Overview
The School
The School of Philosophy at UEA can offer graduates a broad and deep education in many areas of philosophy – in, for example, Wittgenstein, Kant and Chomsky, phenomenology, metaphilosophy, C20th analytic and Classical philosophy – but the School has a distinctive concentration of expertise in the area of philosophy and literature. UEA was one of the first departments to concentrate its research efforts on this subject, largely because of its Wittgensteinian leanings, and it is currently one of the country’s leading centres for research in this area. One member of staff focuses almost exclusively on philosophy and literature, and at least three others have made distinctive contributions to its development. In all cases, their research into the subject is informed by a wide knowledge of other arts, especially music and film.
The Subject
Philosophy and literature is one of the most exciting growth areas in modern Anglo-American philosophy. Over the last thirty years, under the influence of such major figures as Stanley Cavell and Martha Nussbaum, the subject has transformed itself from a minority interest to a major component in the curriculum. It is now widely acknowledged that because the literary form of philosophy is part of its philosophical value, and the philosophical knowledge provided by literature is part of its literary value, both subjects suffer impoverishment when kept unnaturally apart.
The MA
The MA in Philosophy and Literature offers a one-year interdisciplinary course in the two subjects, and explores the deep links between them at many levels. Students can choose from a wide range of modules in both subjects, while sharing a research workshop and core units jointly taught by philosophers and literary specialists. This makes the MA a genuinely joint degree, and not one in which the two subjects are only taught in parallel.
Two core modules are compulsory - the Philosophy of Literature Seminar in the first semester, and the Philosophy and Literature Seminar in the second - and students select two other modules to complement these. All four modules are assessed by two coursework essays per module. Students also write a 12-15,000 word dissertation to be handed in at the end of the summer vacation, and participate in the philosophy postgraduate workshop.
When studied part-time, students take two modules a year for two years and write their dissertation during the second year.
The MA is an ideal supplement to an undergraduate degree in either philosophy or literature, and an excellent introduction to advanced research work in either field.
Course Organiser
Dr Mark Rowe
Course Brochure
Related Courses
Why Choose Us?
The UEA School of Philosophy stands out through its range of distinctive research strengths. These include original, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of philosophy and linguistics, literature, environmental sciences, economics, and cognitive psychology, as well as innovative work in competing philosophical methodologies and in philosophical-historical scholarship (in particular on Wittgenstein, Kant, and ancient philosophy). In research and graduate teaching, the School collaborates in particular with UEA's internationally leading Schools of Literature and Creative Writing, Environmental Sciences, and Economics. The School of Philosophy offers a vigorous and lively research environment that is an integral part of the UEA's vibrant Graduate School of the Humanities. Philosophy's international, collegial
graduate community of about 30 Masters and PhD students works on a rich variety of research topics, reflecting the distinctive, partially unique, expertise of our
academic staff. The School's high academic standing was recognized in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, where 35% of its contributions were rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
The School of Philosophy is also renowned for teaching excellence, being the second-highest ranked philosophy department in the country in terms of student satisfaction with teaching. It scored full marks (24/24) in the last QAA teaching quality assessment.
Entry Requirements
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Philosophy or a related subject
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UK BA (Hons) 2.1 or equivalent
Students for whom English is a foreign language
We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:
· IELTS: 7.0 (minimum 6.0 listening, 6.0 speaking, 7.0 writing and 6.0 reading)
· TOEFL: Internet-based score of 100 (minimum 19 listening, 21 speaking, 22 writing and 20 reading)
· PTE (Pearson): 70 (minimum 55 listening, 55 speaking, 70 writing and 55 reading)
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
Other tests such as TOEIC and the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English are also accepted by the university. Please check with the Admissions Office for further details including the scores or grades required.
INTO UEA and INTO UEA London run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich) or pseuealondon@into.uk.com (INTO UEA London).
Intakes
The School's annual intake is in September of each year.
Alternative Qualifications
If you have alternative qualifications that have not been mentioned above then please contact university directly for further information.
Assessment
All applications for postgraduate study are processed through the Faculty Admissions Office and then forwarded to the relevant School of Study for consideration. If you are currently completing your first degree or have not yet taken a required English language test, any offer of a place will be conditional upon you achieving this before you arrive.
Year 1
Compulsory Study (140 credits)
Students will select 140 credits from the following module(s).
| Code |
Credits |
Period |
The main aim of this course is to explore philosophical themes which arise naturally in the reading of literature, and literary issues which arise naturally in the study of philosophy. Literary texts may well include a selection from: Shakespeare, Pope, Wordsworth, Keats, Tennyson, Arnold, Conrad and Beckett. Philosophical texts may well include a selection from: Plato, Augustine, Montaigne, Descartes, Goethe, Nietzsche and Wittgenstein. Two important themes for discussion will be the rise of physical science and its impact on philosophy and literature; and how different conceptions of philosophy and literature affect the way in which they are written (or not written). Assessment will be by two coursework essays.
more...
|
PHI-M028 |
20 |
Semester 2 |
For students taking the MA in Social Philosophy. Students are required to write a dissertation of a length as specified in their MA Course Guide on a topic approved by the Course Director or other authorised person.
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|
PHI-M10X |
90 |
Semester 2 |
The topics of this module will be chosen from amongst the following: the definition and purpose of literature; the nature of literary language, fiction, fictional characters, narrative, genre, literary criticism and interpretation; the relevance of author's intention, the role of the reader, and the relationship between literature which is read and that which is heard and seen; aesthetic evaluation, taste, subjectivity and objectivity; whether literature can convey truth and knowledge, and the relationship between aesthetic judgement and ethics. Students submit two essays of 2,500 words each.
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|
PHI-M021 |
20 |
Semester 1 |
The weekly workshop enables students to present their own work in short presentations and to contribute to discussions on each other's work. Each student must produce a presentation and meaningfully contribute to the meetings in order to pass the module. Presentations can be designed to explore work in progress or to help polish work for final submission, inclusion in the thesis or publication.
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|
PHI-M09Y |
10 |
Year Period |
Option A Study (20 credits)
Students will select 20 credits from the following module(s).
| Code |
Credits |
Period |
The course introduces students to the major shifts in philosophical thinking about the Western self from Descartes to the twentieth century. The course will provide students with a training in theoretical debate through the analysis and discussion of a selection of the important thinkers on this list: Descartes, Rousseau, Hegel, Kant, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Bakhtin, Sartre, Foucault, Derrida, Irigaray, Deleuze and Butler. Through acquaintance with different theoretical traditions, students will have the opportunity to reflect critically on the processes and implications of cultural change; and to relate their understanding of the self and philosophy to other fields such as literature.
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|
LDCEM011 |
20 |
Semester 1 |
This module introduces students to the fundamentals of modern social and political thought by means of in-depth study of key texts by leading thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth century. An emphasis is placed on classical social theory and liberal political theory as well as more recent departures from those traditions. Students will have an opportunity to read and discuss major works of social theory by Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu as well as works of political theory by J S Mill, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and Iris Marion Young. During the module students will also have the chance to reflect on fundamental questions about the methodologies employed by social and political theorists and on problems associated with claims to knowledge and objective truth in these fields.
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|
PSIPM003 |
20 |
Semester 1 |
Option B Study (20 credits)
Students will select 20 credits from the following module(s).
| Code |
Credits |
Period |
The module takes the form of a research-led, workshop-style, seminar based on an area of Classical Philosophy in which the module convener has current research interests. It will include detailed attention to selected texts and issues. The topic will be chosen by the lecturer. Recent topics have included (a) Mind and Perception, with detailed attention to Aristotle's "De Anima"; and (b) God creation and design, with detailed attention to Plato's Timaeus and texts in Aristotle and Plotinus (c) Fate and freewill with texts from the Presocratics to Augustine. This module is linked to the advanced undergraduate module, Classical Philosophy Special Subject.
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PHI-M018 |
20 |
Semester 2 |
This module addresses the relation between art and politics by examining the attempt to unmask the aesthetic as ideological. In order to do this, we will acquire a firm grasp of the meaning of 'the aesthetic' and of what it is often taken to conceal, 'ideology'. We will, therefore, begin by exploring what has been called the 'invention' of the aesthetic in modernity, paying particular attention to the emergence of the aesthetic as a category in the eighteenth century as part of debates concerning the public sphere, disinterestedness, and universality. Key figures here will include the third Earl of Shaftesbury, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Schiller. We will then move on to consider the precise meaning of 'ideology' in its various forms in the work of Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, and Theodor Adorno. Our focus in particular will be on the way in which the aesthetic has been thought to relate to 'ideology' by these, and numerous other, thinkers from fields such as sociology, anthropology, literary criticism, and art history. But far from simply deploying the tools of ideological analysis as a means to expose the covert politics of the aesthetic as such, we will ask whether the aesthetic is as vulnerable to so-called ideology - critique as has sometime been claimed. We will thus evaluate recent attempts to renovate the aesthetic by figures such as Jacques Ranciere, Isobel Armstrong, J.M. Berstein and others. This module, therefore, will address concerns central to those interested in the history and theory of literary and art criticism, and also in cultural and educational policy.
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LDCEM062 |
20 |
Semester 2 |
This module will be devoted to the interpretation and discussion of
important, advanced texts in modern political philosophy, in particular
texts by John Rawls, perhaps the most significant political philosopher of
the late twentieth century. Rawlsian political philosophy of liberalism will
be tested with regard to its soundness in relation to equality,
community/society, and ecology. Consideration will be given to looking at
what political philosophy might viably challenge or replace liberalism,
which tends to be the 'dominant paradigm' in political theory and practice
today. Students will also have an opportunity to apply abstract
philosophical ideas to current political controversies.
more...
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PHI-M008 |
20 |
Semester 2 |
Disclaimer
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.
Fees And Funding
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for Postgraduate students for the academic year 2012/13 are £5,000 for Home/EU students and £11,900 for International Students.
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home/EU students).
Please note that all the above fees are expected to rise for the year 2013/14. We estimate living expenses at £600/650 per month.
International scholarships
All international students (outside the European Union) are considered for a scholarship of between £1000 and £2000 towards tuition fees. In order to be considered for an International Scholarship you do not need to make a separate application. Please indicate on your application for admission that you wish to be considered for a scholarship. It is important to make the application as early as possible because they are considered as they are received. So apply early to make sure of the best chance of success.
Scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of academic merit and are for the duration of the period of study (which will be one year). Students of outstanding academic ability will also be considered for Faculty Scholarship Awards, usually in March and May each year, which can be worth up to 100% of the tuition fee. These are highly competitive and prestigious awards. Those students being offered a scholarship will be notified directly by the School of Study.
Scholarships and Awards:
The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a number of Scholarships and Awards on offer for 2012 entry. For further information relevant to the School of Philosophy,
please click here.
How To Apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
You can
apply online, or by downloading the
hard copy application form, or by using the application form in the University’s Postgraduate Prospectus.
Further Information
To request further information & to be kept up to date with news & events please use our
online enquiry form.
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email:
admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the
International Students section of our website.
