BADrama with Philosophy

Study location	United Kingdom, Egham, Surrey
Type	Bachelor courses, full-time
Nominal duration	3 years
Study language	English
Awards	BA
Course code	W4V5

Entry qualification	High school / secondary education (or higher) Required: At least five GCSE passes graded A* to C or 9-4 including Maths and English. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English IELTS: 6.5 overall (with 7.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in each remaining subscore) CAE: 176 overall (with no less than 185 in writing and a minimum of 162 in all other subscores)

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) must be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application. A relevant portfolio is required.

More information	royalholloway.ac.uk/..with-philosophy.aspx

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

Year 1

Theatre and Performance Making
You will encounter a range of creative methods for work-shopping practice, and produce a 20-minute performance as a response to one company.

Theatre and Culture
This module looks at the ways in which theatre reflects, intervenes and questions the culture around it. It will expand your horizons and introduce you to a range of unfamiliar practices.

Epistemology and Metaphysics
In this module you will develop an understanding of some of the key problems that have preoccupied contemporary philosophers. You will look at logical questions relating to the structure of arguments, epistemological questions about the sources and limits of knowledge, and consider metaphysical questions that explore the relationship between minds, bodies, and the possibilities of human freedoms.

Introduction to Logic
In this module you will develop an understanding of the formal study of arguments through the two basic systems of modern logic – sentential or propositional logic and predicate logic. You will learn how to present and analyse arguments formally, and look at the implications and uses of logical analysis by considering Bertrand Russell’s formalist solution to the problem of definite descriptions. You will also examine the the broader significance of findings in logic to philosophical inquiry.

Mind and Consciousness
In this module you will develop an understanding of the relationship between the mind and the brain. You will examine the key theories, from Descartes’ dualist conception of the relationship between mind and body through to Chalmers’s conception of consciousness as ‘the hard problem’ in the philosophy of mind. You will also consider some of the famous thought experiments in this area, including Descartes’s and Laplace’s demons, the Chinese Room and the China Brain, Mary and the black-and-white room, and the problem of zombie and bat consciousness.

Introduction to Aesthetics and Morals
In this module you will develop an understanding of the central problems and debates within moral philosophy and aesthetics. You will look at questions relating to both metaphysical and ethical relativism, including the ways we view our moral commitments within the world, how the individual is related to society, and the value and nature of the work of art. You will also examine approaches from the history of philosophy, including the Anglo-American tradition and recent European philosophy.

Year 2

Drama and Theatre: Theatre and Performance Making 2
You will choose an option that enables you to focus on a particular creative skill, such as acting for camera, dance, playwriting, physical theatre, site-based performance or scenography.

Drama and Theatre: Theatre and Text 2
Building upon your first year work, you will choose an option that focuses on a particular period or genre that interests you. These might include Black and Asian theatre, Greek tragedy, Shakespeare, or staging the real.

Drama and Theatre: Theatre and Culture 2
You will choose an option that enables you to consider the ways in which theatre and culture reflect and resist each other within a particular context, including feminism, popular theatre, theatre for young audiences, dancing bodies and global culture.

Introduction to European Philosophy 1 – From Kant to Hegel
In this module you will develop an understanding of the major debates in European and some Anglo-American philosophy. You will look at the key texts by eighteenth and nineteenth century philosophers Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, examining the continuing significance of their ideas. You will consider the major espistemological, ethical and aesthetical issues their idea raise, and the the problems associated with the notion of modernity. You will also analyse the importance of the role of history in modern philosophy via Hegel’s influence.

Mind and World

Year 3

All modules are optional.

Optional modules

In addition to these mandatory course units there are a number of optional course units available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course units that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new units may be offered or existing units may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

Career opportunities

There are plenty of performance opportunities to get stuck into while you’re here, and they’ll stand you in good stead when you graduate. You’ll be familiar and confident in performance situations (skills which are vital for leading meetings and make you viable for visible leadership roles). You’ll come off as credible and composed. You’ll also walk away with considerable experience of technical, intellectual, imaginative, and practical skills, valued by most employers. Aside from these performance skills, you’ll also get skills in research and project management from the academic side of the course.

Choosing to add philosophy into your studies at Royal Holloway not only prepares you well for postgraduate study it also equips you with the skills and qualities that employers are looking for. Philosophy degrees are well-regarded by employers because they give you the capacity to think through issues and problems in a logical and consistent way and to develop critical and transferable skills which can be applied in almost any area of employment. The College’s outstanding record of success for work and further study puts Royal Holloway in the top 10 for graduate career prospects (Complete University Guide, 2015). It goes to show that our degree programmes not only promote academic achievement but also the means to hone the life-skills necessary to excel, post-graduation.

Our industry links mean you’ll be able to pursue work experience with theatres and creative arts agencies. Recent graduates in the Department of Drama & Theatre have gone into careers in acting, writing, broadcasting (including at the BBC), literary agency, arts management, sound design, marketing/PR, teaching and community theatre work, as well as postgraduate study in different fields. Lots of our graduates also start their own performing arts companies. Find out more about what our graduates are doing now.