Philosophy, Politics and Economics BA/BSc

at University of Warwick

Core modules

All students take the same first year core modules in all three departments, which will support you with the foundation of the disciplines. Mathematical and Statistical modules are available at either an intermediate or advanced level, to suit students’ existing knowledge.

• Year One: 80% core modules, 20% optional modules
• Year Two: 25 to 50% core modules, 50 to 75% optional modules
• Final Year: 25% core modules, 75% optional modules

Choice of pathways
Before the start of Year Two, you will choose from a set of six pathways. You can focus on all three subjects (BA Tripartite) or choose to focus on a combination of two. Depending on your pathway, you will be able to graduate with either a BA or BSc.

Year One
Introduction to Philosophy (without logic)
You'll have a wide-ranging introduction to philosophy, including ancient, continental, moral and political philosophy, followed by epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and aesthetics, and logic. You'll learn to engage critically with different viewpoints and critically analyse and evaluate arguments central to philosophy.

Introduction to Politics
Introduction to Politics gives you a broad overview of the main issues and theoretical perspectives within Politics. You'll learn first to understand and then apply the core concepts of comparative political science and theory to processes, institutions, ideologies and practical policy-making. You'll conduct a comparative study of different political systems and political change, both in writing and in open debate.

Economics 1
You'll develop an understanding of fundamental and intermediate concepts in micro- and macroeconomic analysis, equipping you with a range of appropriate analytical skills, including descriptive, graphical and mathematical methods. This will develop your ability to analyse economic trends, institutions and policies and the capacity to apply analytical techniques to real-world problems.

Quantitative Techniques
This module combines two modules: Mathematical Techniques and Statistical Techniques. You may study these topics at either an intermediate or advanced level, depending on your existing Maths qualifications.

You will cover topics ranging from algebra and calculus to distributions and hypothesis testing, which will provide you with key skills and knowledge that will then applied in many other modules. In addition, you will be introduced to some advanced statistical software packages, which will help you learn about a range of techniques to analyse data and different ways in which you can present data.

Year Two (optional cores taken depending on pathway)

History of Modern Philosophy
You will discover the metaphysical and epistemological ideas of great Empiricist philosophers Locke, Berkeley and Hume on substance, qualities, ideas, causation and perception. You will then explore Kant's ideas, including metaphysics, space, self-awareness, causation, scepticism and freedom. You will develop skills in critical engagement, articulating your own views of the relative strengths and weaknesses of these arguments and interpreting key philosophical ideas.

Ethics
We evaluate each other’s actions constantly. Maybe your friend broke a promise, or you protest against a government welfare policy. But what makes these moral claims true? You will use the tools of philosophy to illuminate these questions. You will study theories of what makes things right or wrong (normative ethics) and more basic questions – is anything right or wrong anyway (metaethics)? Studying this module will provide you with knowledge and skills useful to the exploration of ethical and political questions in your further study.

Applied Ethics
Should I be able to buy your ‘spare’ kidney? You might think that if you are willing and I have the money then there is no harm involved. But if you were desperate, does that mean I would be taking advantage of you? These are the sorts of questions you will cover in Applied Ethics, answering them in systematic ways. For example, we may ask about our duties to animals, whether it’s permissible to have children and what is it that’s bad about death, among other questions. You will engage in debate on these and other questions arising in normative ethics and clarify and articulate your own standpoint on such issues.

Political Theory from Hobbes: Seeking Freedom and Equality
How should human beings be governed? The thinkers you'll study – from Hobbes to Marx – had very different answers to this question. Building on your understanding of political philosophy, you'll read significant primary and secondary texts to develop your understanding of how political convictions are shaped by the context and history of individual thought and social interaction. You'll confront and assess complex ideas in political theory, and present and defend your point of view, both orally and in writing.

Issues in Political Theory
Should parents send their children to private schools? Is freedom of movement a moral right? Is it unjust to rear animals for food? Who should bear the costs of climate change? You'll explore fundamental questions of political morality by critically analysing complex arguments from contemporary political philosophy. You'll study closely John Rawls’s theory of justice, and consider the rival theories of Robert Nozick, G. A. Cohen and Ronald Dworkin. You'll have practical opportunities to develop and defend your own ethical standpoint through your considered judgements on current dilemmas, taking into account opposing arguments and perspectives.

Economics 2
You'll develop deeper understanding of some of the key economic concepts but will also be introduced to new concepts in both micro- and macroeconomic analysis. These include material drawn from general equilibrium, welfare economics, game theory, risk and uncertainty within microeconomics and three equation macro model, open economy macroeconomics and the labour market within macroeconomics. It will introduce you to the analysis of public policy issues such as market failure, insurance, monetary unions and fiscal policy, and will give you a range of tools to analyse economic problems. Your analysis will be underpinned by a rigorous theoretical understanding acquired on the course.

Applied Econometrics
You'll learn important skills of both academic and vocational value, an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and social scientist and also useful for your future career. These skills include awareness of the empirical approach to economics and social science; reviewing and extending fundamental statistical concepts; methods of data collection and analysis; regression analysis, its extensions and applications; use of statistical packages such as STATA. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project of your own.

Econometrics 1
You'll be equipped with important skills of both academic and vocational value, being an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and also useful for your future career. This includes an awareness of the empirical approach to economics; experience in analysis and use of empirical data; understanding the nature of uncertainty and methods of dealing with it; and using econometric software packages as tools of quantitative and statistical analysis. With the required necessary skills and knowledge to critically appraise work in applied economics, you'll have a good grasp of the dangers, pitfalls and problems encountered in applied modelling. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project of your own.

Year Three (optional cores taken depending on pathway)

Principles of Political Economy: Economics and Politics
This module is only available to final year PPE students. You will be concerned with governance at both national and global levels, and consider this topic from the perspective of both economics and politics as academic disciplines. The focus is on the extent to which these perspectives complement or conflict with each other. You will study four specific areas where these perspectives overlap, and learn to distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology covered.

Principles of Political Economy: Economics and Philosophy
This module is only available to final year PPE students. In this module, you will explore topics at the intersection of moral philosophy and the economic analysis and evaluation of public policy. You will encounter topics in individual choice and rationality, collective choice and justice, welfare and welfare measurement and markets and their ethical limitations. You will be introduced to key debates and learn to apply philosophical and economic perspectives to public policy issues.

Principles of Political Economy: Philosophy and Politics
In this anthropogenic era, politics and philosophy seem inextricably entwined. On this module, available to final-year PPE students, you’ll combine the study of philosophy and politics and examine how each influences the other. Using the tools of philosophy to understand, analyse and debate contemporary political problems, you’ll improve your ability to dissect and critique complex moral arguments, and learn to construct an independent, rigorous and informed position on topical social and political issues, drawing on a variety of disciplines to reach your considered judgement.

Across Years Two and Three you will also take at least one interdisciplinary optional module.

Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

• States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
• International Trade
• Philosophy of Terrorism and Counterterrorism
• Topics in Development Economics
• Feminism
• Making of Economic Policy
• Philosophy of Religion
• The Political Economy of Money
• Economics of Money and Banking
• Democracy and Authority
   

All applicants, regardless of their visa requirements, are required to show that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive full benefit from their degree course. The level of competence required depends on what type of degree you wish to study. Many applicants can demonstrate this through a satisfactory level of achievement in, for example, GCSE English Language or the English courses within the International Baccalaureate.

Applicants whose academic qualifications meet the University’s admissions requirements, but whose English language qualifications are not accepted as equivalent, may be offered a place at Warwick conditional on an acceptable English language qualification being achieved before they join the University. A number of English language tests are accepted; some of the most frequently offered ones are detailed below.

Please note that certain English tests (including IELTS and PTE) must be taken within two years and one month prior to the start of your course at Warwick. Applicants whose tests fall outside this timescale will need to retake a suitable English language test.

Applicants who require a visa to study in the UK may, depending on the circumstances, be asked to provide evidence of a secure English language test (e.g. IELTS for UKVI (Academic)), rather than an examination (such as International Baccalaureate English) due to the visa requirements set by the UK government.

International Tuition Fees:

£26290 per year

PPE graduates have gone on to work for employers including: Bank of England; Deloitte; Google; L’Oréal; Thomson Reuters; Victoria Beckham Ltd; Morgan Stanley; O2; Oxford University Press; PwC; UN World Food Programme and US Department of State.

They have pursued varied careers such as: actuaries, economists and statisticians; business and financial project management professionals; journalists, newspaper and periodical editors; buyers and procurement officers; finance and investment analysts and advisers; and events managers and organisers.