown by!

The workload is definitely in full force now, and it’s evident across the whole uni. The library is busy with people from 9am to 5pm,  study areas are always buzzing with students; all of us working to make our deadlines. I myself have 2 essays to hand in by the beginning of the final week of term and though that may not sound like much, there is still a lot of work that has to go into it.

In Continental Philosophy I am writing my essay on Nietzsche and his ideas about guilt- where it comes from, how our conscience is formed, and making a critique of this account. For Darwinism I am writing about Evolutionary Psychology and how the process of evolution can help us to understand human traits, characteristics and behaviour.

So much planning goes into Philosophy essays, especially at university level and it’s important to have a clear schedule of what you want to get done, and when you need to have it done for. It’s important to understand that everyone works in different ways, and what seems to work for others may not necessarily work for you- so it’s good to try to really understand how you work best and finesse your technique to make it the best that it can be. This is how I personally find to be the best way to work for myself:

  1. Choose my essay questions for each module. I find that doing this as soon as possible really helps. Sometimes that means choosing a question that appeals to me straight away, and other times this means waiting until I’ve had a few more lectures so I can make a more informed decision if I am not too sure. Having my essay questions picked out as early as I can allows me to start collecting my thoughts and making brief notes from the get-go.
  2. Draw up an initial plan and line of argument. I do this by going through lecture and seminar notes that I have taken, as well as re-reading the primary readings set by the lecturer. This way I can form a basic framework to base my essay on.
  3. Read, read, read. After putting together an initial framework, I can then read with direction- making sure that what I am reading is relevant and allowing me to read critically in accordance with my argument, instead of ‘reading into the blue’. Also, doing reading outside the primary reading list really demonstrates your knowledge and passion for the subject to your lecturer, and so makes you essay unique and different from everyone else’s!
  4. After reading for each of my essays and picking out quotes and ideas and making notes on them, I then create a more formal plan. This is where I will detail the structure I want my essay to follow by using subheadings, and write under each one what I will include in the section, in the order I want it to appear in the final draft.
  5. The most important step: I talk to my lecturers. I take my plan with me as a guide to follow for points of discussion and ask about the structure of my essay, and if I am generally going in the right direction to answer the question. Obviously there is only so much that the lecturers can say when helping you, but I always come away from talking to them with new ideas for my essay that I may have missed or not thought of initially. I then add these into my formal plan.

I then sit down to write my final drafts. Typically I do the 5 steps above in weeks 6 and 7 of the term, which leaves me with 2 weeks to write the final versions with everything ready and on-hand. (However, this can change based on how many essays I have to hand in at a given time).

This can seem like an extremely daunting task and this is where the importance of balance comes in. I’m human, I need time to take a break and not think about writing essays for a little while, so I make sure to follow a set schedule throughout the week. During the 2 weeks that I am writing the final drafts of my essays I usually head to campus at 9am, no matter what my timetable is and I work on my essays at the times of the day that I have no scheduled classes.

Of course, I take breaks- grab some food, perhaps meet up with a friend for half an hour, take a short walk etc. but I remain on campus until 6pm. This may seem like an unbearably long day, but there are more hours in the day than you sometimes realise! When I arrive home after 6pm, I know that I have done enough work on my essay for that day and so I can allow myself to do my readings for my seminars, or simply switch off, relax and not think about uni-related work for the evening. I also find that if I put the most effort I can into writing my essays during the week, that I am able to take Saturday evenings and Sunday off completely!

This is why it is important to have a schedule and remain balanced. University wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience if you were working at full speed 24/7. Just this weekend I was able to take Sunday off and spend time with my family at a ‘Winter Wonderland’ park. I was able to see my younger sister and we had all sorts of Christmas-themed fun like: ice skating, a woodland walk, and enjoying an awesome hot chocolate! Everyone needs time to switch off and almost have a ‘reset’, that way you can return to work-mode and get things done more efficiently and effectively when you need to!

About Me

/ Amy Hobbs

My name is Amy and I’m a third year Philosophy (BA hons) student here at Lancaster. Hopefully these blog posts will allow you to get a feel of what life is like for typical student at the university. I will be keeping you up to date with how my course is progressing this year and with what I’ve generally been getting up to as a student.

It may only be week 4 of this term, but the work is already on a steady increase. That’s what comes with attending a ‘Top 10’ university I suppose! As I am a Single Honours student, my days are filled with philosophy modules. This term I am taking; Continental Philosophy, Darwinism and Philosophy, Philosophy and Popular Music, and Feminist Philosophy. Two of these are standard modules and two are special subjects; which I’ll explain later!

Right now in Continental Philosophy we are studying Nietzsche and his ideas about morality; where it came from and why what is ‘moral’ changes so much, the use of punishment, and the emergence of guilt and the conscience. His work is very different to the usual analytical-style readings that I have gotten used to over the past couple of years, and while it can be difficult to understand at times, I’m enjoying the challenge and it is quite a refreshing change. His work is going to be the subject of my essay at the end of this term.

As for Darwinism, we are currently understanding the theory of evolution and looking at some key thinkers surrounding the topic. For example; Dawkins and the ‘Selfish Gene’. Along with genetics we are questioning how important environmental factors are in evolution, as well as questioning whether the claim that the traits that we possess now ‘must be a product of evolution’, and so ‘must have a meaning for being there’. Right now we are just laying the groundwork for further philosophical discussion in the coming weeks- more of that to follow!

As for the special subjects, these are basically 2 hour seminars, once a week, and they are student-led. This means that, while there is a lecturer present to help and guide the discussion, it is basically down to us to start up conversation and encourage debate. Generally, the way this is done is by allocating each student (or group of students) one of the weekly readings of their choice. Then we have to create our own presentation and a handout of what we have read in which we; summarise and explain the reading, extract the key features of the arguments from the author, and identify questions that will lead to further discussion among the group. Don’t worry though, these are not assessed- but they really help with communication skills, and we can use the material that we come up with in our essays due next term, which is great!

Philosophy and Popular Music is the first of the  special subjects that I am taking, and by far the most different module to everything that I have studied during my time here. As of now, we are looking at the evaluation and aesthetic values of popular music with questions such as; ‘Is popular music standardised?’ ‘What implications does standardisation have on the value of popular music?’ In my second special subject; Feminist Philosophy, we are currently focusing on the work of Beauvoir in relation to the origins and solution to the oppression of women. For example; the idea that women are The Other, and the influence of biology in gender politics. Each of these have a 5000 word essay due for the first day back after Christmas.

Alongside all of this, I have been working on readings in preparation for my dissertation, but I have also managed to keep up with activities outside of studying. This past weekend I attended a 4 hour self-defence class with Just Play- a group that organises sporting events and taster sessions for anyone with (usually) any ability! It was a great session that I got to experience with one of my close friends, the session leaders were really supportive, and we both actually learned a lot! It was also Halloween this past weekend, so the community spirit within the university was at an all time high- definitely one of the most fun holidays to celebrate here in Lancaster!