UCL's School of Philosophy strives to offer its students a comprehensive, coherent Bachelor's programme with a view to producing responsible citizens who play a full part in society. By the end of the course, the students will have received:
- a solid grounding in philosophy;
- an introduction to one or more academic disciplines.
Graduates of this Bachelor's programme will have learned to:
- question the movements of social change in modern-day society;
- take inspiration from the history of thought to forge a link between present-day innovations and the constants of human experience;
- exercise their capacity for critical thinking and innovation;
- develop a critical mind and deductive reasoning skills.
These qualities, nurtured by adopting a questioning attitude and reading philosophical texts and by the diversity of the subjects taught, are vital in preparing students for a Master's degree or to take up employment.
On successful completion of this programme, each student is able to :
Specifically, graduates with a Bachelor in Philosophy, will:
1. Critically evaluate various philosophical topics, periods and movements, and interface them with other disciplines (science, art history, sociology, etc.).
1.1 Grasp the technical practicalities of a range of philosophical methods and principles.
1.2 Establish cross-references between different philosophical approaches, interfaced with other disciplines (science, art history, sociology, etc.).
1.3 Interpret and explain traditional texts on philosophy and discourse on classic philosophical topics.
2. Identify and handle philosophical issues.
2.1 Analyse and determine the different elements and problems of the issues handled.
2.2 Formulate a question in such a way as to receive rational responses.
2.3 Identify and evaluate the responses received.
3. Plan and carry out their own individual research (Bachelor's paper), applying a rigorous methodological approach to a philosophy research topic.
3.1 Formulate the topic for discussion in the Bachelor's paper.
3.2 Make active, discerning and appropriate use of information tools and of primary and secondary philosophy sources.
3.3 Develop skills in objective analysis and an ability to summarize and pick out the parameters to be taken into account in order to draw the relevant conclusions.
4. Understand, analyse and discuss topics of public debate.
4.1 Pick out the philosophical elements and presuppositions of social issues.
4.2 Use what they have learned to analyse and discuss these social issues and interpret them from a firmly philosophical perspective.
4.3 In doing so, ensure they bear in mind the angle of analysis when investigating the issues and examining the relevant responses.
As with all bachelors in the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters
5. Have a fundamental understanding of the fields of philosophy, history, art history, archaeology and literature.
6. Be able to understand and write competently on academic topics.
7. Be responsible for their own learning: organize their own workload (prioritizing, anticipating and planning all their activities over time), take a step back to critically assess the knowledge they have gained, how they have gained it and the work they have produced, and take the initiative to gain new knowledge and learn other methods and skills.
8. Be able to use the subject-specific knowledge and skills they have acquired to open their minds to other cultures and develop a sense of social responsibility and a critical approach to themselves, society and knowledge.
9. Have written and spoken fluency in at least one modern language (English, Dutch or German) with the ability to communicate clearly, coherently and in a well-argued fashion on general topics and subjects relating to their field of study.
10. Demonstrate a critical understanding and in-depth knowledge of the discipline(s) of their chosen minor subject.
