Month: October 2018

An introduction to Lancaster life

/ Guillermo Alonso

Hello everyone!

My name is Guillermo, I’m on my third year studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). I will try to maintain a weekly update of what is going on here in Lancaster University, both from an academic and social perspective, so that you can see how life in Lancaster is like.

 

I feel that first I should talk about my degree. It is organised by the PPR department, but it also incorporates modules from the Economics department, which gives it the interdisciplinary character that I was looking for when I applied. You can really see it on the course structure I have this term: I’m doing two Economics modules, Monetary Macroeconomics and Applied Economics, and one module from Politics, Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts. In addition to that, although I am not doing any Philosophy modules this term, my undergraduate dissertation is on Hannah Arendt’s relationship between thinking and evil. That way I can get my healthy dose of philosophical thinking (and existential crises) for this term while research a topic that I’m really interested in. However, this is only one possible combination of modules, and you can choose from a great variety of options ranging from Epistemology to Metaphysics in Philosophy; from Elections and Domestic Policy to the Political Economy of Globalisation in Politics and International Relation; and from Game Theory to Economic Policy in Economics.

 

On the more social side, Lancaster is full of opportunities to interact with other people and to have a fun time. From the wide variety of societies you can join, to your colleagues from your college and events happening in town, it is possible to enjoy your time here even if you have much work to do. For example, as a member of the executive of the Philosophy society (I know, nerd much?) we host a weekly debate on a variety of topics that the members have voted for, and after that we usually go to one of the pubs in Uni to either continue the debate or to just have a few laughs. Also, as Halloween approaches new events and parties are approaching, which promise to be really fun and exciting, as well as an opportunity to move around town to enjoy the festive ambient.

 

I will try to keep you guys posted on what else happens this year. I hope that this will convince you to come join us in the future!

Until next time,

Guillermo

 

 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside…

/ Ellie Gordon

… But this is a warm hello!

Hi, my name is Ellie, a third year Philosophy major at Lancaster University, who you will (if you so wish), be able to follow as I journey through my final year here at Lancaster in the following weeks to come. To introduce – who am I? well, I am a 21 year old student from Jersey, Channel Islands. I chose to come to Lancaster because it allowed me to pursue an eclectic education following my achievement of the International Baccalaureate Diploma. My current modules include Philosophy of Work, Politics of Cultural Diversity, Seminar in Contemporary Moral Philosophy, and my Dissertation, which focuses on the ideal of authenticity and social media. You won’t find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the like, but if you are curious about what I am studying or what I get up to in my daily life at Lancaster, count yourself lucky – you can follow me here!

Since studying at Lancaster I’ve been able to pursue a broad range of subjects throughout the PPR department, including Politics in my second and third years, and religion in my first, (and of course Philosophy is my major, so I have pursued different Philosophy modules throughout). The vast number of combinations of modules you can take is something quite unique to Lancaster and something which really ought to be taken advantage of; if you have even a remote interest in something your major doesn’t offer directly, (in my case, this was an Economics For The Real World module in second year) or maybe you are entirely clueless about a particular study, these are equally good reasons to pursue something new and broaden your horizons exponentially. Another example is first year in which I was also able to take an English module, which I found to be an excellent opportunity, not only to prove that I could do it, but because it linked many aspects from other unsuspecting modules and enhanced my writing skills.

  • Well, what have I been up to in the past two weeks?

We are currently in week three of Michaelmas term, and I must say the settling back in after a long summer holiday and trips away was a struggle. (Summertime I was lucky enough to receive some funding from my college (mighty Furness) which subsidised part of my trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in return for a report on my venture.)

Yes… a struggle… particularly as it’s now dark upon waking up, dark when returning from university, and significantly colder than Los Angeles…

But it’s certainly not all bad. This week I was given the opportunity to write to you on behalf of my department once a fortnight (or maybe even once a week if your particularly lucky), and for this I must say I feel immensely proud.

Other than that, this week I’ve managed to get up at a reasonable 7am, hit the gym, and study for a few hours prior to my midday lectures. In my Seminar On Contemporary Moral Philosophy, I’ve presented on Chapters 2-5 of Parfit’s Reasons and Persons which was intensely laborious, but incredibly rewarding to get my head round and present my results to my seminar group. I’ve also officially started writing my dissertation on the way in which authenticity is a genuine ideal we ought to take seriously and the way in which social media has detrimental effects on our pursing of this ideal.

Oh, and I’ve booked tickets for SugarHouse’s “House of Horrors” event for Halloween: I’m going as a “Blessed Babe,” probably because the outfit only set me back £11.

If you made it this far, well done, and thank you for reading. I will catch up with you again soon.

Ellie