Philosophy (by research), MA

Nottingham Trent University is home to a modern philosophy department which concentrates on contemporary 20th Century philosophy. This focus on the latest thinking will allow you to apply a philosophical mindset to real issues happening in the world today. What will I study?

The Masters by research in Philosophy has been designed to offer graduate students a thorough grounding in the key intellectual traditions that have defined contemporary philosophy. Through this course you will enhance your level of understanding of the ideas, contexts and techniques required to philosophise in both academic and non-academic contexts.

You will consider fundamental issues which arise around the role and practical application of philosophy in the 20th Century. This will allow you to have a systematic understanding and knowledge of the following sub-topics and disciplinary themes:

• phenomenology
• analytic philosophy
• hermeneutics
• genealogy
• life-philosophy
• deconstruction and critical theory.

You will be trained to critically assess the relevance of these philosophical methodologies in the wider context of economic, social, institutional, cultural, technological and particularly political changes taking place within the world today. The course is designed to equip you with the requisite skills in critical thinking and reflection while familiarising you with the most current debates in contemporary philosophy. You will be encouraged to achieve a specialised appreciation of traditional philosophical questions about justice, equality, ethics, power and knowledge, intercultural communication, and gender difference within the wider context of global issues and events.

Special features

The MA in Philosophy at Nottingham Trent University is one of only a few MA courses in the UK and Europe that concentrates on numerous European philosophers and philosophical methodologies. You will study the work of Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Foucault, Deleuze and Derrida. This focus on the latest thinking is applied to real-world issues such as; globalisation, human geography, migration, and knowledge in a global context. You will develop a thought process to question everything.

The MA is supplemented by a core Research Practice module. This module will be especially useful for graduate philosophers wishing to develop a successful PhD proposal as well as to first year doctoral students wanting a general philosophical background to assist them in giving their doctoral project a sharper definition.

The philosophy department at NTU is a very open community. You will have lots of access to our expert and supportive staff throughout your course.

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Course content

Approaching and Doing Research includes a focus on issues such as social inquiry interpretation, ethnography, ethics, positionality, research questions and design, literature reviews and presenting research.

Research Practice in Philosophy

This module will include a selection of the following topics:

• a range of advanced theoretically and historically informed analysis on the construction of research
• philosophy as a set of cultural, political and social practices that facilitate the transformation of everyday contexts and practices
• the impact of modernity on knowledge and the separation of science, politics, art and ethics into different value spheres
• the key issues, debates and controversies surrounding the most contemporaneous constructions of truth and scepticism
• research as a way of creatively exploring pressing priorities: globalisation, new technologies, media and communication, capitalism and political perspectives, as well as material social and cultural changes
• strategies for dealing with issues of reflexivity and knowledge
• an examination of the philosophical underpinnings of the relationship between knowledge and culture
• relationship between research and the global context
• the postmodern critique of classical epistemology
• dissertation.

Assessment

Various assessment methods are employed, ranging from essays and presentations to portfolios based on group projects.