Programme Title

BA English and Philosophy

Final Award
(exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes)

Bachelor of Arts

Programme Code

ENG-BA-JS

UCAS Code

QV35

HECoS Code

100320

ATAS Clearance Required

No

Mode of Study

Full Time

Type of Programme

Joint Honours Single

Length of Programme

3 Academic Year(s)

Total Credits for Programme

360

Exit Awards available

Teaching Institution

Queen's University Belfast

School/Department

Arts, English and Languages

Framework for Higher Education Qualification Level 
www.qaa.ac.uk

Level 6

QAA Benchmark Group
www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

English (2015)

Accreditations (PSRB)

Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

N/A

Programme Specific Regulations

Each level must include 60 CATS in English and 60 credits in Philosophy.

Transferring from Single to Joint Honours:
On completing Level 1 a Single Honours student in either of English or Philosophy who has completed 40 CATS at Level 1 in the other subject and has achieved an average mark across the 40 CATS of 60 or above may be admitted to this Joint Honours Programme subject to having obtained the approval of the Adviser of Studies in the subject in which they have only 40 CATS.

Students will be notified each academic year of the optional modules being offered in the following academic year. Students are advised that not all optional modules will necessarily be offered in each academic year. Also, the delivery of a module may be subject to a minimum number of enrolments as well as unforeseen circumstances (eg illness of a member of staff). The range and content of optional modules will change over time as degree programmes develop and students' choice of optional modules may also be limited due to timetabling constraints.

Students with protected characteristics

N/A

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

recognise and appreciate the varying effects of different literary and linguistic forms of expression;

respond to, and differentiate between, different ideological and theoretical positions;

analyse and interpret material from different geographical, cultural, and temporal contexts;

think independently, originally, and self-reflexively;

demonstrate a capacity for critical reflection and judgment in the light of evidence and argument;

discriminate between substantive and peripheral concerns in their understanding of literary and linguistic issues;

identify, collate and organise relevant data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources in support of their argument;

understand complex tasks and an ability to present appropriate solutions in written form;

work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, objective-setting, prioritising and time-management;

reflect on their own learning, seeking and making use of constructive feedback;

produce intellectually coherent academic analysis within word limits and time deadlines;

apply requisite referencing and presentation formats in the production of written analyses;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Class discussion in which analysis and interpretation of texts takes place allows the students to develop a comparative understanding of different approaches to material. It allows for both tutor- and student-led opportunities for the discussion and comprehension of directed reading and secondary source information.
Analytical literary-critical exercises – both formative and summative – test students’ ability to engage with, contextualise, and interpret texts. The ability to collate and obtain information is developed through introductory training in the use of libraries and online resources.
Extended essays test their ability to order and shape information, and to recognise ways in which the presentation and prioritisation of material is conducive to its rhetorical effect.
In all modules, students are encouraged to refer to current critical and theoretical debate in order to form their own judgement of the text or data in question. They work towards a number of deadlines for formative and summative work, and for class presentation, thereby learning to prioritise assignments and objectives, and in doing so hone their time management skills.

Methods of Assessment

Progress through the degree is one in which the autonomous learning undertaken by students is gradually increased, from lecture/tutorial based teaching at stages 1 and 2, to student-centred learning, through 2- or 3-hour seminars, at stage 3.
Extended essays and the dissertation test students’ ability to order and shape information, and to recognise ways in which the presentation and prioritisation of material is conducive to its rhetorical effect. In all modules, students are encouraged to refer to current critical and theoretical debate in order to form their own judgement of the text or data in question.
Class discussion, in which analysis and interpretation of texts takes place, allows students to develop a comparative understanding of different approaches to material.
Analytical literary-critical exercises – both formative and summative – test students’ ability to engage with, contextualise, and interpret texts.
The dissertation, examinations and essays require students to demonstrate coverage of material, appropriate methods of analysis, the ability to discriminate between arguments, and the ability to form an independent argument.

Feedback is provided for each type and instance of assessment and students may seek dedicated feedback sessions with course tutors.
The Personal Tutor system facilitates student reflection upon academic performance and assists in developing strategies for improvement.

synthesise diverse primary evidence and subsequent academic comment;

discriminate between what is central and what is peripheral to the issue in question;

evaluate sources critically in their context;

make judgements on the basis of varied and problematic evidence and according to the persuasiveness of the arguments or the reliability of the evidence used;

produce intellectually coherent academic analysis under time-managed conditions and within word limits;

able to identify, solve and resolve or dissolve conceptual problems;

synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement, primarily through essay writing;

structure, manage, and adapt strategies for self-directed independent research.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Teaching on the Honours Programme in Philosophy takes place in formal lectures, small group tutorials, and seminars, many of which will be enhanced by electronic media, including the facilities of Queen's On-line, and through the writing of formative and summative assessments.

Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to philosophical concepts. They also provide specific contextual and theoretical information as well as offering practical examples of different critical approaches.

Seminars offer a variety of tutor-led and student-led learning opportunities as well as a more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Dissertation work is a programme of independent study agreed between student and supervisor, leading. All these assessment methods require students to demonstrate the subject skills which are detailed to the writing and submission of an extended essay/thesis.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, essays, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Analytical, discursive, interpretive and critical exercises - both formative and summative - test students' ability to engage with, analyse, contextualise, interpret and criticise relevant material.

While these teaching and assessment methods deliver information to students and test their knowledge of that information in each subject, students are encouraged to assimilate and apply knowledge of both disciplines discretely to become independent, self-reflective learners.

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

display a broad knowledge of a range of periods in literary history, including literature before 1660, and an understanding of the social and political contexts in which texts are both written and read;

have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of particular periods, movements and authors according to individual progression through the degree;

demonstrate knowledge of English, American, Irish and postcolonial writing, and familiarity with debates surrounding the shaping of individual and cultural identity;

understand the rhetorical, stylistic and aesthetic strategies of the different genres of prose, fiction, drama and poetry;

display familiarity with a range of theoretical approaches to literature and language, and with the key critical debates that form and inform the disciplines themselves;

exhibit an awareness of major structural levels of linguistic organisation in speech and writing;

demonstrate familiarity with major periods in the development of the English language and of contexts of language production and variation;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Knowledge and understanding are developed through lectures, tutorials, seminar (many of which will be enhanced by learning aids such as hand-outs, and key readings available online through Queen's Online) and through the assessment and feedback process.

Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to texts.

Seminars offer the more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Extensive background reading is required throughout the pathway, developing students' specialist knowledge of particular genres and periods of literature in addition to a broad base of knowledge about literary history.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, essays, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Analytical, discursive, interpretive and critical exercises - both formative and summative - test students' ability to engage with, analyse, contextualise, interpret and criticise relevant material.

While these teaching and assessment methods deliver information to students and test their knowledge of that information in each subject, students are encouraged to assimilate and apply knowledge of both disciplines discretely to become independent, self-reflective learners.

demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts and tools that are used in philosophical reasoning;

understand some of the key texts and ideas in the history of western philosophy;

exhibit knowledge and understanding of some of the central problems and issues in contemporary philosophy;

exhibit knowledge and understanding of the application of philosophy to practical issues, for example in the area of applied ethics;

demonstrate knowledge of many sub-fields in the discipline including metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

History of philosophy is covered throughout all levels of the programme, and there are three History focused modules offered.

Contemporary philosophy is covered throughout all levels of the programme. At level 3 there is a particular emphasis on the latest, cutting edge research in philosophy.

Practical and applied aspects are covered in each of the value based modules, and there is a specific Applied Ethics module offered at level 3.

These sub-fields are covered in core modules throughout levels 1 and 2, as well as optional modules at level 3.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, essays, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

read texts with a developed awareness and appreciation of their formal, structural and generic properties;

assess critical interpretations of the ways in which different cultural and historical contexts inform the reading and writing of texts;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Lectures provide specific contextual and theoretical information as well as offering practical examples of different critical approaches.

Tutorials and seminar allow for close reading of texts in a group situation, while developing students' ability to formulate their own arguments and responses.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods vary in accordance with the specific learning outcomes of particular modules as detailed below or outlined in module resources.

analyse the forms, function, and development of language;

utilise a critical vocabulary and engage with different critical perspectives in the analysis of texts;

be aware of key debates concerning the development of the discipline of literary criticism;

write coherent, structured and relevant essays in answer to specific questions on literature and language;

select and utilise primary quotation and secondary critical material in the formulation of an argument;

display familiarity with bibliographic convention and should be able to research, reference and present written work according to the requirements of the subject area.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Formative work - both written and oral - enables students to combine the knowledge and skills developed through lectures and tutorials, and to formulate, and receive feedback on, their own independent arguments.

Module and programme information and style sheets guide students in their choice of, access to, and citation of relevant secondary materials.

Methods of Assessment

All assessment methods, whether the dissertation, essays or oral presentations, aural tests or examinations, require students to demonstrate the English subject skills which are detailed in the Marking Criteria and the English Assessment and Feedback Policy made available in Module Resources.

read and interact with seminal philosophical texts, in appreciation of their philosophical insights and modes of argument;

conduct constructive critical debate with rigour and objectivity, drawing on, and engaging with, differing critical perspectives when analysing texts;

deploy tools of philosophical reasoning, including logical and conceptual analysis, in order to assess and formulate philosophical argument and ideas;

demonstrate familiarity with the forms, function, and development of philosophical discourse and methodology, together with an ability to analyse and utilise these;

exhibit awareness of key debates arising out of philosophical inquiry, conducted in its various domains;

demonstrate a capacity for formulating clear and logical thought concerning fundamental philosophical issues and for expressing this in cogent, well-structured and intellectually rigorous essays;

exhibit an expertise in engaging with influential primary and secondary sources in philosophy, according to contemporary canons of academic debate and critical analysis;

research philosophical topics using appropriate tools and resources;

for those who do the formal logic modules, an ability to understand and manipulate symbols in formal languages.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Teaching on the Honours Programme in Philosophy takes place in formal lectures, small group tutorials, and seminars, many of which will be enhanced by electronic media, including the facilities of Queen's On-line, and through the writing of formative and summative assessments. More specifically:

Lectures and tutorials together provide knowledge and the opportunity to discuss, evaluate and apply that knowledge to philosophical concepts. They also provide specific contextual and theoretical information as well as offering practical examples of different critical approaches.

Seminars offer a variety of tutor-led and student-led learning opportunities as well as a more sustained opportunity to debate and evaluate a breadth of knowledge gained independently from directed reading and from the sharing of resources and information.

Group presentations are used to encourage students to pursue their own interests, collaborate with peers, negotiate the demands of teamwork and develop their understanding of a topic.

Dissertation work is a programme of independent study agreed between student and supervisor, leading to the writing and submission of an extended essay (thesis).

Methods of Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, essays, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.

Formative written work assists the development of understanding, critical judgment, and independent thought, both through the feedback given, and through the process of writing itself.

Analytical, discursive, interpretive and critical exercises - both formative and summative - test students' ability to engage with, analyse, contextualise, interpret and criticise relevant material.

All these assessment methods require students to demonstrate the subject skills which are detailed in each School's criteria for marking undergraduate work.

While these teaching and assessment methods deliver information to students and test their knowledge of that information in each subject, students are encouraged to assimilate and apply knowledge of both disciplines discretely to become independent, self-reflective learners.

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

manage time efficiently and effectively;

demonstrate basic word-processing and IT skills;

collate and process information from a variety of sources, including electronic media;

use libraries and online resources;

respond positively and productively to feedback on work;

think both creatively and maturely in diverse intellectual situations;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Class presentations and student interaction hone communication and rhetorical skills. Student centred learning situations encourage and test the ability to present and summarise knowledge to their peers in a coherent, structured form, and inter-personal skills are developed in seminars and tutorials.

In some language modules, students undertake directed lab work in addition to lectures and tutorials, acquiring skills in analysis and in the manipulation of speech and language data.

Methods of Assessment

Writing skills tutorials and lectures develop essay writing on stylistic, rhetorical and bibliographical levels. The ability to source and collate information is developed through introductory training in the use of libraries and online resources. IT courses are available through the University and can be used to develop computing skills as required. All students are required to word-process essays, thus testing their acquisition of IT skills.

display interpersonal skills and the ability to work productively in a group context;

demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills;

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Individual and group presentations; at all stages there are modules which offer a mix of individual and collaboratively produced presentations.

Erasmus programme and Exchange programmes with international universities.

Methods of Assessment

Individual and group presentations; learning portfolio and coursework projects embedded across curriculum.

For most international exchanges, students enrol on the host institutions's undergraduate programme.

understand the role and use of feedback in assessing and improving performance;

respond constructively to criticism;

reflect on intellectual and professional priorities;

use their knowledge in cogent, communicable ways to present arguments and clarify complex issues in both oral and written forms;

communicate and interact effectively;

present high-quality analysis cogently and succinctly;

show self-reliance, initiative, adaptability and flexibility.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students receive online feedback on their uploaded assignments and may seek further feedback in one-to-one meetings with tutors.

Student-centred learning situations encourage the ability to present and summarise knowledge to peers in a coherent, structured form, and to further enhance organisational and interpersonal skills.

Engagement with Personal Tutors promotes student reflection upon academic performance. Personal Tutors also discuss career options with students; and the Schools work closely with the Careers Liaison Officer to present students with information on possible careers.

Methods of Assessment

Feedback (on Queen's Online, on draft materials, or in class) provides students with an ongoing feedback experience throughout their degree.

Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor in stage 1 and meets with him/her throughout the duration of the degree programme.

Assessment is by a variety of traditional and innovative methods, including timed unseen written examinations, essays, individual and group presentations, and seminar and tutorial reports and contributions.