Philosophy, Religion and Ethics

This module focuses on two of the great births of philosophical thinking in the West: the first in the classical world of Ancient Greece and the second that opened the early modern period. In the ancient world, we will look at the key thinkers who inaugurated ethical, scientific and metaphysical thought, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and other less known figures. In the early modern period, we will see how philosophy broke with ancient thought in the revolutionary work of Descartes, and the series of daring thinkers who followed him such as Locke, Spinoza and Hume. In these two periods, we will see many of the greatest topics of philosophy being opened and discussed – Can we know there is a God, soul or afterlife? What does a good life look like and how can it be lived? Can we know that the world we seem to experience is real?

For much of its history, philosophy in the Western world has been practiced primarily by Christian theologians. This module will introduce students to key figures and concepts in philosophical theology, exploring mutual influences of philosophy and theology on one another and considering the relationship between philosophical and theological concepts and debates. The module will introduce students to core study skills from note taking and time management to referencing and essay writing.

The module will give an overview of the relationship between philosophy and Christian theology from the period of late antiquity into the present day, considering the different ways that the relationship between philosophy and theology has been understood and practiced. It will also consider the ways that both philosophy and theology have been shaped by social and political changes, such as the decline of the Roman empire, the rise and fall of Muslim rule in Iberia, the emergence of universities, new divisions of gender in early modernity, the global spread of Christianity alongside imperialism and the slave trade, and the rise of ‘secularism’.

This module begins by providing students with a grounding in ethical theory and teaches them to apply this theory to real world cases.  The module then shifts to broader questions of how the good might be realised within our society politically and the forces that might work against this ambition.

Students will consider ethical issues relating to consent, poverty and war among others, and examine a range of thinkers from Plato to the present.

This module introduces students to the scholarly study of a selection of lived global religious traditions providing them with a grounding in the traditions, including their historical background. Gender and ritual are explored as key themes in the study of Judaism and Islam (with a brief dip into lived Christianity and perceptions of gender), whilst material culture, Guru-ship and diaspora are examined in relation to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The module also encourages student to think about what the study of religion might entail, what the term “religion” might mean, and to engage with local living religious communities via a study trip.

This module introduces students to various philosophical, religious and theological ways of thinking about ecology and engagements with nature, whilst developing key academic skills in students that will enable them to confidently formulate a research project proposal for their independent study dissertation.

This module will start with some classic debates in the philosophy of mind. In the first term, we will ask what the ‘mark of the mental’ is and whether or not we should conceive of the mind as something fundamentally distinct from the body. On this basis, we can then move on to more recent philosophical work on mental agency and on mental ‘health’, asking ourselves how much control we have over our own minds, whether control even matters for agency, and what it means to go through phases of mental ‘disorder’. In the second term, we will mainly focus on theories of emotion, focussing on love in particular. We will ask what emotions are and whether love is an emotion at all. We end by discussing the particularities of love and the role it plays in shaping our lives.

This module explores a range of global religions and spiritual traditions in their home locations and in diaspora, unpacking key concepts and considering understandings of religions in a global world where sacred material culture can be found in non-religious settings such as museums and shops.

Angels and Demons - 15 credits
Thinking about angels and demons enabled medieval people to explore many fundamental philosophical and theological problems, including questions about the nature of time, embodiment, free will, evil, government, work, and cosmology. While angels and demons were also important to medieval art, music, spirituality and religious practice, this module will focus on the relationship between angelology, demonology, and the development of medieval thinking, tracing the development of angelology from the Bible and early Christian Platonism through the arrival of Aristotelian philosophy via Jewish and Muslim philosophers and then to the emergence of nominalism and early modern science and government.

Religion, Ritual and Society - 15 credits
This module will introduce students to the study of ritual. It will examine ways to define ritual as a distinct mode of social action, and explore a selection of different approaches to the study of ritual. These will include approaches that focus on the social function of ritual, its structure, its communicative and performative aspects, and the role of power and politics in ritual traditions. It will examine ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ forms of ritual in a range of socio-cultural contexts, and as well as exploring existing rituals, will allow students the opportunity to develop their own ritual in light of theory.

Gender and Sexuality - 15 credits
This module will explore key debates and themes relating to the nature of gender and sexuality in philosophical and/or religious traditions. It will seek to consider questions of the relationship between gender, sexuality, and historical context, alongside contemporary ethical and political questions relating to gender and sexuality. It will consider topics such as gender norms, sex work, sexual violence, trans identities and same sex relationships alongside key texts which provide theoretical frameworks for understanding these topics.

Nietzsche - 15 credits
In this module, we look at one of the most important philosophers in opening our modern age, Friedrich Nietzsche. In the face of the rise of nihilism, Nietzsche made an unprecedented attempt to re-evaluate our values and to reestablish a spiritually meaningful way of life that would not depend on transcendent entities. The new concepts he invented to do this – such as the over-man, the eternal return, the will to power – have become famous, yet ever since his death it has remained controversial what these concepts actually mean and how they might work. Nietzsche’s dismissal of truth itself along with the style of his writing – poetic, playful, filled with contradictions – has produced an industry dedicated to their interpretation. We will see if we can find the key to unravelling his mysteries while evaluating if he was our spiritual saviour, a herald of fascism or a mere joker.

In consultation with a member of academic staff, students select an appropriate area of investigation. Students must engage with their chosen topic by building on all their previous undergraduate study, using appropriate methodologies, evidence and argument, and developing a range of transferable skills in project planning, management, and delivery, creativity, problem-solving and critical analysis. Students’ work will make an original contribution to disciplinary knowledge and understanding, in that it will be drawn from their own engagement with primary sources and interpretation and analysis of existing secondary literature. The topic chosen must be one which relates to the subject matter of their Programme and which permits the demonstration of independent research, study and reflection.

The first part of this module explores Indigenous religions where students explore the world of other-than-human people, deities and spirit(s), kinship and ancestors, appropriation, gender, place and environment, ceremonies, and language/terminology. With a focus on living traditions rather than just on their history we will examine the ways in which Indigenous peoples adapt and respond to the changed situation of the contemporary world, including the effects of colonisation.

The second part of the module will explore issues connected with the study of New and Alternative Religions, including topics such as the role of the development of these religions, gender, leaders and followers, converts and those born into these religions, and abuse. We will examine terminology in depth and delve into some case studies including neo-paganism, and neo-tribalism. During the module a new religion will be developed by the class (or developed in small groups) so be prepared for lots of discussion.

Philosophy of Religion - 30 credits
This module will explore key contemporary debates about the nature of philosophy, religion, and their relationship to one another, as well as exploring philosophical ideas and debates within a range of non-Christian traditions. The module will explore debates about the nature of religion, such as whether religion and ‘the secular’ are inherently Christian categories, what – if any – difference there is between philosophy, religion, and magic, and the influence of non-Western traditions on ‘secular’ Western philosophy. It will also explore recent work engaging with philosophical questions from within a range of non-Western traditions: for example, recent debates about philosophy, Islamic thought and psychoanalysis within the migration crisis; recent debates about Sikh identity, nationalism and sovereignty; the Kyoto school; the relationship between Buddhism and modernity; or Africana thought.

Philosophy of Literature and Art - 30 credits
The production of art is commonly recognised as a universal feature of human culture, yet when we turn to ask even quite basic questions about what art is, and what distinguishes good from bad art, we run into significant difficulties. In this module, we discuss these and related questions about beauty and the sublime, focussing first on literature and moving on to other artforms later. We look at some famous literary works as well as paintings, musical pieces and films alongside of our philosophical debates, and we go on to study the relation between beauty and moral goodness, as well as the political power of art.    

Contemporary Theology - 15 credits
This module will explore some of the main currents of twentieth and early twenty-first century Christian theology through the analysis of selected theologians and theological movements. Themes explored may include: the contested legacy of liberal theology in figures like Barth, Bonhoeffer and Tillich; postmodern debates around post-liberalism, Radical Orthodoxy and reassertions of liberalism; the diversity of Catholic theology since Vatican II; Orthodox theology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; the rise of local and contextual theologies in the later twentieth century and their ongoing influence; Christian responses to challenges including holocaust and genocide, global poverty, colonialism, LGBT+ experiences, modern science and the ecological crisis.

Philosophy and Psychoanalysis - 15 credits
Since being founded by Sigmund Freud at the turn of the 20^th century, the controversial theories and concepts of psychoanalysis have had a profound influence on thought and culture around the world. Many psychoanalytic ideas have become part of our everyday thought and language, establishing themselves as a key part of how we reflect on our own inner life and desires, on art and literature, and on politics and ethics. Whether we accept these theories or reject them, it seems that every philosopher is called to form an opinion on whether they will accept notions of the unconscious, repression, primary process, the Super-Ego, the pleasure principle and the death drive, particularly as such ideas disturb many traditional philosophical claims. In this module we will explore the ideas, methods and case-studies of psychoanalysis, looking particularly at how these have been taken up or rejected by philosophers.

Mapping Mortality - 15 credits
This module will introduce students to relevant academic discussions and theories related to exploring death and ways of memorialising with a focus on examining the ways in which death, bodily disposal, and remembering the dead can be understood culturally and in various time periods.  The module will also consider some of the sociological, ethical, and philosophical debates which surround death and memorialisation, as well as the display of dead bodies and death and gender. The module will include using Winchester Cathedral and West Hill Cemetery as locations to allow students to consider various ‘death theories’ in relation to actual practice.

Work Placement for Philosophy, Religion and Ethics - 15 credits
This module allows students to take up a placement in a private or voluntary sector body. The aim is that you will make a positive and personally rewarding contribution to the community whilst also reflecting critically upon your experience and developing skills which will enhance your employability and personal development.