Philosophy

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!

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

New Term, New Modules

/ Pietro

Hello!

Time to get you updated on my second term here at Lancaster. Other than working on my dissertation, this Lent term I’ll be taking three new modules: Logic and Language, Aesthetics, and History of Twentieth Century Philosophy.

The Logic and Language module explores some key techniques in logic which allow you to assess arguments and distinguish valid from invalid ones. I’m looking forward to approaching the material from this course because I think that being able to evaluate arguments is a skill everyone should aim at developing. Logic is generally associated with philosophy and mathematics, but in fact any academic discipline is one way or another engaged in the practice of making good arguments and providing reasons for or against certain claims. Outside of academia, too, people make arguments all the time: public debates, including political debates, are just one notable example.

The second module I mentioned is Aesthetics, which addresses questions to do with beauty, art, and their value and significance. I’m looking forward to learn more about this stuff as well, because I’ve always been interested in the way people disagree about matters of “taste”. Yesterday night, for example, I went to the cinema here at Lancaster with a couple of friends: when one of them told me he found the film brilliant, I couldn’t believe it. I had found it extremely dull and poor. Was one of us right in our different assessment of the film, or was it all just a matter of subjective opinion? In the next few weeks, I’ll grapple with questions of this kind and try to get an understanding of what aesthetic judgements might amount to.

The last module I’ll be taking is History of Twentieth Century Philosophy. I’ve picked this one because I hope it will give me a better idea of the context in which some philosophers I’ve already studied produced their work, and also an understanding of the origins of contemporary philosophy.

As you see there’s quite a lot of work ahead of me, but, after all, that’s the very last bit of my degree, so I’d better get the most out of it!

End of Term

/ Pietro

Hello!

It’s almost end of term and I’m caught up in writing essays, which are due in a week or so. For my Darwinism and Philosophy module, I’m writing an essay on the concept of biological function, in which I try to pin down what exactly it means to say, for example, that the “function” of the heart is to pump blood, or that the “function” of the rattle in rattlesnakes is to deter predators. For my Continental Philosophy module, I’m writing an essay on Nietzsche’s book On the Genealogy of Morals, where I offer an interpretation of some of his central claims.

I also have, for my special subject module (see last week’s post), a mini-dissertation due at the beginning of next term, mid-January. Unfortunately, this means I’ll have to do some work among festive meals and Christmas celebrations. But, as much as I’d prefer 4 weeks of full relax, I’m (somewhat) looking forward to writing it, because the topic I’ve chosen interests me very much. I will engage with my lecturer’s view on what the good life (or well-being) is, and will put forward some objections in order to develop a slightly different take on the matter. To put it roughly, I’m going to argue that well-being is that condition where you develop and express your own capacities to their fullest potential and at the same time enjoy doing it.

Next week, I plan to take a break from essay writing and go to the Manchester Christmas markets. I’ve been there already in the last couple of years and really enjoyed the festive atmosphere, the mulled wine, and all the different things you can find at the various stands. It’s also quite easy to reach Manchester from Lancaster by train, which allows you to go in the afternoon and come back within the day.

Until next time!

Pietro

Special Subjects

/ Pietro

Hi everyone!

For this week’s post, I’ve decided to tell you a bit about a distinctive selection of modules offered by the PPR Department at Lancaster: “special subjects”. Whereas a typical module will be centred around lectures delivered by an academic, special subjects run as seminar classes, or reading groups, with the tutor convening the group and moderating discussion. The tutor will generally be an expert in the field, and may be writing or researching on some of the topics covered in the module.

Sometimes, academics make use of special subjects to discuss what they’re working on at the moment with students. For example, of all the modules I’m taking this term, “Philosophy in Progress: Autobiography, Narrative, Self-Knowledge, and Self-Realisation” is a special subject intended as direct engagement with the tutor’s current academic work. Seminars are chaired by Sam Clark, an academic philosopher from the PPR Department, and the module’s aim is to read and engage with the draft of the book he is currently writing, and in doing so discuss the philosophical questions and issues it raises. At the end of the module, you are then asked to write and submit a 5000 word paper, where you focus on a specific topic covered in Sam’s book and critically engage with it.

I think special subjects are a great opportunity because you really get to engage with some contemporary developments in research on a given field, and you also get to discuss the topics with the person who may have written the very work you’re asked to read. This is all quite exciting as it gives interesting insights into what doing research at the professional level is all about. Moreover, special subjects’ peculiar structure allows you to explore a different learning format, where you’re supposed to play an active role by giving presentations and making contributions to the group’s discussions.

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!

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!