Month: January 2017

First Year Philosophy

/ Ryan Bartle

In this blog I am going to talk about first year philosophy at Lancaster. Your first year will serve as an introduction to philosophy. You will study a variety of different modules over the course of the year, allowing you to get to grips with the many different concepts and view points. This is also a time for you to find out what you are most interested in. Philosophy is a broad topic and chances are you will be lured towards particular areas of interest. This is important, as you have the option to choose your own modules in your second and third years, so it pays to know what interests you the most.

The teaching part of the course is divided into lectures and seminars. Lectures constitute the majority of the actual “teaching”. First year lectures usually last for one hour and it is here that your professor will explain the week’s topic. Seminars, on the other hand, are participatory. Normally, your seminar tutor will lead a class discussion. This provides an opportunity to debate with your fellow students and for you to present your own ideas.

Of course, philosophy is not a subject that can just be “taught”. It requires engagement with different ideas and thinking through arguments. This is why much of your studying will involve reading the work of philosophers. Each week, you will be given a seminar reading on that week’s topic, which will be discussed as a class in the following seminar.

Your assessed work will be split between essays and exams. You will write an essay on each of the topics you study throughout the year. There are a few things you need to know. You will have to submit both a hard and digital copy of your essays before the deadline. Essays have set word limits, so make sure you structure and condense your argument to keep it to the correct length. Another important thing is referencing. References are important because they are used to acknowledge the work of others. It can be hard to get used to referencing properly. In philosophy, the most common referencing styles are Harvard and Chicago. The university has guides on each of these styles, and there are plenty of useful guides online. Just make sure you take time out to get your head around referencing as this will benefit you a great deal when it comes to writing essays.

First year philosophy exams take place in your final term. As you will already know, exams can be difficult and stressful. The first thing to remember is that philosophy is about rational inquiry, critical thinking, and sound reasoning; it is not about memorising a list of facts. You do, of course, need a good understanding of the different view points and concepts. But what is most important, is that you are able to engage with the arguments and reason your way to a conclusion. One of the best ways to help with this is to write practice essays, this way, writing in the exam will come more naturally.

All of this will be explained to you when you arrive, so don’t worry if you forget. If you are like me, you will find first year philosophy really interesting, and it will give you a good idea of what you want from your degree.

 

Update: Week 9

/ Ryan Bartle

 

The last week of first term is always the most awkward one for students; stuck in a kind of limbo between meeting deadlines and getting into the Christmas spirit. I am currently putting the finishing touches on my last essay. I Cannot wait to finish and then properly get in the mood for Christmas. I did manage to have a break yesterday and I went to the annual Christmas market on campus. The market is great. They sell lots of Christmassy foods and really cool Christmas jumpers; I still wear the one I bought in first year.

Next week is the last week before I go home. I am looking forward to spending Christmas with my family. We all have a big get together on Christmas day in one of the local pubs. Then the rest of the day is spent with my parents watching Christmas films in front of the TV. I am also really looking forward to seeing my dog Flynn, who I always miss when I’m at uni.

I do have a lot to think about over the break. I have decided to apply to do a Masters at Lancaster. I am also applying for PhD funding; which means I have to start thinking about a research project. This is quite difficult and I need to make sure I make the right decision first time around, as should I be accepted, I will be committed to the project for four years. I have a rough idea of what I want to do. My main interests are in ethics and political philosophy, so I’m thinking of some way in which to combine the two.

I will also need to do further work on my dissertation. I am writing a critique of John Rawls’s  A Theory of Justice. It is a really interesting book. Rawls attempts to reason his way to the correct principles on which to organise society. He thinks that the best way to do this is by imagining that we don’t know our place in society (our social class, identity etc.). He thinks that by doing this we will not make a biased decision based on our own individual preferences. I agree with much of what he says, but my argument is that some of our intuitions may be undermined by Evolutionary pressures and historical influences. I am also going to argue against his view that morality is a contractual agreement among rational people. I think we have strong reasons to care about future generations, more so given the environmental ramifications of our actions. As it is difficult to see how we can have an implicit contractual agreement with such people, I think Rawls’s theory fails here. I will try to put forward a theory which resolves these problems.

But that’s all for later. In the meantime, I want to finish my work and have some time to relax. My girlfriend is visiting at the weekend and we’re going out for a Christmas meal at Greaves Park in town. It is a really nice place with a nice outdoor seating area surrounded by greenery. I also have my last pool match of the term on Tuesday. I said in one of my earlier posts that we got off to a great start. Unfortunately we have struggled in our last couple of matches. But hopefully we will finish 2016 with a win!

 

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!

 

Nightlife in Lancaster

/ Ryan Bartle

After writing my last post about the academic side of university, I have decided this week to talk about a more light-hearted subject. This post is about Lancaster’s nightlife. Lancaster is a great place for a night out. As you will find when you arrive, there is a wide variety of bars and clubs that can accommodate the tastes of everyone. Whether you’re into clubbing or just having a quiet drink with friends, Lancaster has something for you.

Your first experience of Lancaster’s nightlife will come in Fresher’s week, during which you will be accompanied by your reps on various social nights in town and on campus. One of the first nights is the campus bar crawl, which will see you frequent all of the university bars. All bars have pool tables and dart boards, for those of you who enjoy bar sports. As you will find, each bar has a unique character. Graduate bar is perfect for people who enjoy having a quiet and sociable drink, and they have a fine selection of ales. If you want something a little more upbeat, then Pendle and Lonsdale are safe bets. Pendle bar also hosts live music on Thursdays, attracting talented local musicians, as well as an open mic for those who want to showcase their own skills.

During your first week there will also be plenty of opportunities to venture into town. The most popular place for students is the Sugarhouse nightclub, which is run by the University’s student union. Sugarhouse (or sugar, as it’s known to students) has a large capacity which includes two dance floors. When you arrive at Lancaster, you will be given the option to purchase a purple card. This gives you discounts in various shops in town, as well as cheaper entry into sugar. Also, once you have been stamped by the bouncers upon entry, you can use this stamp to access the “sugarbus”, which will take you back to campus and save you having to pay for a taxi.

There are many other places that are popular with students. Hustle is good particularly if you like cheesy music, among which you can almost guarantee some Wheatus and Busted. I remember once dancing away to the theme song from the opening sequence of Friends, as bizarre as that sounds. If your tastes are a little more sophisticated then I would recommend either The Sun Hotel or Mint Bar. Mint bar has a great selection of Cocktails and I would highly recommend the Godfather Sour. These two places are, as to be expected, a little more expensive. If you are sticking to a budget then you can’t go wrong with Wetherspoons which is just next door to Hustle, or the Crafty Scholar, near the cinema.

We all know that a takeaway is a sound way to end a good night out. There is a variety of different takeaways in town to suit your fancy. There are pizza places, a McDonalds and if you like Chinese cuisine, there is a place called Wok Inn that serves great food. Some of the on-campus food outlets also stay open till late, such as Pizzetta and Sultans, so there is no reason to go hungry. My advice is, if you are hungry on a night out get a takeaway, because you don’t want to be the inebriated student who sets the fire alarms off in an attempt to make a stir fry. Cooking whilst drunk should be strictly avoided!

 

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!