Philosophy and Linguistics (BA)

Our aim is to support you to become an independent, creative and critical thinker.

At the beginning of your studies, teaching offers carefully structured support through lectures and seminar discussions. This helps you develop key skills and build confidence.

As your studies progress, you’ll learn through guided independent reading, smaller interactive workshops and seminars. You’ll discuss new research with internationally recognised academics who are currently working in that area.

You’ll have access to all course materials through our electronic learning environment.

In this supportive environment, you’ll develop your ability to closely analyse texts and arguments, work through problems with others, construct your own arguments, and present your ideas clearly.

How will I be supported?

Your main sources of support are your module leaders and personal tutors. You’ll have one personal tutor in philosophy and one in linguistics.

Module leaders hold drop-in sessions during teaching weeks, so you can ask questions about course materials or assessments.

Your personal tutors can advise you on academic matters, including study skills, careers and academic progress, as well as pastoral matters. You’ll be invited to meet with them regularly throughout your degree, and they are available for extra meetings if needed.

You’ll have access to specialist academic writing support throughout the programme. This includes online materials, workshops and one-to-one meetings about academic writing to support you with your assessments.

Our professional services teams can provide academic and student support, and can help with information and guidance if you have any queries. The University's range of support services and events are also available to help you plan your career, manage your emotional, mental and physical health, support you with financial issues and provide assistance for students with disabilities are also available to you. These services are co-located at the Centre for Student Life.

You’ll receive regular feedback on your progress. Oral feedback in lectures, workshops and seminars will help you assess your understanding of the course material and your critical responses to it. You’ll receive formative comments on essay ideas and detailed feedback on all marked coursework.

If you undertake the dissertation module, you’ll receive regular feedback on your project from your supervisor.

How will I be assessed?

Your assessments are designed to develop key skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking and reflection.

Assessment methods include critical analyses of texts, essays, group discussion assessments, weekly tasks, analytical tasks and reflective assessments of your own skills.

Optional modules can offer a wider variety of assessments, including writing for a public audience or commenting on an artwork or media piece.

In your final year, you’ll take part in a large collaborative project that involves writing and presenting for a professional audience.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme describe what you will achieve by the end of your programme at Cardiff University and identify the knowledge and skills that you will develop. They will also help you to understand what is expected of you.

On successful completion of your Programme you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:

• Critically evaluate some of the central theories and arguments, and their applications, in moral, political or social philosophy.
• Critically evaluate some of the central theories and arguments, and their applications, in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, or epistemology.
• Critically analyse theories and arguments from contemporary linguistic and philosophical work, which may come from the intersection of different areas of these disciplines or from interdisciplinary research.
• Apply philosophical research to generate policy or strategy, or recommend actions, in response to real-world ethical, social or other problems of contemporary societal concern.
• Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of core areas of English language and linguistics, including phonetics, grammar, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse.
• Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of how language works in the social world.
• Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the interplay of an analysis of linguistic data with critical and theoretical sources.

Intellectual Skills:

• Explain complex and specialised philosophical and linguistic claims and arguments.
• Construct arguments that support a claim in response to philosophical and linguistic questions.
• Apply standard techniques of philosophical analysis to critically evaluate philosophical claims and arguments.
• Apply descriptive terminology relevant to English language and linguistic phenomena.
• Analyse various types of linguistic data
• Evaluate the impact of language use in a range of contexts.

Professional Practical Skills:

• Communicate complex information and arguments in different formats appropriate to different purposes.
• Contribute in a collaborative manner to discussions and team projects.
• Articulate and evaluate your own philosophical and professional skills.
• Show critical awareness of different writing conventions and writing tools, and the ability to use and adapt them successfully for different types of assessment.

Transferable/Key Skills:

• Respond to problems creatively, critically and independently.
• Implement task instructions and manage workload effectively to meet deadlines.
• Deliver and act on constructive feedback.