Philosophy/Politics at Lancaster

I know quite a few people doing Politics and Philosophy this year who seem to enjoy it.

Assignments have included annotated bibliographies (of about 1,500) and long essays for Philosophy but I don't know much about that as I don't study it.

I study Politics however so I know more about that (one would hope lol). The lectures are given by various lecturers who specialise in different areas (some are really good like Graeme Smith and some are well, not lol) as the course covers a range of things from liberal principles (political philsophy) to the Global South in international relations. You have two lectures a week and one seminar. There are a few problems getting hold of the reading for the seminars but the tutors are understanding so it is rarely an issue. The assessment is one essay in term one and one essay in term two and then an exam in term three. Its a really interesting course - with the variety of topics covered, most people find at least something they enjoy. :smile:

Reply 2

It sounds good :smile:

. In your opinion do you reckon Lancaster is a good place to study then? I'm unsure whether to pick Lancaster or UEA

Reply 3

Jengerbil89

Hey, I'm doing a Philosophy and Politics degree at Lancaster; I'm in my second year :smile:

In terms of essays and such you study 3 subjects each term in your first year, so you have to do 3 essays in the first term and 3 essays in the second, then 3 exams in summer.

In the second year you pick 4 modules to study (2 Philosophy, 2 Politics). You do 1 essay for each module each term (so 8 essays in total) and then 4 exams in summer :smile:

In terms of contact hours, in the first year you generally have 2 lectures + one seminar a week for each subject, and in the second year this goes down to one lecture and one seminar for each module per week.

The departments are great or so I've found; in your first year you'll be taught by quite a few so you can get a feel for whose teaching methods you like and dislike, which might help you when it comes to picking your modules later on...

Hope this helps, feel free to ask me anything else you want to know :smile:

Reply 4

Thank you..the information was really informative.
So was Lancaster your firm choice, what made you pick it from the others?
Also I liked the sound of the university however the location is rather far, isit really quiet in Lancaster or do you still get that student feel in the area. In general what are people like, can you really feel like the different atomsphere from south to north ?
One of my main queries is grade wise, how much percentage do you need to attain in a module and overall to get good grades? isit over 60%, 70% etc?
And finally did you find the module selection ideal and broad to your interest range :smile:

sorry for all the questions, have so many questions hehe :smile:

thank you again.

Reply 5

hi...i do philosophy as part of a joint major (2nd year)

I had never done philosophy before i came to uni, but i am loving it now.
as jengabil89 said you get a wide range of modules in your first year (free will, knowledge and reality, political philosophy, logic, ethics), and this helps you pick your options in 2nd and 3rd year.
I found they were all taught really well, obviously you are going to find some lecturers better than others, but they were all more than capable.
the grade bounderies work like this
40-49=3rd
50-59=2:2
60-69=2:1
70+=1st
and c/w is worth 40% exam worth 60% and all modules are equally weighted.

as for lancaster itself...
you certainly get the student feel...in fact probably moreso than other uni's since the town is mainly populated by students. in fact pretty much any night in lancs will be a student night of some sort.
if all this gets too claustrophobic, than there is Manchester, preston, blackpool fairly close.
The people are from all round, so i dont think there is an atmosphere as such. I come from the south and i didn't really notice a difference if i am honest.

Finally,
lancaster was my firm.
i really liked the college system, the general feel of the uni, and my departments seemed really good.

hope i answered your question, now i wish i could write as much this easily in the philosophy essay i am trying to write at the moment =]

Reply 6

Aw you really have, I am so stuck on where to go I thought I made a decision but Lancaster sounds so good now ! Hope you got your philosophy essay done.
As you haven't done philosophy before was it hard to get i.e 2:1, or 1st? because the structure etc must have been hard to get use to ?

Reply 7

to be fair, if you did philosophy at a level, you are not that much advantaged. in fact, they say they prefer it if you havent done a level.
i have been consistently getting 2:1/1st, and the structure is new to everyone.

come to lancs! it is awesome!

Reply 8

well I haven't done philosophy before! so bit nervous it be to new to me and I will fall behind. However I feel my interest in it will help me of course lol. Wel done for getting 2:1/1st :smile:

was it something you felt you got the hang of quickly or did you get feedback and progressed from there? also what is the student - lecturer ratio like isit good?
I am highly considering going it's Lancaster vs Nottingham at the moment hate decisions!! :smile:

Reply 9

jstar357

well I haven't done philosophy before! so bit nervous it be to new to me and I will fall behind. However I feel my interest in it will help me of course lol. Wel done for getting 2:1/1st :smile:

Another factor that might help your decision is the flexibility of the degree. In the first year, you take up a minor alongside Politics and Philosophy. This might be a good thing (as you can do something new/that you know you enjoy etc such as Women's Studies, History, English or American Studies for example) depending on whether that option interests you. Another good thing is the ability to swap your degree scheme at the end of the first year - you could take up your minor (if you score 45%+) etc.

I'm not sure if that flexibility is offered at Nottingham (I don't recall it when I was applying) but if you know you definitely want to do the course you applied for, then it isn' a big deal either way. :smile:

Reply 10

so I could do philosophy as a major but still without the years do politics as a minor instead if I liked?

Reply 11

jstar357

so I could do philosophy as a major but still without the years do politics as a minor instead if I liked?

I think with most courses (that are fully incorporated into the first year major minor scheme - as in, not courses like Psychology, Law and many of the sciences) you can do a major that is 8, 7 or 6 parts. As in you can do purely your major or take up 1 or 2 minor subject modules in years two and three. So, I'd imagine you could do a Philosophy major and take up Politics as a minor if you like. :smile:

Reply 12

phil 100 is a popular minor, so you will find that there will be about 250 students in the lectures (well, technically, quite a few people wont turn up lol)
the seminars are in groups of about 10/12 so they are much smaller.
in the 2nd/3rd year, when you get to chose your modules, the class size is much smaller, and the lecturer takes the seminars, so they get to know you too.

i felt i picked it up quite quickly, and you get feedback after every essay, so every 5 weeks. what is more, none of your 1st year results count towards your degree, so you have a year to get the hang of it. don't be disheartened by the results of your first essay, it is a completely new style of writing! (this goes for any uni)

adding to what affinity89 said, you take 3 courses in your first year, and you can pick any one of them up as your major in your 2nd/3rd year. so if you dont like phil or politics, but love your other part 1 subject, then you could change course to that.

finally (this is turnig into a long post, sorry)
i also applied to nottingham, what swayed me to lancs was the feel of the uni. i loved the college system and accomodation, and all the lectures seemed really open and easy to talk to.
if however you prefer notts, go there, i have friends from school who are there and they are happy. in my opinion they are both on equalish standing (maybe notts is slightly better, but i dont think it makes much difference....)

hope that helps =]

Reply 13

Thank you for the information :smile:

well I have an open day on the 8th that may help just it's so far!! lol
what is the accommodation like? that is the last thing i'm unsure about?
thank you again

Reply 14

jstar357

Thank you for the information :smile:

well I have an open day on the 8th that may help just it's so far!! lol
what is the accommodation like? that is the last thing i'm unsure about?
thank you again

There are some pictures on the Accommodation Thread that might help.

The range of accommodation is quite extensive:

- Studio Rooms:
These have kitchenette facilities and an ensuite within the bedroom. They are quite expensive (around £120+ a week).
- Ensuite Rooms:
They range in age but the majority are relatively standard. They feature newish wooden fitted shelves, desk, bed etc and have an ensuite shower room. Typically, the kitchen is shared between 8 bedrooms. They are around £100 a week.
- Townhouse Rooms:
These are "houses" for 12 people, with a bathroom ratio of 1 bathroom:2 people. On the ground floor they have patio doors and a large kitchen/dining/living space with sofas. They are around £70-80 a week I think.
- County Standard Rooms:
They were recently refurbished to incorporate some living space other than the kitchen. These are about £75 a week.
- Standard Rooms:
Typically slightly older blocks with older fittings and a sink in the bedroom Usual bathroom ratio is 1 bathroom:4/5 people. The kitchen is per flat so the ratio using it varies. In Furness, this ranges between 3 and 7 people. In Pendle it is usually 8 people. They cost around £70 a week.

I think all rooms come with the basics - bed, desk, wardrobe, shelves, Internet connection and a telephone. I think the majority have a sink in the room (or in the ensuite) but other than that it varies. For example, Furness standard doesn't have any sort of bedside table for example whereas I think the ensuite rooms have.

Communal spaces are cleaned every weekday in all except the townhouses.

Colleges do not necessarily offer all types of room. Furness, for example, has just standard and ensuite rooms whereas Fylde has just ensuite. Check out the information on the website and the pictures on here. :smile:

Reply 15