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Programme Specification for the 2019/0 academic year

BA (Hons) Philosophy and Theology with Study Abroad

1. Programme Details

Programme nameBA (Hons) Philosophy and Theology with Study Abroad Programme codeUFA4HPSCTH01
Study mode(s)Full Time
Academic year2019/0
Campus(es)Streatham (Exeter)
Programme start date

09/2012

NQF Level6 (Honours)

2. Description of the Programme

The BA CH Philosophy and Theology programme at Exeter will offer you an excellent Honours-level education in Philosophy and Theology. It will provide you with a stimulating and supportive environment that is informed by research where deemed appropriate. Questions that pertain to the nature of God, religion, faith and moral life have been the domain of both Philosophy and Theology for many centuries. Philosophy offers invaluable logical and analytical tools to address theological questions, both old and new. This programme will also enable you to reflect in depth about the role of religion in contemporary life and society.

You will spend the 3rd year of study in a partner University on an Erasmus/Socrates exchange or other approved programme of study.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

1. Offer an excellent Honours-level education in Philosophy and Theology, which meets the standards set in the national Subject Benchmarks.
2. Provide a stimulating and supportive environment for students that is informed by research where deemed appropriate.
3. Offer a coherent and structured framework of study which ensures that within the time-span of the programme every student follows a balanced and complementary range of modules, whilst allowing sufficient choice to ensure that students are able to follow individual pathways of learning.
4. In philosophy, produce graduates who are grounded in the main themes and methods of philosophy through a combination of modules, which develop a reflective understanding of some pervasive and problematic features of the world and of ourselves.
5. In theology, produce graduates who are able to demonstrate comprehension of and critically analyse a range of themes, debates and methods of the discipline, through the study of various modules, including the in-depth study of biblical and other texts in relation to contexts of interpretation, and the study of philosophical theology and Christian ethics, through engagement with key historical figures, and in relation to significant contemporary issues.
6. Provide a range of academic and personal skills, which will prepare students from varied educational backgrounds for employment or further study, which will foster mental agility, adaptability and critical enquiry, and which will enable them to deploy their knowledge, abilities and skills in their entirety, displaying balance and judgement in a variety of circumstances.

4. Programme Structure

The programme is studied over four years. The first two years, and the final year, are university-based; the third is spent at a university abroad. Study is undertaken in four levels, one for each year of study. The programme is divided into units called modules. Modules have a credit value of 15 or 30 credits. Each stage comprises 120 credits.

Assessment at stage one does not contribute towards the summative classification of the award. Procedures for the final assessment of the degree programme can be found at: https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/socialsciences/student/undergraduate/collegehandbook/assessmentandfeedback/

Credits at stage 1 must be successfully completed in order to proceed to stage 2, but marks gained at this stage play no further part in the final assessment. Procedures for the final assessment of the degree programme can be found at: https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/socialsciences/student/undergraduate/collegehandbook/assessmentandfeedback/

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

The full list of modules in Philosophy (with module descriptions) is available at at 
https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/socialsciences/moduledescriptions/

 

 

The University’s rules on modularity include a provision that the degree programme contains compulsory and optional modules and as part of the degree programme. Students may take up to 30 credits a year outside their main degree subject, after they have met the compulsory requirements of their main subjects. However, the normal expectation on this programme is that students will take 60 credits in each subject, in order to gain sufficient skills and expertise in philosophy and theology to complete the programme effectively. The level 3 programme in Philosophy already allows students to choose a 30-credit option from a range of philosophical subjects offered by other disciplines. Any student wishing to take an option of up to 30 credits outside the programme should seek permission from the Director of the Philosophy Programme or the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Theological Studies).

If students wish to undertake their study abroad in a University which does not teach in English, they must normally take 30 credits from the Foreign Language Centre at stages 1 and 2 in the appropriate language. In doing this they would be deemed to have exercised their rights under the University’s modularity provisions.

Stage 1


 

 

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL1002A Knowledge and Reality 1 at least 45 credits of core modules: PHL1002A, PHL1002B, PHL1005A, PHL100615No
PHL1002B Knowledge and Reality 2 15No
PHL1005A Evidence and Argument 1 15No
PHL1006 Introduction to Philosophical Analysis 15No
THE1106 Philosophy of Religion and Christian Ethics 15No
THE1102 Christian Origins: from Jesus to the Early Church OR THE107615No
THE1076 Religion in the Modern World OR THE110215No

Optional Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL S1 BA Philosophy SH opt 2019-0 up to 15 credits of optional modules
PHL1003 Philosophical Readings 5 15 No
PHL1004 Philosophical Problems 1 15 No
PHL1007 Philosophical Reading 1 15 No
PHL1008 Philosophical Reading 2 15 No
PHL1009 Philosophies of Art 15 No
PHL1013 Philosophy of Morality 15 No
PHL1112 Philosophy of Film 15 No
PHL1010 Introduction to Asian Philosophy 15 No
THE S1 BA T&R CH opt 2019-0 up to 30 credits of optional modules
ARA1018 Introduction to Islam 15 No
THE1070 Elements of New Testament Greek 15 No
THE1074 Present and Future Salvation in the Church Fathers 15 No
THE1076 Religion in the Modern World 15 No
THE1101 The Bible: Past and Present 15 No
THE1103 Introducing Christian Theologies 15 No
THE1106 Philosophy of Religion and Christian Ethics 15 No
THE1108 Theology, Sexuality and Gender 15 No
THE2034 Intermediate New Testament Greek 15 No
THE1104 Judaisms in Transition: Crises and Innovations 15 No
Total Credits for Stage 1

Stage 2


Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL S2 BA Philosophy SH comp 2019-0 at least 45 credits of core modules
PHL2010A Philosophy of Mind 1 15 No
PHL2011A The Philosophy of Nature 1 15 No
PHL2012 Social Philosophy 15 No
PHL2015 Body and Mind 15 No
PHL2016 Metaphysics 15 No
PHL2018 Philosophy of Language 15 No

Optional Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL S2 BA Philosophy SH opt 2019-0 up to 15 credits of optional modules
PHL2001 Phenomenology 15 No
PHL2002 Existentialism 15 No
PHL2021 Symbolic Logic 15 No
PHL2022 Sex and Death: Introduction to the Philosophy of Biology 15 No
PHL2024A Philosophical Readings 3 15 No
PHL2025A Philosophical Readings 4 15 No
PHL2026 Philosophy of Science 15 No
PHL2027 Feminist Philosophy 15 No
PHL2035 Critical Bioethics 15 No
PHL2038 The Self 15 No
PHL2045 Aesthetics 15 No
PHL2046 The Holocaust and Society 15 No
PHL2051 The Human Condition: Classic Readings in Anthropology 15 No
PHL2052 Epistemology 15 No
PHL2053 History of Philosophy 15 No
PHL2054 Philosophy of Psychiatry 15 No
PHL2060 Philosophy of Emotion 15 No
PHL2061 Philosophy of Law 15 No
PHL2096 Cyborg Studies 15 No
PHL2100 Knowledge and History: Theories of Scientific Change 15 No
PHL2105 Contemporary Capitalism, Critique and Resistance 15 No
PHL2108 Fundamental Ontology 15 No
PHL2109 Philosophy with Children 15 No
PHL2111 The Deep Past, History and Humanity 15 No
PHL2112 Practical Ethics 15 No
PHL2055 Ecology, Environment and Conservation 15 No
THE S2 BA T&R CH opt 2019-0 up to 60 credits of optional modules
THE1070 Elements of New Testament Greek 15 No
THE2024 Spirituality - Prayer, Meditation and Worship 30 No
THE2025 Art in Syria and the Holy Land at the Time of the Crusades 30 No
THE2026 Postcolonial Theology 30 No
THE2031 Encountering the Historical Jesus 30 No
THE2034 Intermediate New Testament Greek 15 No
THE2119 Dead Sea Scrolls 30 No
THE2152 Evolution, God and Gaia 30 No
THE2185 Incarnation: Topics in Philosophical Theology 30 No
THE2180 Reading Augustine through the Confessions 30 No
THE2199 Theology and Criminal Justice 30 No
THE2220 God, Food and Alcohol in Israelite and Jewish Cultures 30 No
Total Credits for Stage 2

Stage 3


Students spend this stage in a partner University on an Erasmus/Socrates exchange or other approved programme of study. The year abroad comprises 120 credits. Assessment is normally based on the credits gained at the partner institution abroad.

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
SSI3999 Year Abroad 120No
Total Credits for Stage 3

120

Stage 4


60 credits at Level 3 in Philosophy, and 60 credits at Level 3 in Theology. Students are required to take either the Dissertation in Philosophy OR the Dissertation in Theology. The dissertation will comprise 30 of the 60 required credits for the relevant subject.

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL3040 Philosophy Dissertation or THE308230No
THE3082 Theology Dissertation or PHL304030No

Optional Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
PHL SF BA Philosophy SH opt 2019-0
PHL3002 Existentialism 15 No
PHL3014 Symbolic Logic 15 No
PHL3018 Sex and Death: Introduction to the Philosophy of Biology 15 No
PHL3024A Philosophical Readings 3 15 No
PHL3025A Philosophical Readings 4 15 No
PHL3026 Philosophy of Science 15 No
PHL3035 Critical Bioethics 15 No
PHL3038 The Self 15 No
PHL3041 Feminist Philosophy 15 No
PHL3045 Aesthetics 15 No
PHL3051 The Human Condition: Classic Readings in Anthropology 15 No
PHL3052 Epistemology 15 No
PHL3053 History of Philosophy 15 No
PHL3054 Philosophy of Psychiatry 15 No
PHL3060 Philosophy of Emotion 15 No
PHL3061 Philosophy of Law 15 No
PHL3096 Cyborg Studies 15 No
PHL3100 Knowledge and History: Theories of Scientific Change 15 No
PHL3108 Fundamental Ontology 15 No
PHL3111 The Deep Past, History and Humanity 15 No
PHL3113 Practical Ethics 15 No
PHL3056 The Nature of Normativity 15 No
PHL3112 Ecology, Environment and Conservation 15 No
POL3247 Politics of Biology 15 No
PHL3013 Virtues and Vices 15 No
PHL3042 Philosophical Anthropology 15 No
PHL3075 Philosophical Readings 6 15 No
PHL3110 Philosophy of Emotion 30 No
PHL3114 Aristotle's Ethics 15 No
PHL3115 Introduction to Critical Theory 15 No
POL2050 Political Philosophy 15 No
POL2059 Political Thought of Modernity 15 No
THE3185 Incarnation: Topics in Philosophical Theology 30 No
SPA3001 Debates, Issues and Practices 15 No
THE SF BA T&R CH opt 2019-0
THE1070 Elements of New Testament Greek 15 No
THE3024 Spirituality - Prayer, Meditation and Worship 30 No
THE3025 Art in Syria and the Holy Land at the Time of the Crusades 30 No
THE3026 Postcolonial Theology 30 No
THE3031 Encountering the Historical Jesus 30 No
THE3119 Dead Sea Scrolls 30 No
THE3152 Evolution, God and Gaia 30 No
THE3180 Reading Augustine through the Confessions 30 No
THE3185 Incarnation: Topics in Philosophical Theology 30 No
THE3199 Theology and Criminal Justice 30 No
THE3220 God, Food and Alcohol in Israelite and Jewish Cultures 30 No
Total Credits for Stage 4

6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

1. PHILOSOPHY: Show familiarity with philosophical ideas about the nature of society and the social sciences.
2. Reflect upon the conditions of human social life.
3. Show familiarity with the history of modern philosophy (18.1).
4. Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts in epistemology, metaphysics and the philosophies of mind and nature (18.2).
5. Analyse concepts in ethics (18.3).
6. Analyse and criticise substantial works by important historical and contemporary moral and political philosophers (18.2 and 18.3).
7. Engage in logical and conceptual analysis and abstract reasoning (23.2, 23.4, 23.6).
8. Apply a reflective and sophisticated analytic understanding to a range of complex issues and subject matters.
9. THEOLOGY: Be able to state clearly, discuss and demonstrate critical comprehension of some of the following: the social, textual, intellectual, historical, theological, ethical, institutional or aesthetic expressions of the Christian tradition (5.3: Knowledge and Understanding, 2).
10. Be able to discuss and demonstrate where appropriate critical comprehension of the Christian tradition's classical sources and their subsequent articulation by some interpreters of the tradition in different historical periods and in different social or geographical settings (K and U, 3).
11. Be able to evaluate and critically analyse a diversity of primary and secondary sources, including material from different disciplines (K and U, 4).

[Philosophy] In explicit terms, skills 1-2 are developed through lectures, seminars and essay work on Social Philosophy; 3-4 through similar methods and strategies on Knowledge and Reality, Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Nature; 5-6 through similar methods on Ethics, and 7 through practical exercises on Evidence and Argument. However, depending on the student’s chosen portfolio of modules, they will be developed, further in the modules chosen at level 3. 8 is developed especially through the optional modules taken at level 3.

[Theology] Skills 9 and 10 are developed across the curriculum, and specifically through the core modules in biblical studies, patristics, philosophical theology and Christian ethics. Skill 11 is fostered through these same modules, and also through the engagement of many option modules with the methods of the social sciences. Modules make use of lectures and student-led seminar presentations, and some make use of formatively assessed essays and small-group tutorials which help to foster essay-writing skills.

[Philosophy] The assessment of skills 1-8 is made through a combination of course essays, oral presentations, examinations; also, where appropriate, Research Methods Project or dissertation.

[Theology] 9-11 are assessed by various methods including closed book examinations, essays and summatively assessed seminar presentations. There is also a level 3 dissertation module.

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

12. Analyse critically individual texts and combine those analyses to demonstrate understanding of the development of literary genres (Phil. 23.3, 23.4).
13. Synthesise complex and diverse arguments and ideas lucidly and coherently, both orally and in writing (Phil.23.2).
14. Engage in creative analytical and evaluative thinking about texts, sources, arguments and interpretations (Phil. 23.6).
15. Engage in lateral thinking, making connections between ideas and information in different fields of their study (Phil.23.9, 25.1).
16. Select and apply appropriate critical tools when reading primary and secondary literature and ancient literature in translation (Phil. 23.3; TRS 5.3: Discipline Specific and Intellectual Skills, 4).
17. Be able to represent views other than the student's own sensitively and intelligently with fairness and integrity (TRS 5.3: DSIS, 1).
18. Be able to demonstrate understanding of the multi-faceted complexity of religions, e.g. in the relationship between specifically religious beliefs, texts and practices, and wider social and cultural structures (TRS 5.3: DSIS, 3).
19. Be able to demonstrate awareness of and critical assessment of religious contributions to debate in the public arena about e.g. values, truth, beauty, health, peace and justice (TRS 5.3: DSIS, 5).

[Philosophy] Skills 12-18 are developed throughout the Philosophy degree programme by lectures and seminars, written work and oral work (both oral presentations and class discussion). A more sophisticated use of these skills is developed in the second and third stages; in the third stage, independent use of these skills is developed through the dissertation and level 3 optional modules selected by the student. 


[Theology] Skill 18 is developed throughout the curriculum, and specifically in e.g. the core modules in biblical studies and patristics. Skill 8 is also developed throughout the programme, and specifically through the use of seminar presentations, classroom discussion, and formative assessment of essays and seminar presentations. Skills 18-19 are taught through e.g. the core modules in biblical studies, philosophical theology and Christian ethics, and also through the availability of many modules (core and optional) which engage with the methods and conclusions of the social sciences.

[Philosophy] Skills 12-18 are assessed though course essays, assessed oral presentations and examinations at stages 1-2 and through the dissertation at stage 3.

[Theology] Skills 16-19 are assessed through essays, examinations, seminar presentations, and (at level 3) the dissertation module.

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

20. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and oral presentations of different prescribed lengths. (Phil. 23.2; TRS 5.3: Key Skills, 1)
21. Present an argument orally in a clear, organized and effective manner (Phil. 26.8; TRS: KS, 2).
22. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organized manner, with appropriate use of correct English (Phil.23.6).
23. Formulate and express ideas at different levels of abstraction (Phil. 23.8).
24. Undertake group work, including the presentation and discussion of challenging material in groups (Phil. 28.3; TRS: KS, 5-6).
25. Work creatively, flexibly and adaptably with others, both peers and academic staff (Phil. 27.5; TRS: KS, 6).
26. Demonstrate autonomy, manifested in self-direction and intellectual initiative, both in learning and study and in the management of time (Phil. 27.2; TRS: KS, 7).
27. Evaluate and reflect on your own work (Phil.27.5; TRS: KS, 10).
28. Write and think under pressure and to meet deadlines (Phil. 27.3).
29. Plan the execution of demanding work based on individual research over a long time (Phil. 27.3).
30. Use a range of basic IT resources (such as e-mail and the World-Wide-Web) to acquire and manipulate general and subject-specific information (Phil. 26.8.2; TRS: KS, 9).
31. Use a word processor to create clearly presented written assignments and handouts (Phil. 26.8.2; TRS: KS, 9).
32. Be able to reflect on the challenges of living and learning in a different environment.

(a) Skills 20, 21, 23 and 24 are developed through the preparation and delivery of oral presentations in many modules at all levels in both sides of the programme, and through the oral discussion of challenging material in all modules in the programme.

(b) Skill 25 is also developed through meetings with personal tutors, one-to-one or small-group tutorials giving feedback on written work and through discussion in seminars.

(c) Skills 20, 22, 23, 26, and 28 are developed through written assignments (essays) in most modules and examinations in many modules at all levels.

(d) Skills 26-27 form essential parts of the successful completion of the programme but are encouraged especially through preparation for written and oral assignments and seminars. They are also promoted in Philosophy through the student Self-Appraisal system in the mid-semester break and in Theology through the use of tutorials for feedback on formatively assessed essays.

(e) Skill 29 is developed through the dissertation in Philosophy/Theology.

(f) Skills 30 and 31 are developed in both sides of the programme through the requirement that all written work is word-processed and that students use the WWW to access texts and other learning materials.

(g) Skill 32 will result from completion of the Learning Log which is central to the One-year Study Abroad module.

(a) Skills 20, 21, 23 and 24 are assessed through seminar presentations. In philosophy, oral contributions to seminars are assessed formatively; in theology seminar presentations are sometimes assessed summatively and sometimes formatively.

(b) Skills 20, 22, 23, 26 and 28 are assessed through written work at all levels and in all modules by examination in many modules and by the dissertation.

(c) Skills 30-31 is assessed through written course-work in all modules.

(d) Skill 29 is assessed by the dissertation in either subject.

7. Programme Regulations

University Regulations on the number of credits to be taken and at what level for each stage of the programme can be found in the Credit and Qualifications Framework.

Progression

Condonement is the process that allows you to be awarded credit (and so progress to the next stage or, in the final stage, receive an award), despite failing to achieve a pass mark at a first attempt. You are not entitled to reassessment in condoned credit. Regulations on condonement can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.

Assessment and Awards

For undergraduate degrees assessment at stage one does not contribute to the summative classification of the award. Details of the weightings for each year of all programme lengths can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes and the classification of awards can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.

You can also read details of Generic Marking Criteria.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

Personal and Academic Tutoring

It is University policy that all Colleges should have in place a system of academic and personal tutors. The role of academic tutors is to support you with individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support fo the duration of your programme, and this support extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.

Information on the College Personal Tutoring system, library provision, ELE resources and access to College support services can be found on the College webpages for current students.

Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC)

SSLCs enable students and staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision.

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Learning Resources

The University Library maintains its principal collections in the main library buildings on the Streatham and St Luke's campuses, together with a number of specialist collections in certain Colleges. The total Library collection comprises over a million volumes and 3000 current periodical subscriptions.

IT Services

A wide range of IT services are provided throughout the Exeter campuses, including open-access computer rooms, some of which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Helpdesks are maintained on the Streatham and St Luke's campuses, while most study bedrooms in halls and flats are linked to the University's campus network.

Student Support Services

The University provides many support services including health and wellbeing, multifaith chaplaincy, family support, the Students' Guild and international student support.

10. Admissions Criteria

All applications are considered individually on merit. The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.

Candidates for undergraduate programmes must satisfy the undergraduate admissions requirements of the University of Exeter.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

12. Indicators of Quality and Standards

Certain programmes are subject to accreditation and/or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).

13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards

The University and its constituent Colleges draw on a range of data to review the quality of education provision. The College documents the performance in each of its tuaght programmes, against a range of criteria on an annual basis through the Annual Student Experience Review (ASER).

Subject areas are reviewed every five years through a College Academic Audit scheme that includes external contributions.

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

Not applicable to this programme

College of Humanities (CHUM)

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

0

18. Final Award

BA (Hons) Philosophy and Theology with Study Abroad

19. UCAS Code

VV5P

20. NQF Level of Final Award

6 (Honours)

21. Credit

CATS credits

480

ECTS credits

240

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

[Honours] Philosophy
[Honours] Theology and religious studies

23. Dates

Origin Date

01/10/2009

Date of last revision

29/08/2018