Philosophy A level

This course concerns philosophy in the Western tradition, offering a thorough grounding in key philosophical concepts, themes, texts and techniques.

Components and/or options

• Philosophy A2
• Philosophy AS

What is God? What is the nature of good and evil? What happened before time began? How do we know what we know? Or simply, WHY? In addition to considering some of these taxing issues, our home study A level course philosophy examines the work of some of the world's greatest thinkers.

This distance learning course concerns philosophy in the Western tradition, offering a thorough grounding in key philosophical concepts, themes, texts and techniques. It also encourages you to develop the ability to analyse and assess philosophical writings and to present coherent arguments.

Benefits

• Gain knowledge and an understanding of philosophy through consideration of some important philosophical issues and approaches to problems.
• Develop a rigorous approach, both critical and constructive, to the study of philosophy and the nature of argument.
• Develop a set of transferable intellectual skills including comprehension, interpretation, analysis and evaluation. This will facilitate the development of independent thinking, based on critical examination of evidence and rational argumentation, which will be applicable in the study of other academic subjects and in reflection on other important aspects of human experience.
• Practice and enhance your ability to construct, develop and maintain clear and coherent argument.

Topics include

• Epistemology
• Metaphysics
• Introduction to the philosophy of religion
• Key themes in philosophy
• Philosophical problems (using Mill’s On Liberty)

Entry requirements and hours of study

• No formal qualifications are required, but essay-writing skills are essential.
• You should allow 150 hours of study for the AS and 150 hours for the A2, plus extra time for completing assignment.

Specification

AQA, Full A level:2170, AS:1171,A2:2171. Essential texts: You will need to buy the following essential textbook: On Liberty by Mill, Penguin Classics (ISBN 9780140432077)

Coursework

No coursework. Two written exams for the AS, each 1hr30mins and worth 90 marks. Two written exams for the A2, 2hrs (100 marks) and 1hr30mins (60 marks).