Philosophy and Politics BA (Hons)

Students on this course learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials (Politics & Philosophy), informal but scheduled one-on-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing.All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars and tutorials are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and workshops can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with tutors; some of these also allow hands-on experience of the kind of work professional political scientists perform.This emphasis on small-group teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the quantity of formal sessions. In fact, the degree is designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as you move from your first to your final year.Small-group teaching and one-on-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the course) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a capstone dissertation—supported by one-on-one supervision—that makes up a third of final year credits.In this way the degree systematically transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by “drop-in” surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin in the week before the start of the course and continue at key times throughout each year of the degree.You can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research.