Philosophy with Japanese BA (Hons)

About the course

Philosophy

Academic philosophy examines our background conceptual frames and assumptions. Our thoughts, words and deeds make sense only because they fit into a larger conceptual frame. But are these hidden assumptions all plausible? Do they fit together? Can we, for example, believe everything that natural science tells us about ourselves, and continue to hold people responsible for their actions? Typical philosophical questions are: How should we live? How should we treat others? Is there a fixed human nature, and if so, what is it? Are we mere machines? Do we have freewill? What is knowledge? Are there any facts we can never know? What is truth? Our philosophy teaching was rated 'excellent' and was awarded the top grade of 24 out of 24 in the most recent Quality Assurance Agency Review. Further evidence of excellence is available on the philosophy pages of the University website.

Japanese

The academic study of a foreign language is concerned with the acquisition and development of competence in a language and with the analysis and understanding of another culture through the medium of the target language. The intercultural nature of the subject encourages you to reflect upon aspects of your own culture and promotes an awareness of the differences from and similarities with the United Kingdom. Your language proficiency can be particularly enhanced by a period of study abroad during your Degree programme.

Why choose this course?

Philosophy at UH is a thriving intellectual community with regular visiting speakers and an optional residential weekend.

Study routes

• Sandwich, 4 Years
• Sandwich,
• Full Time,

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Engaging With The Humanities

  This module will give students in the School of Humanities the opportunity to develop a shared skill-set to enable them to thrive in their university academic environment. The content of the module is designed to foster a sense of community within the student cohort and an appreciation of the culture and history of Hertfordshire. This is a year-long module and students will meet with their personal tutor at regular intervals. They will research, discuss and write and/or present about a broad range of topics e.g. local history, literature, philosophy and other culture based themes and/or events. Students will also work on tasks designed to familiarise themselves with the resources offered by Information Hertfordshire.

Optional

• Grammar and Phonology for Overseas Learners

  The module will be divided into two equal halves. It will begin with a self-assessment of your explicit grammatical knowledge, which it is acknowledged may range from very little to advanced. The majority of the first half of the module will be devoted to workshops in which you will work on specific aspects of English grammar, working in reference to a clearly prescribed mid-module in-class test: it will be your responsibility to use all resources to which you are directed by the tutor to ensure that you are capable of passing this assessment. The pattern will be repeated for the second half of the module, in terms of phonology.

• Introduction to English Language Teaching

  This module will introduce you to the ELT field, and begin a process of learning about language that proceeds through the whole set of ELT courses. Topics include the grammatical structures of English; the phonemes of English; methodologies of ELT, past and present; current professional practice; introspective enquiries into language learning.

• Introduction to Philosophy

  You will gain a basic training in how to read and write essays in philosophy, while exploring perennial questions such as: Can we know right from wrong? How, if at all, can we tell a good act from a bad one? Is ethics merely a matter of personal opinion? What is knowledge? Can we reliably gain it, and if so how? Can we be certain of anything? What is pessimism? Is it justified? Are we really free? Do we need God in order for lives to be truly meaningful?

• Japanese Route A - 4b

  This module will enable students to communicate further in Japanese at a basic level in a range of everyday social situations. Students will learn to talk about past and forthcoming events, carry out reading and listening tasks and write short texts within the framework of the vocabulary and grammatical structures studied. The module will be course book based, supplemented by on-line materials including for example video clips, blogs and magazine websites.

• Philosophy of Film and Literature

  The central theme of the module is to investigate what it is possible for film and literature to represent. How do we establish what is true in a fiction? Can the impossible happen in fiction? How, if at all, do we manage to engage with fictions that we take to be metaphysically or morally problematic (such as H.G.Wells' The Time Machine or Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita)? In what sense can film and literature explore not only how things actually are but how things could have been? Is there a difference between what can be represented in film and what can be represented in literature? We tackle these questions by engaging with various films and works of literature to see how they fit within a philosophical framework for thinking about them.

• Reason and Persuasion

  We live in a world of persuasion. Advertisers would persuade us to buy their products while politicians press their policies on us. In personal life too, others want us to see things their way. We, of course, want others (colleagues, friends and family) to agree with us, to be persuaded by our arguments. Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speech and writing. It has been studied both for academic interest and for its practical, business and legal usefulness since ancient times. This module will explore the reasons why some persuasive efforts work while others do not. It will develop your ability to judge when you ought to be persuaded by the arguments of others and to present your own views in a way that increases their persuasive force.

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £8,500 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply