Department of Philosophy

Studying Philosophy
at Reading
Philosophy Department Programme Handbook.
Entry October 2015 Undergraduate.

2015 Department of Philosophy, University of Reading.

Disclaimer
Formal Ordinances and Regulations are given in the University Calendar
(www.reading.ac.uk/calendar/), in the Programme Specification (available at
www.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/) and in relevant module descriptions
(www.info.reading.ac.uk/module/); should there be, or appear to be, any conflict
between statements in this handbook and the full Ordinances, Regulations, Programme
Specifications or module descriptions, the latter shall prevail.
Although the information in this Handbook is accurate at the time of publication,
aspects of the programme and of Department practice may be subject to modification
and revision. The University reserves the right to modify the programme in unforeseen
circumstances, or where the process of academic development and feedback from
students, quality assurance processes or external sources, such as professional bodies,
requires a change to be made. In such circumstances, revised information will be issued.
Information provided by the School in the course of the year should therefore be
regarded, where appropriate, as superseding the information contained in the handbook.
Please keep this handbook in a safe place as you will need to refer to it throughout your
programme.

ii

Alternative Formats
The material in this handbook can be provided in alternative formats such as large print,
Braille, tape and on disk upon request to Ms Sukh Thiara (Tel: 0118 378 8325 or email:
s.thiara@reading.ac.uk).

Aim of Programme Handbooks

The aim of this Programme Handbook is to provide specific information on the
Department of Philosophy and how it supports its degree programmes as well as other
sources of important information.
More general information about the University and key academic policies and
procedures can be found in the Online Student Handbook,
www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-osh-index.aspx,
further details of which are provided later in this handbook.
It is the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with the Programme
Handbook and with the content of the online student handbook, and to use them as a
reference when required. It is particularly important that you read (or familiarise
yourself with) the key academic policies and procedures listed in the Overview of
the Online Student Handbook and Key Academic Policies and Procedures later in
this handbook, since they govern important aspects of your programme and may
therefore have a significant impact on your studies and the successful completion
of your degree.

Communication
Students should note that email is the default means of communication between staff
and students. Students must use their official University email address when
communicating with the University - for the following reasons:

the University guarantees that your University of Reading email account will be
available to you for the entire duration of your studies;

the University guarantees that suitable, supported email software will be available
to you for the entire duration of your studies;

the University offers an email service to standards of availability, reliability,

performance and security which it determines and which are under its own
control;

email sent from non-University mail accounts may be classified as SPAM and
hence not read.

Information is also provided electronically using the Blackboard Learn portal

(www.bb.reading.ac.uk/), where students can find detailed information on modules and
school specific information; the RISIS web portal
(www.risisweb.reading.ac.uk/si/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn), where students can find personal
iii

information; and the online student handbook

(http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-oshindex.aspx).
Teaching staff and students are normally expected to check their email accounts,
Blackboard Learn portals and other electronic methods of communication on a daily
basis during term-time, and respond to messages as appropriate.

Term time addresses and phone number

All students are required to maintain their student record via the RISISweb Portal
(www.risisweb.reading.ac.uk). This includes entering an up to date local contact address
(ie your term-time address) and (where possible) mobile phone numbers. It is very
important that we have these details in case of an emergency and to send, or forward,
correspondence to you if needed.

iv

Contents
1.

Reading Student Charter ............................................................................................................................... 7

2.

Programme Information ................................................................................................................................ 9

3.

4.

2.1

Welcome to the Department of Philosophy .................................................................................. 9

2.2

Programme aims .................................................................................................................................. 10

2.3

How the programmes fit together ................................................................................................. 11

2.4

Careers learning, placements, and student development ...................................................... 13

2.5

Additional Costs of Studying ............................................................................................................ 17

2.6

How to get a good degree in Philosophy ..................................................................................... 17

2.7

Examinations ......................................................................................................................................... 36

2.8

Language Opportunities .................................................................................................................... 42

2.9

Study Abroad Opportunities ............................................................................................................ 42

Academic Organisation ............................................................................................................................... 43

3.1

The Philosophy Department ............................................................................................................ 43

3.2

External Examiners............................................................................................................................... 44

3.3

Student Contribution to the Evaluation of the programme................................................... 44

3.4

Student Representation..................................................................................................................... 45

How we support students .......................................................................................................................... 46

4.1

Personal tutors...................................................................................................................................... 46

4.2

Feedback to students .......................................................................................................................... 46

4.3
Students with disabilities, disabling conditions or specific learning difficulties (such as
dyslexia) ................................................................................................................................................................ 50
4.4
5.

Making Changes to your Degree Programme ............................................................................. 50

Department and general academic information ................................................................................ 52

5.1

Key dates................................................................................................................................................. 52

5.2

Members of Staff .................................................................................................................................. 52

5.3

Department accommodation and facilities ................................................................................ 54

5.4

Communication ................................................................................................................................... 57

5.5

Administrative Procedures ............................................................................................................... 58

5.6

Philosophy Society .............................................................................................................................. 58

5.7

Spring Philosophy Day ........................................................................................................................ 58

6.

Overview of the Online Student Handbook and Key Academic Policies and Procedures ...... 59

7.

Reading University Students Union........................................................................................................... 1

Course and Faculty Reps are also key in the student representative structure. Course and
Faculty Reps proactively seek out, identify and promote the views of students. They
represent your views at School level and Faculty level. ........................................................................ 1
Visit www.rusu.co.uk/coursereps to find out more about Course Reps, and how to get
involved. .............................................................................................................................................................. 2
What can RUSU do for me? ............................................................................................................................... 2
Change It!..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
RUSU organises and supports campaigns that have been put forward by students. Campaigns
aim to raise awareness and ultimately make change amongst the student community on issues
that affect you on campus, in the community and on a national level. If you want to get involved
in campaigns email changeit@rusu.co.uk or visit the ARC Centre (Advice, Representation and
Campaigns Centre) and ask to speak to the Campaigns Coordinator. ..................................................... 2
Using Change It is a great way to direct your union so get involved!........................................................ 2
RUSU Student Lettings ................................................................................................................................... 2
RUSU Nursery Service ..................................................................................................................................... 2
How can RUSU enhance your student experience? ....................................................................................... 3

vi

1. Reading Student Charter

Partners in Learning
Staff and students have worked together to develop this charter that clearly sets out what we
all expect of each other. It recognises the importance of an effective partnership commitment,
in which the University and its staff have professional obligations but where students are also
responsible for themselves as learners and as individuals.
Students expect the University

to provide an excellent and varied learning experience;

to deliver degrees with relevant content informed by the latest research;
to provide access to learning resources and facilities that allow you to excel;
to offer opportunities to gain knowledge and skills useful for life beyond University;
to support students' professional development and access to career information, advice
and guidance;
to provide a broad range of social, cultural, sporting and co-curricular activities;
to facilitate opportunities to express views which are considered and responded to.

Students expect staff

to teach in an engaging and varied manner that inspires learning;

to give timely and constructive feedback on work;
to provide effective pastoral and learning support when needed;
to respond, communicate and consult in a timely and effective manner;
to recognize the student body to be a diverse collection of adults who are partners with
an equally important voice in their learning.

The University expects students

to work hard at their studies and to be active partners in shaping their experience of
HE;
to seek out opportunities to enhance their understanding and to develop practical and
intellectual skills;
to take advantage of the wealth of activities (social and developmental) provided by the
University and the Students Union;
to be aware that their conduct affects other students and reflects on the University, and
to act accordingly;
to provide constructive feedback on their time at Reading through the Students Union
and directly to the University.

Staff expect students

to be pro-active in managing their learning and in seeking help when needed;

to be enquiring in their thinking;
to manage their time to fulfil academic and other commitments;
to engage fully with all academic commitments;
to conduct themselves and to engage in their studies with honesty;
to keep appointments and to communicate with staff in a timely and courteous
manner;
to take ownership of their own health and well-being.
7

We all expect each other

to treat one another with respect, tolerance and courtesy, regardless of identity,
background or belief, both in person and online;
to show responsible stewardship of the university environment, facilities and resources;
to challenge one another intellectually and to contribute to the advancement of
knowledge;
to work fairly and effectively with one another both inside and outside the academic
context;
to be accountable for our actions and conduct;

to recognize and value positive contributions from others.

2. Programme Information
2.1 Welcome to the Department of Philosophy
Philosophy consists in the critical examination of the fundamental nature of reasoning, reality,
knowledge, morality, social justice, and beauty. Philosophy is an interface discipline,
concerned with how different views of the world clash, or fit together, and with how far
different perspectives (moral, scientific, religious, metaphysical, personal) can be reconciled.
The Philosophy Department at Reading is committed to excellence in teaching and research.
All the full-time members of the Department are active in research into their special fields (see
the section on Academic Staff, below), and hope to communicate, in their teaching, some of
the excitement of developing and evaluating new ideas. The broad orientation of the
Department is that of analytic philosophy, though some of us have strong interests in other
philosophical movements as well. None of us are rigid adherents of any one school of thought,
but all of us aim in our work for the highest standards of logical rigour, precision in argument,
careful conceptual analysis, and rational debate. Philosophy as we study it today is part of a
long cultural tradition, and we hope that by the end of your course you will have acquired
lasting insights into the ideas of some of the great canonical philosophers of the past, as well
as developing an understanding of issues that are in the forefront of current philosophical
debate.
We hope you will enjoy the course, and the philosophy you do. During Part 1 you will sample
the writings of some famous philosophers of the past, and learn something of how
philosophical arguments are conducted. The rest of the programme gives you the opportunity
to acquire a thorough grounding in the subject (in the Part 2 modules), and to pursue more
detailed studies reflecting some of your own special philosophical interests (in the Part 3
modules). Students learn best by engaging with the issues and participating as fully as possible
in discussions in lectures and seminar classes, and by taking advantage of the various extracurricular activities on offer (for example the Philosophy Society, and its visiting speakers
programmesee below). Our ideas for the course, and the modules we teach, are constantly
developing in the light of research interests and teaching needs, and we hope that you will
contribute to that process by talking to us about our offerings and how they can be improved.
The unexamined life, said Socrates, is not worth living. Philosophy involves a critical
examination of our most fundamental beliefs about truth and reality, right and wrong. It
challenges many of our assumptions about what we know and how we should live. It is an
interface discipline, concerned with how different views of the world clash, or fit together,
and with how far different perspectives (moral, scientific, religious, metaphysical, personal)
may be related and reconciled. Philosophy is a deeply enriching subject, worth studying for its
own sake. We hope that whatever Philosophy modules you take in Part 1 will induce you to
take more Philosophy modules. Beyond that, we hope that your time at Reading will be
intellectually stimulating and benefit you for the rest of your lives. By the time you graduate
you will have acquired the ability to think clearly and logically, to expound and evaluate
complex arguments, and to express yourself, in discussion and in writing, coherently,
economically and precisely. These skills should be of enormous value for your future careers.

This booklet provides a detailed conspectus of the structure of the entire BA course, and
provides advice and information on many other matters you will need to know during
your undergraduate career.

2.2 Programme aims

Each Programme in Philosophy has a Programme Specification which includes full details of
the programme including its aims.
These can be found at the following link:
www.info.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/prog-index.asp.
We recommend that ALL students read the relevant programme specification as it contains
useful information about the philosophy course. Please ask the Philosophy Subject Officer in
HumSS G44, if you would like a paper copy of your joint programme specification.
The BA programmes in Philosophy specifically aim to:

give students an understanding of central philosophical problems, texts and figures

enable Joint Honours students to study Philosophy alongside another discipline

provide a programme of study which introduces progressive intellectual challenges

and consolidates previous experiences at each new level

require students to study in more depth some aspects of Philosophy in which they
have a greater interest

develop students aptitude for Philosophy, engender a sense of belonging to a

community of enquiry, encourage intellectual development and prepare students,
where appropriate, for possible postgraduate study

provide a supportive learning environment with full access to welfare, pastoral and
careers support.

broaden access by providing a part-time mode of study.

The central objective of the BA Philosophy course is to cultivate the ability to do, and not just to
read, philosophy. That is, our graduates should acquire a receptivity to the kinds of reasoned
thinking that, historically, have been championed by our subject. On successful completion of
a BA course, students will have:

gained a knowledge and understanding of the main areas of philosophy and of the
views of great figures in the history of philosophy

gained a deeper appreciation of particular issues in philosophy, and at the forefront

of philosophical debate, through studying a range of units informed by the research
interests and professional activities of staff

acquired the abilities to think clearly and reason logically, critically to evaluate
arguments, and to question the assumptions of any given viewpoint

acquired transferable skills of use in a wide variety of employment, thus enhancing

their career opportunities

developed the skills necessary to pursue academic research or further study.

On successful completion of a Joint Honours degree students will achieve the preceding
outcomes within a less extensive Philosophy syllabus than Single Honours students.

10

2.3 How the programmes fit together

Each year you will be required to register online for your modules for the following year.
The 2014/15 module enrolment process will begin on Monday 16 March 2015, and will run
for two weeks, via the student portal RISIS. You will receive further information from the
University via the Student Portal, and email, nearer the time. Full-time students must
register for 120 credits of modules each year of study.
The Department runs taster sessions to provide information about the following years
modules at the start of the summer term. You are also advised to consult the online module
descriptions at www.reading.ac.uk/module and to discuss your module choices with your
personal tutor. When choosing your modules, you should keep in mind various factors
including

which terms your chosen modules run; you must ensure a reasonable balance of work
between the autumn and spring terms.

whether the modules you wish to take have any prerequisites (such as modules from
previous years) or are themselves prerequisites for modules you wish to take in later
years.

whether your choices will timetable together you should not take modules which
result in timetable clashes.

You may change your modules (subject to space and satisfying any prerequisites) up to the end
of the third week of the term in which the module takes place. Late changes are permitted
only in exceptional circumstances.

Part 1
In part 1, the Philosophy Department offers four modules over the Autumn and Spring
Terms. In the Autumn Term, the modules are PP1RA Reason and Argument and PP1HN
Human Nature. In the Spring Term, the modules are PP1MW Mind & World and PP1VV
Values & Virtues. If you wish to continue with Philosophy as part of your degree beyond
the first year, you will need to take Reason and Argument and at least one other Part 1
Philosophy module.

General Aims and Rationale of the Philosophy Part 1 Modules

To introduce terms and concepts essential for philosophical investigation;
to convey the distinctive nature of philosophical inquiry;
to develop a basic understanding of, and interest in, some central
philosophical problems;
to initiate students into the critical examination of fundamental beliefs about
truth and reality, right and wrong;
to develop students ability to think clearly and reason logically, to respond to
and evaluate arguments, to reject facile assumptions and search for coherent
principles of thought and action;
to develop an aptitude and enthusiasm for philosophy, and to provide a
foundation for students who wish to go on to study philosophy for their
Honours degree.

11

Teaching and Learning at part 1

For each part 1 module, there are two hours of lectures per week. Attendance at lectures is
compulsory. Lecture times and venues can be found either in the Faculty of Arts and
Humanities timetable, which you can view on-line via the RISIS Student Portal, or from the
noticeboard in the Philosophy corridor.
All students are required to attend one seminar per week for each Part 1 Philosophy module
that they are taking. In the Autumn term (PP1HN and PP1RA), students are required to
attend one one-hour seminar per week from weeks 2 to 5 and weeks 7 to 11. For PP1RA,
there will be an additional seminar scheduled for week 9 of term, which means that students
will have two seminars in week 9. For PP1HN, there will be an additional seminar scheduled
for week 2 of term. In the Spring term (PP1MW and PP1VV), seminars begin in week 1 (not
week 2) of term, and students are expected to attend one seminar per week from weeks 1 to
5 and weeks 7 to 11. Attendance at seminars is compulsory and your register of seminar
attendance will form part of your module transcript. The material discussed in the
seminars revolves around the issues raised in the lectures.

Parts 2 and 3
In Part 2, single-honours Philosophy students must take at least 100 credits in Philosophy;
joint-honours Philosophy students must take at least 60 credits in Philosophy.
In Part 3, single-honours Philosophy students must take at least 100 credits in Philosophy.
Joint-honours Philosophy students will usually be required to write a 40 credit dissertation or
project either in Philosophy or their other Department, and must take 40 additional credits in
each subject. Four year programmes such as Art & Philosophy, and Philosophy joint with a
modern language, have special arrangements for the final two years: please consult the
appropriate programme specification. Single honours students in Parts 2 and 3 are allowed to
take one 20-credit module from outside Philosophy.

General Aims and Rationale of the Philosophy Parts 2 and 3 Modules

The Part 2 course is designed to build on the philosophical work you have already
undertaken in Part 1 and to provide a basis for your Part 3 modules. It will give you an
overview of some key elements of the Western philosophical tradition and will encourage
you to develop your skill at reading philosophy actively and critically.

Although there are no compulsory modules at part 2, single honours students who wish to
study at postgraduate level are encouraged to take Theory of Knowledge and Moral
Philosophy. These two modules cover subject areas we take to be central to the discipline of
Philosophy, without a grounding in which you would not have a proper sense of the
discipline necessary to study the subject at advanced level. The two modules, Theory of
Knowledge and Moral Philosophy, are essentially problems modules: that is, their focus is on
enduring philosophical problems within these areas of philosophy rather than on historical
figures. Other modules available to students have a slightly different character. For
example Introductory Logic involves an introduction to logic, which provides a basic
understanding of formal and methodological principles which are important to many
aspects of the discipline. Ancient Philosophy and the two Early Modern Philosophy courses on
the other hand are history modules, in the sense that they focus on the thought of
important historical figures within the discipline. However, the problems/history division
should not be taken too strictly, because the problems modules contain reference to
historical figures and the history modules investigate the plausibility of historical figures
solutions to problems.
12

The Part 3 modules are designed to cater for a broad range of philosophical specialisms and
to reflect tutors research interests. By the time you near the end of your second year you
will have developed a sense of where your own philosophical interests lie and will have a
basis for selecting the Part 3 modules you wish to study. They offer you the opportunity to
explore specific areas of philosophy in depth.

Dissertation
The dissertation module in philosophy is optional for single honours students to take in part 3.
All students taking a philosophy dissertation are urged to read the description for this module
carefully.
Please note that ALL joint degree combinations require a dissertation. This means that students
following these programmes must take either the Philosophy Dissertation module (PP3DIS) or
the dissertation module in their partner department (except for Psychology and Philosophy
students see below).
Students spending their third year abroad as part of a joint programme with Modern
Languages write their dissertation in Philosophy during their year abroad.
In addition
(a)

Art and Philosophy students must write a Philosophy Dissertation in their fourth year.

(b)

Psychology and Philosophy students must take the joint project module PY3PPP in their
third year (the project is the equivalent of a dissertation).

Part-time students
Students who take the BA in Philosophy as a part-time degree during the daytime take the
same modules and follow the same structure as full-time students, but over twice the
amount of time. They take a minimum 40 and maximum 80 credits in Philosophy over two
years, as well as extra credits in other subjects to make up 120 credits at Part 1. For all
students, the Part 1 module Reason and Argument (PP1RA) is compulsory and so must make
up 20 of the 80 credits.
Similarly, the 120 credits at Part 2 are spread over two years, as are the 120 credits at Part 3.
Please consult the Philosophy BA Handbook for full-time students to see the overall structure
of the Honours degree. For combined honours degrees, similar requirements apply, but
consult the Part-Time Degree Co-ordinator in Philosophy (Prof. David Oderberg) as well as the
co-ordinator in the other department.

2.4 Careers learning, placements, and student development

Future Careers for Philosophy Graduates
Philosophy (like the great majority of university disciplines) is not a directly vocational
subject such as law or medicine. But training in philosophy develops the ability to think
clearly and reason logically, to expound and evaluate arguments, to reject facile assumptions
and to search for coherent principles of thought and action. Philosophical training is highly
prized by employers in every area of professional life where these skills are at a premium. A
very useful publication, The Employability: Where next? Unlocking the potential of your philosophy
13

degree
(second
edition),
can
be
http://www.prs.heacademy.ac.uk/publications/emp_guide_for_web.pdf

found

at

Former graduates from Readings Philosophy Department include those who have gone on to
follow careers in business and management, journalism, television production, insurance,
banking, publishing, librarianship, the Civil Service, local government, social work, the
probation service, the armed forces, and further training for careers in accountancy, law and
teaching. For students who wish to go on to postgraduate work in Philosophy, the Department
offers an MA programme, as well as more advanced research leading to the degrees of MPhil
and PhD. The training offered by a degree in Philosophy is a valuable and respected
qualification with which to proceed to a wide range of rewarding professional careers.
Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for 2006 showed that starting
salaries for Philosophy graduates in non-graduate employment averaged 15,312. This is
comparable with other Arts and Humanities graduates, e.g. Classics 16,078; History 14,636;
and English 14,263. For Philosophy graduates entering graduate employment their average
salary of 21,466 compares favourably with Classics 19,422; History 19,418 and English
18,484.
An article in the Guardian notes that philosophy graduates are sought after in the fields of
finance, property development, health, social work, marketing and advertising, and business,
and that the number of philosophy graduates in these areas increased significantly between
2002 and 2006. The same article also cites the Higher Education Careers Unit as agreeing that
philosophers are finding it easier to secure work (Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2007). We
believe that a Philosophy degree makes you extremely well-suited to todays employment
market because it equips you with the kind of skills that employers are looking for.

Transferable skills
Philosophy (like many other academic disciplines) is not a directly vocational subject such as
law or medicine. But a training in Philosophy develops the ability to think clearly and reason
logically, to expound and evaluate arguments, to organise ideas, to be aware of the logical and
practical implications of our assertions, to be alert to alternative explanations and solutions, to
reject facile assumptions and search for coherent principles of thought and action. The
structured development of students presentation skills and of the clarity and precision of their
written work are also invaluable in any area of work. So, philosophical training is highly prized
by employers in every area of business and professional life, where these vitally important
general transferable skills are at a premium. See Appendix A in this handbook for a recent
report from the Council for Industry and Higher Education, stressing the skills which
philosophy graduates bring to the workforce.
It is important, when filling in application forms and at interview, to draw attention to the
general transferable skills that a training in Philosophy produces.

Graduate Studies
At the end of your course you may, if you have enjoyed it and done well, begin to think of
carrying on to do graduate work either here at Reading or elsewhere. For students who wish
to go on to postgraduate work in Philosophy, the Department offers an MA taught units
programme, as well as more advanced research facilities, leading to the degrees of MPhil and
PhD. Some of our BA graduates go on to MA programmes in related disciplines, e.g. War
Studies, Environmental Studies. Others go on to gain postgraduate teaching qualifications for
teaching careers at primary and secondary school level, or gain professional qualifications in
14

other areas, e.g. law. In short, the training offered by a degree in Philosophy is a valuable and
respected qualification with which to proceed to a wide range of rewarding professional
careers.
If you are not lucky enough to have private funds to support you in your graduate studies, you
will need to apply for public funding, which is hard, though not impossible, to get. The
following notes are intended to give some idea of the procedure for this.
The University of Reading offers some scholarships and bursaries. Further information about
these can be found at www.reading.ac.uk/Studentships/ However, the main source of funding
is the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which offers 1-year and 3-year grants (for
MA and PhD study respectively), although please note that AHRC funding for PhD study is only
available to those students who have an MA. To obtain AHRC funding, the application form
must be completed and with them by May 1. This deadline is rigidly imposed.
To meet the deadline, you need to work towards it in the following way:

By mid-February in your final year you should have talked to a member of the Department
about applying to the AHRC. Further details about the AHRC application process can be
obtained from the Postgraduate Administrator in HUMSS 163 (Amanda Harvey). Now is the
time to write a first draft of your proposal for graduate work, the most crucial part of your
application.

By early March you should have had at least one meeting with a member of the
Department to discuss your first draft.

By the end of the Spring Term (mid-March) you should have discussed a second draft of
your AHRC proposal and submitted it to one of the Professors for final vetting. You will
also need to have applied to the University for graduate studies.

By 31st March you should have submitted the completed AHRC form to the Department in
order to give your referees time to write their references. The Department and University
will complete the final sections of the form before sending it off to the AHRC.

Career Management Skills - Using your degree to make you more employable
All undergraduate programmes at the University will include a programme of activities to
develop your career management skills (CMS). CMS may be provided in a particular module or
may be delivered across a range of modules. The aim is very simple: to put you in control of
your future and help you stand out from the crowd.
Through CMS you will:

Explore the range of options available with your degree including employment,
postgraduate study, taking a gap year or voluntary work

Reflect on your personality, values, interests, aspirations, motivation and skills to help you
decide what careers areas might suit you

Develop the skills and awareness necessary to enable you to apply effectively to the
opportunities that interest you.
Marketing yourself by writing effective CVs and
application forms, developing interview skills and networking skills.

CMS is included in your Philosophy degree in many ways. In Part One, you will take PP1RA
(Reason and Argument), this module explores the ways in which philosophy supplies the tools
for reasoning logically and analytically, not just about abstract theories but about problems
15

and situations in real life. You will be introduced to techniques for evaluating claims and
arguments, assessing evidence, and justifying your beliefs. A mix of lectures, seminars,
structured reading, assignments, and class discussion will furnish you with the skills essential
to logical thought. These skills are essential both to further study in philosophy and to other
areas of academic work. They are also a foundation for the kinds of thinking you will have to
do in your future life and career. Thus this module will also explore the role of good argument
beyond the University, looking at ways to enhance your career prospects and examining the
transferrable skills you will gain from your degree (and, in particular, from a degree in
Philosophy).
Students
from
any
degree
can
use
the
CMS
online
resources
at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/destinations to find degree related job websites, advice on CVs,
application forms and interviews, as well as interactive self-assessment exercises.

Excerpt from Student Employability Profiles: A Guide for Employers.

The Council for Industry and Higher Education (2005)
A graduate in Philosophy typically will have:

The ability to analyse problems in a multi dimensional way.

The ability to think creatively, self critically and independently.

Self motivation.

The ability to work autonomously.

Time and priority management skills.

A flexible mind adaptable to managing change.

Philosophy seeks to understand and question ideas concerning reality, value and experience.
Concepts such as existence, reason and truth, occur in every sphere of human enquiry.
Philosophy is open-ended, constantly questioning and refreshing itself, the very essence of
learning and knowledge.
A degree in vocational subjects like Business, Finance, Law, Marketing or Media Studies
provides immediate skills and practical tools for gaining entry into the employment market,
whereas Philosophy focuses on providing the ideal environment in which to develop the
fundamental and essential attributes on which these skills depend.
Philosophy teaches the student how to analyse and communicate ideas in a clear, rational and
well thought out way. Students of philosophy learn to develop and defend an opinion, they
learn how to learn and how to think. With such in-depth grounding, philosophy graduates are
likely to develop into well rounded, mature, thoughtful and articulate employees.
Studying formal logic helps students acquire skills in symbol manipulation, formal systems
and abstract thinking and it also influences the wider skills of analysis and a detailed
understanding of argument structure. These skills are of immediate value in computer and
information management careers and in all contexts where precision, clarity and high level
abstract planning and analysis are required.
Philosophy students will develop general skills like the ability to think logically, analyse
critically, communicate articulately and accurately, both orally and in writing.

16

These are the skills that employers indicate are so important for middle management and
leadership roles. The skills of vision, creativity and analytical power being developed through
the study of Philosophy will have a premium.
The Employability: Where next? Unlocking the potential of your philosophy degree (second edition) can
be found here http://www.prs.heacademy.ac.uk/publications/emp_guide_for_web.pdf

Gaining placements or work experience

With a placement option available to students on all part 2 and 3 modules, our undergraduates
are encouraged to seek out relevant placements that allow them to use their skills for credit.
The Universitys Careers, Placement and Experience Centre provides both timetabled and
central support to help students to find placements that suit their course and skills. They also
run a range of extracurricular schemes to help students develop their skills and experience.
They promote hundreds of local, national and international placement opportunities with
employers, charities and organisations on the online vacancies board My Jobs Online which
students can customise to meet their own needs and provide regular updates as new vacancies
come in.
The Universitys own work experience schemes include:

RED (volunteering) www.reading.ac.uk/redaward/

UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programme) www.reading.ac.uk/urop

The Reading Internship Scheme is open to all Reading students and finalists for up to 6 months
after graduation, in smaller to medium companies based in the Thames Valley region.

2.5 Additional Costs of Studying

During your time studying at Reading, you may encounter some additional costs, for example
field trips, text books, or stationery.
It is prudent to budget appropriately for these costs, and the Student Advice Team in the
Students Union or at stu.adv@reading.ac.uk can help you personally with this. You can also
visit www.rusu.co.uk/advice/money_advice/ for more generic information. More specific
information can be given by your Department or School.

2.6 How to get a good degree in Philosophy

2.6.1 Developing good learning practices
You can get the most out of your degree by informing yourself about your programme through
this handbook and other resources, finding out what is expected of you, and asking for help if
you need it.

Your Responsibilities to the Department

As a student studying Philosophy in the Department, you have the following responsibilities:

To attend all your lectures

To attend all your seminars

17

To prepare for and sit all relevant examinations in the Summer Term. Students should
be aware that it is very much in their own interests to do as well as they possibly can in
their first attempt at exams. Although it may be possible to resit an exam which you
fail, your mark in a resit (for purposes of degree classification) will be capped at a
maximum of 40%. Furthermore, failures in examination will normally be mentioned in
any letters of reference which members of the Department write for you

To inform the Department if circumstances (e.g. illness or accident) mean that you are
will be away from the University for three or more days

To submit all your coursework essays on time, or to inform the Department (by means
of the standard extenuating circumstances form) where circumstances, such as illness
or accident, prevent you from doing so

To ensure that all your coursework is completed to the best of your ability and is
submitted in the format required by the department (see the entry on how to submit
your coursework essay in this handbook)

To attend essay seminars ready and able to discuss the set topic

To keep a regular check on your University email, on the student noticeboard in the
Philosophy corridor, and on your pigeonhole (located outside HUMSS 68)

To make and maintain regular contact with your personal tutor (i.e. seeing them at least
once a term)

If you are having problems with your course, to contact your personal tutor, or other
member of the department, at the earliest possible time to discuss these problems

To raise any concerns you have with the teaching provision of the Department, or any
other concerns, in a suitable and constructive manner (e.g. via the staff-student
committee or personal discussion with staff).

The Departments Responsibilities to You

For its part, the Department will use its best endeavours to do the following for you:

To provide good quality teaching and the support for learning which will enable you to
get the best degree of which you are capable

To provide appropriate resources for all modules (e.g. clear reading lists, BlackBoard
courses)

To provide suitable feedback (either verbal or written) on all coursework submitted by

the deadline, with one aim of this feedback being to improve your performance in
coursework and examination

To provide suitable feedback (either verbal or written) on all coursework submitted by

the deadline, with the aim of improving your performance in coursework and
examination

To provide clear information on the structure of examinations and assessments

To help you prepare for examination

To keep you informed of any unavoidable changes to your programme by email and/or
posting notices on the student noticeboard
18

To help you in your future career (e.g. by helping you to prepare for the job market, by
writing references for you, and by helping you to apply for further study where
appropriate)

To do its best to support you through any problems you have during your degree (e.g.
through discussions with personal tutors and help in accessing support services outside
the department)

To respond to any concerns raised about the teaching provision of the Department, or
any other student concerns, in an appropriate and constructive manner.

We want you to achieve the best degree you can, to enjoy your time in the department,
and to use your degree to build the future you want for yourself. If at any time you feel
in need of extra support, please see your personal tutor, or another member of staff, to
discuss the problem as soon as possible.

2.6.2 Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is done primarily through lectures and seminars. Attendance at both is compulsory,
and absence is regarded very seriously by the Department. If you have to be absent from the
Department for more than three days you must inform the Philosophy Subject Officers in the
School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44 or your Personal Tutor.

Lectures
These provide essential core material but also allow opportunities for questions and discussion.
All modules in Parts 1, 2 and 3 involve a substantial amount of lecture attendance at least
two hours per week. They are supplemented by seminars.
Seminars
These are one-hour group sessions where students may be broken down into smaller groups,
depending on the activity involved. The purpose of seminars is to stimulate discussion, answer
questions, and help students achieve a deeper understanding of the topic.

Part 1 Seminars
In most Philosophy Part 1 modules, each student is required to give a short oral
presentation to the rest of the group once each term per module.

Part 2 Seminars
In Part 2, some of the timetabled lecture slots will feature seminars or other group activities
instead of lectures, thus providing students with the opportunity to ask questions and
interact directly with the module lecturer(s). (Note that separate arrangements apply to the
module PP2IL Introductory Logic).

Part 3 Seminars
These seminars take a number of forms, for instance they may involve student
presentations, or discussion of weekly reading, or preparation for essay writing, or feedback
19

on essays which have been marked. Further information on the kind of seminars involved
in each part 3 module will be given by the module convenors.

2.6.3 Part 1 seminars

All students are required to attend one seminar per week for each Part 1 Philosophy module
that they are taking. In the Autumn term (PP1HN and PP1RA), students are required to
attend one one-hour seminar per week from weeks 2 to 5 and weeks 7 to 11. For PP1RA,
there will be an additional seminar scheduled for week 9 of term, which means that students
will have two seminars in week 9. For PP1HN, there will be an additional seminar scheduled
for week 2 of term. In the Spring term (PP1MW and PP1VV), seminars begin in week 1 (not
week 2) of term, and students are expected to attend one seminar per week from weeks 1 to
5 and weeks 7 to 11. Attendance at seminars is compulsory and your register of seminar
attendance will form part of your module transcript. The material discussed in the
seminars revolves around the issues raised in the lectures.
Each seminar group has a seminar tutor. The atmosphere is more informal than in lectures,
and the seminars are meant to encourage students to ask questions, make comments and
discuss issues with the seminar tutor and fellow students. In most Part 1 Philosophy
modules, one or two students will present short oral reports each week on already agreed
topics, and this is followed by a discussion. The topics will be linked to the subjects covered
in lectures.
When you register for a Philosophy module in Welcome Week, you will also be assigned to a
seminar group which will appear in your online timetable shortly afterwards. (Please note that
you need to attend two hours of lectures per week, and one seminar, for each Philosophy module you
are taking.) If the seminar group to which you have been assigned results in a timetable clash,
or you do not see your seminar group in your timetable, you should urgently discuss this with
Karin Mundt, the School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44. At the beginning of the second week
of the Autumn term, a final list of groups and their members will be posted on the noticeboard
in the Philosophy corridor, and groups will have their first meeting at the scheduled time
starting in the second week. (Please note that, in the Spring term, seminars start in week 1 of
term, even if the first lecture has not yet taken place.)
The first seminar meeting of each term will normally discuss organisational matters, such as
arrangements for handing in weekly work, selection of presenters for each weeks topic, and
so on. For modules with weekly oral presentations or reports, these will start in your second
seminar. More information on these reports is given in the next section.
Each lecturer and seminar tutor is ready and willing to discuss any problems or questions
that his or her student may have, and students should not hesitate to see their seminar
tutors in the first instance. If the seminar tutor is unable to help, the module lecturer will
also be available for student queries in their Office Hour, the time of which will be
advertised on their office door. For general queries about Part 1 in Philosophy, students can
consult Dr Nat Hansen, Philosophys Part 1 Co-ordinator, in HumSS G60, or Karin in the
School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44.
If you decide to drop a Philosophy module, you must inform the Philosophy Subject
Officers in HumSS room G44, to avoid being chased up for failing to attend seminars.
Similarly you should also inform this office of any change of contact details.

20

The Seminar Report

Seminar reports are a feature of many part 1 Philosophy modules. These will be presented
by either one or two students. Here are some hints on how to approach doing seminar
reports.
Seminar reports should normally include (in this order) the following points:
the question addressed
a summary of the main relevant arguments (including arguments for rival answers
to the question)
the presenters conclusion about what arguments come out on top.
Where two student presenters are covering the same topic, they should meet to co-ordinate
their reports and decide how to divide up the content or work together on the same content.
The report should take at least five minutes per student; that is at least ten minutes for a
joint presentation. It should last no more than ten minutes where one student is
presenting, or fifteen minutes for a joint presentation. After you have given your report,
the seminar tutor may draw your attention to points you have made and ask you to clarify or
defend them. Then the other students will be expected to engage in discussion.
Keep in the front of your mind that you are giving a short talk. Speaking from notes or from
an outline can be better than simply bringing a written essay to class and reading it aloud.
However, if you plan to read out exactly what you have written, practise doing so in advance
a couple of times and rehearse to the point where you could outline the matter in four or
five sentences without looking down at your notes. Eye contact with the others in the room
during your presentation is very important. Even more important is the energy you inject
into the room. Your goal should be to give such an engaging and clear short presentation
that everyone in your audience sees exactly what the pivotal points are.
Aim to provoke intelligent philosophical discussion among group members. Discussion flows
easily if you have made your talk easy to understand. Members of the group will probably
have questions to ask and comments to make. Give them a chance to do so! Perhaps end
your presentation with two or three interesting questions for the group to consider and
discuss. Prepare a brief handout to go with your presentation. If you also want to make use of
the overhead projector or the whiteboard, do so. But keep your presentation to the allotted
time.
Remember that you have an audience. Always consider whether they will understand
what you are saying to them. Take care that listeners, hearing your ideas for the first time,
can follow your report. In particular, resist the temptation to race through it. Give special
emphasis to important points. Illustrate ideas with examples of how they are supposed to
apply so that your audience can begin to get to grips with these ideas. Pause long enough
between (a) the arguments for some conclusion and (b) the arguments against it, so that all
your audience notices the transition.
Dont be afraid to admit that you havent made up your mind about some important point,
or even that you havent been able to understand some crucial point in a text or lecture.
Asking for help can be a very good way of generating discussion. However, even if you are
confused, try not to give a confused talk. Give an organised talk that explains clearly just
what you find confusing.
21

Here are some rules of thumb for presentations:

Prepare a handout and use it to structure your presentation.
Speak slowly and make eye-contact with your audience.
Use mainly simple, direct sentences.
Dont end each sentence with a rising inflection.
Use examples to illustrate ideas.
Emphasise important points.
Dont be afraid to use the word I, as in I think... (But keep this to a minimum in
written work, i.e. essays and exams.)
Divide your talk into clearly distinguishable sections (e.g. 1. The Question, 2. The
arguments for one answer, 3. The arguments for a different answer, 4. Conclusion)
Conclude with a clear summary of your main points.
Generally, use the active voice (e.g. Smith says that..., rather than Is it said
(written, asserted) by Smith that...).
Try to minimize your use of unfamiliar words.
When you must use unusual terms or terms that have a technical meaning, pause
to define and explain them and to make sure that your listeners have understood.
After the seminar, the seminar tutor will give you comments on your understanding of the
material and the development of your oral presentation skills.
A good report will show that you understand the topic and that you can run through
the main arguments clearly. This is invaluable preparation for answering exam
questions on this topic, and more generally for any topic where you are required to
present an argument.

Written Work
The Weekly Paragraph or Weekly Exercises
All part 1 students are required to produce weekly work for each part 1 seminar. For part 1
modules containing a seminar report, this weekly work is called a weekly paragraph. Students
who are not doing a report in a given seminar are required to hand in a substantial piece of
writing on the weeks topic. The maximum length for this is one page of A4 paper. Doing
these exercises makes for better discussions and puts students in a stronger position to learn
from the presentations. It also helps the seminar tutor to see how well students understand
the material.
In your weekly paragraph, comment in some way on the reading you have done. Your
comment can take various forms. It might be a statement of your own (tentative) views. It
might be a brief account of the contents of some item on the reading list. It might be a note
of which points you think are most important, or an objection to some view propounded in
the reading you have done.
For PP1RA Reason & Argument, the weekly paragraph is replaced by weekly homework
exercises which can be found in the back of the course pack.
22

Whatever the content of weekly work, it is required to be legible either printed or neatly
handwritten. Students have repeatedly noted the benefits of doing this weekly work.
Seminar tutors will make brief written comments on your weekly work, but are available to
discuss this further if you want to do so.

Seminar non-attendance penalty

A three-mark penalty will be deducted from the final module mark of any student who is
absent for more than three of a terms seminars for any part 1 moduleexcept when the
student had a good reason, supported by an explanatory letter and appropriate evidence
submitted to the School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44, email k.mundt@reading.ac.uk,
telephone 0118 378 5648, by the end of term, for missing each of four or more seminars that
he or she missed. At the end of term, the Part-1 Course Coordinator will assess each case and
decide whether the reasons and evidence are sufficient for the penalty to be waived. The
Department can act only on the information submitted to the Philosophy Office, and it is
your responsibility to inform them if you do (or did) have good reasons for missing the
seminars you miss (or missed).
If you think you may miss more than three seminars, you should also contact your personal
tutor. This is so that the University is aware of your circumstances and can support you in the
best way possible. Failure to inform your personal tutor of extenuating circumstances may
lead to a formal warning.

Grounds for the Part 1 Penalty:

The understanding of philosophy to be acquired in your degree programme is incremental in
at least two respects: first, the work to be done in Parts 2 and 3 of the programme crucially
depends on students acquiring a firm foundation in the basics of philosophy in Part 1. This is
not just in terms of the material covered but also in terms of the skills acquired. Furthermore,
understanding within Part 1 modules is itself highly linear: grasp of later material in a module
depends to a large extent on grasp of earlier material. We believe that students will be unable
to appreciate the structure and nature of later material if they fail to appreciate properly
previous theories and approaches. Yet this appreciation can best be gained by attending both
lectures and seminars for a module. Furthermore, students who attend only a percentage of
their required seminars are very likely to fail to develop the core skills of argument structure
and analysis, presentation of philosophical points, and handling of abstract ideas. The
development these skills is one of the essential aims of the module as a whole. Therefore, the
seminars are crucial to Part 1 philosophy. The Department emphasizes this in a number of
ways, one of which is by to employing the above penalty system to demand regular attendance
by all.

2.6.4 Assessment
The University publishes an annual guide to Assessment which can be downloaded from the
following
link:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guideUG.aspx
In
Philosophy, assessment throughout parts 1, 2 and 3 is by a combination of coursework and
examination.
Students should note that all word limits below include footnotes, but exclude the
bibliography.
23

Part 1 Assessment
All part 1 modules have a coursework component. For the modules PP1HN, PP1VV and
PP1MW, there will be two essays. The first essay should be between 900 and 1100 words and
counts for 15% of the final module mark. The second, longer essay should be between 1400 and
1600 words and counts for 25% of the final module mark. (In all, the coursework component of
these modules is worth 40%.)
For the module PP1RA, there are two term assignments, worth 20% of the final module mark
each (40% in total). (Note that there is no word limit for PP1RA assignments.)
The rest of the mark (i.e. 60%) will be determined by performance in the examination at the
end of Part 1.

Part 2 Assessment
All part 2 modules (bar Introductory Logic) have a coursework component. You will be required
to write two essays (1500-2000 words each) for each module and the average of these two
marks will contribute 30% to your overall mark for the module, the rest of the mark to be
determined by performance in examination at the end of part 2. For Introductory Logic
assessment is by examination alone, although there will be weekly practice assignments to
complete during the module.

Part 3 Assessment
All part 3 modules (bar Further Logic, and Dissertation) have a coursework component
contributing 30% to your final mark for the module (the remainder of the mark coming from
performance in examinations at the end of part 3); however the precise form of the
coursework element may differ between modules. For instance, in some modules the
coursework component may be the average mark received across two coursework essays, in
others student presentations, take-home exams, or comprehension tests may contribute.
Further information on the coursework component will be provided by the module convenor.

Essay Deadlines (Autumn and Spring):

Part One
Autumn
Essay 1: Wednesday of Week 5
Essay 2: Wednesday of Week 11
Spring
Essay 1: Wednesday of Week 5
Essay 2: Wednesday of Week 11

Part Two
Autumn
Essay 1: Thursday of Week 5
24

Essay 2: Thursday of Week 11

Spring
Essay 1: Thursday of Week 5
Essay 2: Thursday of Week 11

Part Three
Autumn
Essay 1: Friday of Week 5
Essay 2: Friday of Week 11
Spring
Essay 1: Friday of Week 5
Essay 2: Friday of Week 11

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You
should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to
submit any work. Unless extensions are granted or there are extenuating circumstances (see
below) late submission always involves the following penalty:

Late Submission of Assessed Coursework

The University requires the following penalties for work submitted late:

where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally
agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work
will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the
deadline up to a total of five working days;

where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the
original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will
be recorded.
Requests for Extensions and Remissions
If you require an extension or particular circumstances to be taken into account in accessing
your work you will need to complete an Extenuating Circumstances form (ECF).
Extensions will be granted to students only if they provide written evidence from a personal
tutor, medic, counsellor, or public official that adequately explains their inability to submit the
relevant item of coursework on time. Such explanations may refer to such circumstances
beyond the students control as illness, death or severe illness of a close relative or partner,
physical attack, witnessing a seriously distressing event or other events of comparable effect.
25

Extensions will definitely not be granted in respect of poor time management skills, difficulties
in obtaining books or other materials, or similar issues.
Students may request in advance an extension to the date for submission of coursework and
should submit their request in good time. All requests must be made on the standard
extenuating
circumstances
form
(to
be
found
on
the
web
at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-circumstances.aspx
If an extension is granted and the work is submitted by the revised deadline, no penalty will be
applied.

Remissions
Students may request remission of the penalty for late work (i.e. that the normal penalty for
late submission is waived or varied). Remission will be granted only for very good reasons, and
normally only for reasons that could not have been anticipated in time to make an extension
request. If remission is granted, no penalty will be applied. All requests for remission must be
made
on
the
standard
request
form
(to
be
found
on
the
web
at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/ECF_2011.pdf
Extenuating circumstances forms should be submitted to the School of Humanities Office in
HumSS G44 and must be accompanied by supporting evidence (e.g. medical certificate).

2.6.5 How to Construct your Coursework Essays

Use of Literature: Reading
The best place to start your reading, for both essays and presentations, is with the literature
recommended in the reading guide or course materials distributed by the lecturer or seminar
tutor at the start of each term. You may use lecture notes, where relevant, to inform the essay,
but do not simply insert transcribed lecture notes into an essay or presentation.
When you want a quick summary of a topic, you may find it useful to read the appropriate
article in the eight-volume Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, edited by Paul Edwards (London: CollierMacmillan, 1967) or in the more recent ten-volume Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, edited
by Edward Craig (London: Routledge, 2000). You might also try An Encyclopaedia of Philosophy,
edited by Parkinson et al. (London: Routledge, 1988), and various dictionaries of philosophy
such as A. Flew (ed.) A Dictionary of Philosophy (London: Pan, 2002 or earlier editions), and S.
Blackburn, The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (Oxford: OUP, 1996). All these encyclopaedias are
in the reference section of the University library. The Routledge encyclopaedia is also available
on CD-ROM from the third floor, and via campus PCs at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/library/eresources/databases/
The most current encyclopaedia is The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which is on-line at
http://plato.stanford.edu/ but most of the articles on it are quite sophisticated.
When taking courses in philosophy, you will encounter three major different sorts of
reading materials. These three kinds require different degrees of concentration and effort in
order to derive from them what is intended and sought after. To carry out your assignments
effectively, you should be able to distinguish between them and bring to bear the proper
approach to each.
Primary works, or classics of philosophy, are of course a main focus. But their meaning is not
always self-evident, since they are often translated from foreign or ancient languages and
frequently reflect the assumptions of cultures or ages very different from our own. Even
26

those produced by writers of our own time and place may contain a richness of thought and
imagination which takes several careful readings to begin to uncover. They are not, in short,
to be memorised verbatim and taken at face value; rather, they need to be approached
slowly and carefully, and may be full of surprises.
Secondary works include works of scholarship (books and journal articles) that present original
research and interpretations of the subject you are studying. They are usually written by and
for academics, and may be at a level of sophistication that you havent regularly
encountered. A good tutor may assign works that challenge you. These require an active
effort to comprehend. They are to be read for the major points, and especially for the
arguments that lead to those points. Remember that articles from journals are likely to be
very focused. This means that they will not necessarily give a general overall view of the
subject, or take pains to introduce the subject properly. But they will often contain the depth
of material you require after you have been introduced to the topic. It is better to have read a few
articles thoroughly than to have read many superficially.
Textbooks and introductions aim to generate an overview of the topic. You should consult them
especially if you feel that you are unsure of the philosophical issues within the topic, or if
you want a survey of the major opinions on the topic.
Remember that effective reading is active reading. While reading you should not regard
yourself as a passive receptacle into which information is being poured. Rather, you should
make an effort to engage with the thoughts of the author. Taking notes is a good way of
following an argument. If you find passages that you simply cannot understand, you should
mark them and ask the seminar tutor about them in or after the class. You should approach
your reading in the context of the ideas developed in the lectures, to see how the texts
complement or contradict what the lecturer is saying. Seminar discussion provides you with
a forum in which to test the accuracy of your understanding of what you have read, and you
should present interpretations in order to get the reactions of your tutor and fellow students.
Dont be afraid of making mistakes, since texts sometimes are not clear and several
conflicting readings are possible. From considering different possible interpretations, good
discussion is often generated.1

Timing, Planning, and Structure

Start your reading soon after having decided upon the essay title. Leave some time for
reflection between finishing the reading and starting to write the essay. Write a first draft.
Leave ample time for revising and rewriting your essay before the deadline.
Feel free to discuss your essay plans with your seminar tutor and with fellow students.
Always read through the final version before you submit it in order to correct silly errors, including
typos and spelling mistakes. Use your computers Spelling and Grammar Checker! Few things
are as pointlessly handicapping as turning in an essay that your software would have told
you contained spelling or grammar errors if you had simply used that software.
All written work needs structure. An essay should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Each of these parts in turn should be structured.
Make a general plan of the essay first. After you have outlined your plan for the essay, draft
an introductory paragraph. Once youve written the essay, make sure to adjust your
1

Parts of the last four paragraphs have been derived from a document 'On Reading Philosophy', produced by the Department of
Philosophy at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
27

introduction so that it really does fit with what follows. If you have problems structuring
essays, get into the habit of dividing them into sections and inserting section titles.

Arguments for conclusions

Good essays in philosophy strike a balance between reporting other peoples views and
arguments and putting forward your own views or at least your own assessment of others
arguments and positions. Make sure your essay reaches a conclusion, which may be original
or may be an agreement with one of the views you find in the literature. But remember that
those assessing your essays will be looking for your argument for your conclusion. Philosophy
essays should contain reasoned reflections on the material, not just your reactions.

Presentation of essays and assignments

Essays must be typed and must include references and a bibliography. You must attach a
cover sheet to the hard copy of your essays. Your work should be double-spaced with wide
margins, on A4 paper. This leaves ample room for the tutor to make comments on the work.
Forcing the tutor to write the comments in a small corner of the last page is very unwise.
Essays MUST fall within prescribed word limits:
Part 1: Essay 1: 900-1100 words / Essay 2: 1400-1600 words;
Part 2: 1500-2000 words; and
Part 3: 2000-2500 words.
Students will receive no credit for material over and above the word limit; any such material is
liable not to be read by those marking the essay.
All word limits given include footnotes, but exclude the bibliography.

Quotations, References (Citations), and Bibliographies

In essays, extensive quotations from other authors should be used sparingly enough to
establish that you yourself understand what you are writing about. When you quote from
another author three lines or less, enclose the quoted material within quotation marks, and
cite the source. Quotations longer than three lines should be off in a separate paragraph, with
left margin indented (a box quotation). In both cases the quotation must be attributed, in one
or another of the following forms:
Author, title of work, publication details, and page number in a footnote (at the bottom of
the page) or endnote (at the end of the essay/dissertation).
If you insert words of your own inside the quotation, put them in inside these symbols:
[ ].
If you omit words from the quotation, insert three dots at the point where the words are
omitted.
For example:
As Bernard Williams claims, Descartess argument that his essence consists in thinking
seemsto be this: he can conceive of himself without a body but he cannot conceive of
himself not thinking.1 From which it follows, concludes Descartes, that thinking is of his
essence, but being a body is not.
28

B. Williams, Descartes (London: Penguin, 1978), p. 109.

If the quotation had been a bit longer, it should have been indented as a box quotation.
You may adopt any reasonable convention for making references so long as you adhere
to it consistently. If in doubt consult your seminar leader. All quotations must be referenced.
Your bibliography should include all the books and articles you have used in writing your
essay. References are often presented in the following form:
Book: Nagel, T.: The View from Nowhere (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986).
Article: Nagel, T.: What is it like to be a bat? Philosophical Review 83, 1974, pp.435-450.
Note the convention: Book titles are given in italics; Titles of articles are given in inverted
commas.
When you cite a work for the first time, give the full title and publication details. After that,
you can shorten your references in various ways:

You can omit the publication details altogether: Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, p. 73.

You can omit references to all but the first author of a jointly authored work: Jones et
al., The World According to Us, p. 2.

You can give a shortened title: Kant, Critique, p. 73.

If you are only citing one work by an author, so there is no risk of confusion, you might
even just give the authors name and omit the title: Kant, p. 73.

Whichever of these formats you use, be consistent, so as not to confuse the reader, who needs
to be able to verify your quotations & references.
A bibliography or separate list of references isnt usually necessary for a short essay. But if you
do provide one, use a consistent and accepted method of citation, such as laid down in the
Chicago Manual of Style, or in Strunk and Whites Elements of Style.
A standard method of citation is as follows:
Author, Title in italics (Place: Publisher, Date), pp. XX-YY.
Page numbers will be used only in notes, not in the bibliography.
When citing articles in journals, the standard method is:
Author, Title of Article, Title of Journal volume number (year), pp. XX-YY.
For example:
T. Nagel, What is it Like to be a Bat?, Philosophical Review 83 (1974), pp. 435-450.
A very common method of citation is the Harvard style, where the footnote, endnote, or in-text
citation contains only the authors name and year of publication (with the use of letters to
distinguish different works published in the same year). The bibliography then gives the full
information. For example:
OShaughnessy says blablabla (OShaugnessy 1980, p. 312), but he is contradicted by
Olson, who argues that so-&-so (Olson 1998, pp. 399-401).
The bibliography for this essay would then include the following:
O'Shaughnessy, B. 1980 The Will (2 vols.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Olson, E. 1998 Human Atoms, The Australasian Journal of Philosophy 76 pp. 396-406.
29

If you cite two works by an author, both from the same year, you can say Smith 1975a, p. 34
and Smith 1975b, p. 67.
Whether you use in-text citation or notes depends on how cluttered you think the text looks
when citations are placed in the middle of it.

The Internet
There is a lot of useful material about philosophy on the web. You are free to make use of it
only on condition that you acknowledge the source of the material by citing an exact url; this
is no different to giving a footnote citation for a printed work, and should be treated in the
same way: you must reproduce the url in your list of footnotes (if specifically quoted from)
or in your bibliography (if you have used material from the website as background help but
have not quoted from it directly).
As with printed works, even though you do not quote from a website directly, if you use it
heavily for help, you must indicate which parts of your essay rely on it and cite it in the
bibliography. You cannot avoid plagiarism simply by avoiding direct quotation.
If you are in any doubt about whether you might be committing plagiarism, see the Study
Advice pages at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Reading/sta-plagiarism.aspx

Repetition of material between coursework and exams

There is no penalty per se for reproduction of material between coursework essays and
examination answers, and students are not prohibited from answering questions on the same
general topics in both forms of assessment. However, students should be aware that module
convenors are advised to address topics from different angles, or construct questions in
different ways, between coursework questions and exam papers. Furthermore, examination
answers must answer the questions set that is to say, the material you cover must be shown
to be relevant to the question. Thus it is highly unlikely that simply reproducing a coursework
essay verbatim in an exam will yield a satisfactory examination answer.
If you are writing a dissertation, you must avoid excessive duplication of material between
your dissertation and your assessed work in other modules. Any such duplication may be taken
into account if your degree classification falls on the boundary between two classes.

2.6.6 How to Submit your Coursework Essays

Part 1, 2 and Part 3: All students are required to submit their coursework essays (a) in electronic
form via the Assignments function on the BlackBoard site for the relevant module and (b) in
hardcopy to the School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44. Both submissions must be made
prior to the essay deadline: the Assignments function records the time your essay is deposited
and will act both as confirmation that submission is on time and as your receipt.

Submitting your essay via the Assignments function in BlackBoard

Log on to BlackBoard and click on the site for the relevant module. Each module has its own
individual BlackBoard site, and you must ensure you submit your essays to the correct site.
From the menu on the left hand side of the page, select Assignments. Click on the
appropriate link (i.e., Essay 1 or Essay 2). Browse your own computer files to click on the file
name of your essay. Make sure you submit the right file: it is your responsibility to ensure
30

this. Then click Submit (at the bottom right hand side of the page). Your essay will then sit in
the system for your tutor to access as and when necessary.
Your essay must be submitted electronically by the deadline specified in the essay handout.
BlackBoard records the time at which the essay is downloaded, and this is the official date for
the purpose of determining late penalties.
BY SUBMITTING YOUR ESSAY, WHETHER ELECTRONICALLY OR IN HARD COPY, YOU ARE
DEEMED TO BE CONFIRMING THE FOLLOWING:

that this is your own work and use of material from other sources has been properly
and fully acknowledged in the text;

that you have read the definition of plagiarism given in the BA Philosophy Handbook;

that you understand that the consequence of committing plagiarism may include
failure in the Year or Part of your course or removal from membership of the
University;

that neither this piece of work, nor any part of it, has been submitted in connection
with another assessment.

Finally
Your BlackBoard copy must match your hard copy!
As your essays form part of the final assessment for each module, you are required to keep the
marked copy of each of your essays until the end of the academic year in which it was written.
The Department may on occasion require a student to return a marked essay as part of the
internal and external moderation process.
The University reserves the right to retain coursework for the purposes of Subject Review (both
internal and external).

2.6.7 Avoiding plagiarism

All work that students submit is required to be their own and not copied from others. All
quotations and sources must be acknowledged. The University generally encourages
students to discuss their work with others. The final writing of a piece of work should be
your own, however, and to gain high marks you will need to come forward with your own
arguments, or at least examples.
You are encouraged to make extensive use of source materials, both primary and secondary,
when writing philosophy essays and preparing presentations, but remember that you are
required to acknowledge every quotation in a footnote or within parentheses in your text (see
below for explanation).
When you quote from another author in an essay, or paraphrase anothers ideas, principles
of honesty and of sound scholarship require that you fully acknowledge the source. Show your
reader clearly where materials have come from in such a way that they could be traced. In
the body of the essay, use either proper footnotes or short titles and page references within
parentheses in your text. Quoted single words or short phrases can simply be enclosed
within quotation marks and worked into your own sentences (but cite your source). Whole
quoted sentences that do not last more than a couple of lines can be enclosed within
quotation marks and worked into your paragraphs without any indentation (but cite your
source). When a quotation needs to be more extensive, the whole quotation should be
31

indented on the left side. Indented quotations should not be enclosed within quotations
marks (but of course indented quotations do need to cite the source).
It is perfectly acceptable to make full use of quotations in your work; but to attempt to
pass off someone elses words as your own is plagiarism. Plagiarism primarily involves
the word-for-word reproduction of an authors or lecturers material without
acknowledgement, or the reproduction of such material with minor modifications (e.g.
of tense, pronouns, word order, etc.).
Reproducing parts of a lecturers handouts or lectures without acknowledgement also counts
as plagiarism. If you are giving a word-for-word quotation, the whole must be enclosed in
quotations marks and properly cited.
Plagiarism could result in an essays or presentations being awarded a fail mark. In bad cases,
a mark of 0% will be given to the essay, and an official warning noted in the Departmental
records. Repeated offences will be reported to the Faculty and can result in disciplinary
action such as removal from the University.
It occasionally happens that work is received which appears to have plagiarised material in it
and, in common with other universities, the University of Reading subscribes to a Plagiarism
Detection Service for comparing work received with that of other sources. By taking this
programme, students agree that all their required work may be submitted to this Service in
order to review for textual similarity and thereby help detect plagiarism. All submitted papers
may be included as source documents in the system's reference database solely for the purpose
of detecting plagiarism of such papers in the future. Use of the plagiarism service shall be
subject to such Terms and Conditions of Use as may be agreed between the Service and the
University of Reading from time to time and posted on the Service's and University's websites.
Further information on the consequences of plagiarism can be found on the Examinations
Office website at
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/UgGuide-2010-11.pdf.

General Advice on Avoiding Plagiarism

You should be aware that it is possible to act in ways which look like plagiarism, even though
they are not fraudulent, and it may be hard to convince others that your actions were innocent.
For this reason you should never download essays from any Web site; if you use material from the
Web you should acknowledge it as in the case of materials drawn from books.
How can you avoid plagiarism or appearing to plagiarise?
Here are a few tips, but, if this is a matter where you are still confused or uncertain, please talk to
your personal tutor or one of your class teachers.

When preparing an essay or dissertation, it is best to read a book or article page by page or
section by section and then to write notes on it in your own words, unless you come across a
particularly important passage or a phrase where the author seems to put a point in a very
effective way, in which cases you may want to copy out the exact wording into your notes.
You might also want to copy out sections of a primary source in case you wish to refer to it in
an essay or dissertation. But make sure that you indicate to yourself, by a foolproof method
that you will always remember, such as by using inverted commas or a different coloured
pen, where you have copied out passages or expressions from any source. Always note the
page number where the material you have copied occurs in case you wish to cite it as a
quotation in your essay or dissertation.
32

An essay or dissertation is expected to be in your own words entirely, save where you are
using direct quotations from primary or secondary sources.

If you use material from a book or article, you must always acknowledge the source. If it is a
phrase, sentence or longer passage, then it should appear as a quotation between inverted
commas and there should be a footnote giving full bibliographic details. You must also
reference any electronic material where you have used the Web as a source.

If you are using someone else's ideas but not their words you should employ phrases such as
Jones argues, again giving the source of your information.

Works quoted or cited should always appear in the bibliography as should any other books or
articles which you have used in the writing of your essay.

You should never take material from a book or article and merely change the wording a little,
passing it off as your own work.

Do not use lengthy quotations from other sources, and never write essays which are no more
than a series of quotations strung together, even if they are acknowledged. This is just bad
style.

If you are in any doubt as to what is acceptable, you should seek guidance from your
lecturers.

Understanding plagiarism: examples of good and poor practice in using written

sources
Original text:
There is no convincing reason to suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure
were not that of one, adult, individual; in view of the nature of the pyre goods this was
probably a man.
R. Niblet (1999) The Excavation of a Ceremonial site at Folly Lane, Verulamium, London: Britannia
Monograph 14, p.412.
Unacceptable practice
(1) Prototypical plagiarism: lifting a section of text from another source without any
indication of the source, and is unacceptable:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane, there is no convincing reason to
suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure were not that of one adult
individual, in view of the nature of the pyre goods this was probably a man. This
difference suggests
(2) Changing the order of a few words does not constitute acceptable paraphrasing:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane, there is no clear reason to
suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure were anything other that
that of one adult individual, in view of the nature of the pyre goods the gender was
probably a male. This difference suggests
(3) It is best not to use even relatively short phrases without marking them as quotations.
While one might pass un-noticed, this can become a matter of habit, so is best avoided n the
first place. Again the failure to acknowledge the source is a problem:
33

Family burial enclosures have been found at King Harry Lane. But at Folly Lane there is
no convincing reason to suppose that the burial is of anything other than one individual.
Probably a man in view of the nature of the pyre goods. This difference suggests
Poor practice
(4) Mentioning the authors name, but not marking quotations is still barely acceptable, as is
still representing others words as your own. At least you have said where the idea/material
comes from, though not using a proper referencing system:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane, there is no clear reason to
suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure were anything other that
that of one adult individual, in view of the nature of the pyre goods the gender was
probably a male, in the view of Niblett. This difference suggests
(5) Better would be at least providing a complete reference, though this still does not make
unmarked quotations or slight re-phrasings acceptable:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane, there is no clear reason to
suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure were anything other that
that of one adult individual, in view of the nature of the pyre goods the gender was
probably a male (Niblett 1999: 412). This difference suggests
Acceptable practice
(6) Below the quotation has been clearly acknowledged and referenced. This is good. However,
this is not to say that an essay significantly made up of quotations is acceptable, since we are
looking for your voice, your ideas, and your interpretations. Quotations should ideally be used
sparingly, only where they really succinctly sum up an argument, or where they are vital for
the development of an argument:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane, there is no convincing reason to
suppose that the remains buried in the Folly Lane enclosure were not that of one adult
individual, in view of the nature of the pyre goods this was probably a man (Niblett
1999: 412). This difference suggests
Better practice
(7) Paraphrasing other peoples ideas is better, it demonstrates you have read their ideas; your
mind has worked through them and encapsulated them into words of your own:
Unlike the family burial enclosures at King Harry Lane (Stead & Rigby 1989), the burial
at Folly Lane was probably that of a single male adult, or so the excavator argued from
the pyre remains (Nibblett 1999: 412). This difference suggests
Best practice
(8) However an essay that just comprises paraphrasing of other peoples views can still result in
a fairly derivative essay. The best practice overall is where you take other peoples ideas and
you intermesh them, rather than sequentially paraphrasing them. This demonstrates your
ability to think comparatively, to be able to directly compare and contrast the work of
different academics, and to be able to vocalize your own point of view:
Stead and Niblett came to very different interpretations of their own cemetery
excavations at Verulamium. Steads excavation at King Harry Lane exemplified the group
34

homogenizing aspect of burial of one tier of society, whereas Nibletts Folly Lane
enclosure evoked separate treatment and disposal of one individual male. Both argued
this from the remains of the funerary pyre goods found buried with the cremated
remains (Stead & Rigby 1989, Niblett 1999).

2.6.8 Dissertation advice

Students should keep in mind that the Dissertation option is a 40-credit module. You should
therefore expect to invest at least as much energy in this module as you would invest in two
20-credit Part III modules. Since 20-credit Part III modules standardly require the production of
two 2,000 word essays, as well as attendance at ten two-hour seminars and preparation for
exams, that investment will be substantial.
Students writing dissertations should also keep in mind the risks involved when their final
grade for 40-credits turns on the quality of a single piece of work. Because of these risks the
Department requires dissertation students to maintain a regular research schedule, and to
produce various written assignments at regular intervals. The following details the minimum
commitments and benchmark requirements for students (and supervisors) of an
undergraduate dissertation.
1. At the start of the Summer term of their second year, the Dissertation Co-ordinator will hold a
meeting with all students who have chosen the Dissertation option. These students
must attend this meeting, and must be prepared to indicate the area in which they
want to work. The topic selected may fall within a Part 3 module you have elected to
take (e.g. a proposed dissertation on the intrinsic value of nature when you are signed
up for Environmental Ethics); however you should avoid excessive duplication of
material between your dissertation and assessed work for other modules. (Any such
overlap could be taken into account if your degree classification falls on the boundary
of two classes.) If the suggested area is considered satisfactory, the Dissertation Coordinator will contact potential supervisors, and will then let the student know who
their supervisor will be.
2. It is a pre-requisite of being allowed to do the Dissertation that you have a record of
submission of Part 2 coursework by the submission deadline except where extensions
have been approved in advance. Students who, in the judgment of the Dissertation Coordinator (in consultation with other members of the Department), do not meet this
requirement will not be allowed to take the Dissertation option.
3. Having been assigned a supervisor, it is the students responsibility to contact and arrange
to meet their supervisor at least once during the Summer term of their second year in
order to receive advice and some reading suggestions. The aim of this meeting is to
determine as precisely as possible the topic of the dissertation, and to produce a
research proposal of between 400- and 500-words maximum describing in some detail
the questions the dissertation will address. You must then submit the proposal (by
email) to your supervisor and to Dissertation Co-ordinator by the end of the Summer term
for approval. Apart from joint honours students, who are required to produce a
dissertation, students who have chosen the Dissertation option will be permitted to proceed only if
they produce a satisfactory research proposal by the deadline.
4. For the Autumn and Spring terms of your final year there should be a minimum of two onehour meetings per term (you are entitled to see your supervisor a maximum of three times
35

in each such term). It is the students responsibility to maintain contact with their
supervisor, and to arrange supervisions during this period.
5. In the Autumn Term, you are also required to submit by the start of Week 3 at the
latest around 1000 words of draft material from one or more chapters or outlining some
of the main lines of argument the dissertation will examine. The first meeting will take
place by the end of Week 3 at the latest, and will focus on this material. Based on the
supervisions, and additional research, you are also required to submit a 3,000-word
draft of a substantial section of the dissertation by 12 noon, Friday of Week 10.
6. In the Spring Term, students should arrange to meet their supervisors in Week 1 or
Week 2 at the latest, in order to discuss their draft section and their schedule for the
forthcoming weeks. They should aim to submit a draft of the entire dissertation by 12
noon, Friday of Week 5, and should bear in mind that supervisors cannot be expected to read
any draft material submitted after Monday Week 8.
7. You must submit the dissertation to the Philosophy Office, HUMSS G44, by 12 noon, the
last day of the Spring term. There will be a 10-mark penalty for any dissertation
submitted late but within one calendar week after the deadline, after which a mark of
zero will be awarded.
8. Submission instructions:
a.

Dissertations must be bound, though not expensively or with hard covers. Comb
(spiral) binding or something similar is sufficient, with clear or stiff paper covers.

b.

Dissertations must be printed on one side of the page only, double spaced
(including notes), with margins of at least 1 inch on all sides.

c.

Notes can be at the bottom of each page (footnotes) or gathered together at the
end of the dissertation (endnotes).

d.

The bibliography must be at the end, with full publication details of all books
consulted.

e.

Whichever method of citation you use (for notes and bibliography), it must be
used consistently. Please consult style manuals in the Library, and also read the
information on citation methods in the Departments BA Handbook.

f.

The front page should state the title of the dissertation, your name, and the word
count.

g.

The limit of 10,000 words (including notes but excluding the bibliography) must
not be exceeded by more than a couple of hundred words if necessary; nothing
over that amount will be read.

h.

Please read the information in the BA Handbook on plagiarism and proper

citation of sources. All of the instructions there apply to the Dissertation.

2.7 Examinations
The Universitys Undergraduate Guide to Assessment at
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guideUG.aspx provides full details of how
degree results are classified, what marks you may be awarded, and much other helpful
information.
36

At the end of the programme students will receive a transcript listing the modules taken and
the marks obtained. Records are kept of performance in both assessed and any non-assessed
work, and these may be used to help determine your degree classification in borderline cases
or in exceptional circumstances. For example, when students submit Extenuating
Circumstances forms, the Special Cases Committee judges whether their circumstances have
produced underperformance by reference to their essay grades and seminar performance. If
they have failed to attend seminars or submit essays their circumstances will not be treated as
grounds to increase their grades.
The award of the degree is based on your performance parts 2 and 3 in your examinations and,
with the exception of Introductory Logic in part 2 and Further Logic in part 3, on your
coursework essays. Where a module includes coursework, the coursework will contribute 30%
of the final module mark, in some modules an oral seminar presentation contributes 10% of
the module mark, and the written examination will contribute the remaining 60% or 70%.
Examinations are two hours long, and you will be asked to write two essays from a choice of
six essay titles, with the exception of Introductory Logic and Further Logic, where you will be
asked to answer all questions (which will be a selection of logic problems) on the exam paper.
To reflect the notion of progression through the programme, Part 2 assessment results will
have a lesser impact on a students Final Degree Classification than those of Part 3, with the
marks for Part 2 and Part 3 weighted in a ratio of 1:2.

2.7.1 Marking Scheme Descriptors

The University assessment and marking criteria can be found at the end of the following
document, which also explains how degrees are marked and classified:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/conted/classificationpost2007.pdf
Whilst the university criteria are definitive, the Department has drawn up the marking
scheme descriptors below to give a general indication of the sorts of qualities which the
Department looks for in assigning work to the relevant Honours class. It is not intended to be
exhaustive; nor is it suggested that a student must exhibit all or most of the qualities listed in
order to qualify for the class in question. Clear evidence of some of the qualities will normally
be taken as grounds for assigning work to a grade within the class. This guide can also be taken
to indicate the quality of your coursework essays which will also be marked on this scale.

First Class (70-100%)

Persuasive development of relevant arguments directly addressing the question asked or issues
raised. There is evidence of accurate knowledge of primary sources and the wider context, and
of the philosophical background to the issues. The work shows the capacity for independent
thought and critical judgement concerning the relative merits of opposing positions or
approaches (and the significance of the candidates own favoured position). The student
displays an independent ability to conduct a critical argument with an illuminating or original
approach. The work is clear, well structured, well written and well presented. In the case of
assessed essays and dissertations, it has proper referencing and an appropriate bibliography.

Upper Second Class (2i) (60-69%)

The work contains effective development of relevant arguments, with competent coverage and
accurate discussion. There is evidence of knowledge of appropriate primary and secondary
sources, showing some critical and independent engagement with the issues and/or texts and
an ability to deal with the appropriate theoretical perspectives. The work is clear, generally
37

well written, well presented and well structured. In the case of assessed essays and
dissertations, it has satisfactory referencing and an appropriate bibliography.

Lower Second Class (2ii) (50-59%)

The work is mainly satisfactory, showing the students capacity to judge the relative merits of
texts/arguments/theories. The work is generally too much of a survey of the relevant ideas
without enough evidence of independent engagement with a relevant argument. There is
limited coverage of relevant material with less than fully accurate discussion of arguments and
texts and over-reliance on secondary sources. The work is reasonably clear, with some
approximation both to a coherent overall structure and to satisfactory referencing and
bibliography.

Third Class (40-49%)

A threshold mark, where the work shows: limited understanding of the subject; some evidence
of relevant research; some evidence of argumentation in an attempt to answer the question;
generally adequate writing. Nevertheless, the work may also reveal some or all of: an insecure
grasp of the issues; inaccuracies in the presentation of arguments or representation of texts;
generally uncritical exegesis, which may contain errors, with little attempt at sustained
analysis; inadequate or muddled presentation and structuring of arguments, showing
ignorance or misunderstanding of important concepts and themes; lack of relevance to the
question; less than satisfactory referencing and bibliography; unclear writing, with inadequate
construction of the essay and poor sentence structure.

Sub-Honours (below 40%)

Flaws of the kind contained under Third Class Honours, but to a markedly greater degree. In
particular, there will be some or all of: highly irrelevant argument; serious misunderstanding
of the question; basic error and ignorance of the central issues involved; lack of demonstration
of significant knowledge of the area (which may arise from radically insufficient length);
seriously confused argument and presentation; markedly inadequate referencing (which may
border on passing off others work as the candidates own (see information on plagiarism in
Appendix C and Appendix D).
Requirements for progression are set out in the Programme Specifications, which can be
accessed at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/

2.7.2 Advice on Sitting Philosophy Examinations

Exam preparation
For essay-based examinations in Philosophy, you will be required to answer two questions
out of six. To be sure of finding two questions that you are in a good position to answer, you
will need to have prepared in detail six of the ten weeks topicsnot just the one for which
you wrote your report or your essays. If you do not do this work as the term progresses, you
will be left doing it all in the period just before the exam.
For PP1RA Reason & Argument, the exam will consist of a number of questions which draw
on the knowledge you will have gained over the course, and ALL the questions need to be
answered. You will thus need to have understood all the topics as you go along, especially as
some later topics build on earlier ones.
Exam technique
What are examiners looking for?
38

Knowledge of relevant facts and arguments.

Understanding: you are not simply repeating material but can use it to answer questions.

Relevance: you understand the question and can use knowledge appropriately.

Before you start the exam

Read through the whole exam paper carefully. For essay-based exams, consider each
question: do you understand it, do you have the relevant knowledge to answer it? If not,
dont attempt the question. For non-essay based exams, look which questions are worth the
most amount of marks, and make sure you allow time to answer these.

For essay questions

Spend at least 5-10 minutes on each question, thinking about what you will write before
you start writing. Write an essay planthat way you can ensure that what you write is
relevant and that your answer has a clear structure (i.e., that the points follow each other in
a logical order, rather than being randomly assembled).

Make sure your answer deals with the whole question. If the question asks more than one
thing, you should address each thing asked.

Throughout the essay, make sure that all the points you make are relevant to the question
asked. Explain why you are making the points you do, and how they relate to the question.

Finish your essay with a brief conclusion, stating how the points you have made have
answered the question.

In general

Write legibly. If in doubt, you should write on every other line of the paper. If the
examiner finds your work hard to read, you may lose marks.

Dont use material that is irrelevant to the question. Suppose, for example, that you have
studied three arguments for the existence of God, but the exam asks you to discuss the
ontological argument. In this case, you should not discuss the other two arguments you
studied for the existence of God. If the question is on the ontological argument and you
write mostly about other arguments, you will probably fail. Do not feel your answers have
to use all the material youve studied.

Dont spend so much time on one essay question that you dont have enough time for the
other. In the case of the Reason and Argument paper, dont spend too much time answering
short questions, leaving insufficient time to answer the longer ones worth more marks.
Even if your initial answer(s) are terrific, an overly brief answer to the later ones will bring
your exam mark right down. Be strict with yourself!

Dont just answer one question on an essay exam, or leave out lots of questions on the
Reason and Argument exam. Notwithstanding the previous point, even if you can just write a
page on the second essay question, or a very brief set of remarks on later Reason and
Argument questions, you will get a much better mark than if you leave it out altogether.
E.g.: for an essay exam, if you get 60% on question 1 and 0 on question 2, your overall mark
will be 30% (which is a fail). If you get 60% on question 1 and 20% on question 2, your
overall mark will be 40% (which is a pass).

39

Past experience suggests that some candidates have adopted radically misguided strategies
when approaching finals, the most popular and disastrous being to cram the mind as full as
possible with information and then release it indiscriminately on the day of the examination.
The principal theme in the points discussed below is that a philosophy exam is not designed
simply to test your memory of the books you have read and the lectures you have attended; it
assesses above all your ability to sort out what is relevant from what is irrelevant, and to
organise the relevant material in a clear, concise and logical manner.
Conciseness:
Writing in exams demands rather more precision and conciseness than normally
exhibited in coursework, and the best way to acquire these virtues is by practice. It is
strongly recommended that students consult previous examination papers, which can be
obtained at:
www.reading.ac.uk/exams/
They should also practise writing some short answers, without books or notes, and under
timed conditions. Members of staff will be glad to look at these practice answers, and
make suggestions for improvements.

Relevance:
The most common cause of poor performance in finals is that candidates produce general
blanket coverage of a topic instead of focusing closely on the precise question set.
Example: Is there any sense of the word fact in which a true proposition can be
correctly said to correspond with a fact? It is very little use thinking Hurrah! I am
prepared for a question on truth and then proceeding to write down all you can remember
about various theories of truth (Correspondence, Coherence, Redundancy Theory, etc.).
There is simply no time for such a discursive answer; and in any case in a philosophy
exam you can expect little or no credit for material, however well presented, that does not
directly bear on the question that is actually asked. What is required, and rewarded, is
attention to the question.

Thread of argument:
The best exam answers are often those which vigorously argue a case, so that the direction
of thought is clear from the first to the final sentence. Before you begin each new
paragraph it is worth pausing to think How does what I am about to say connect with
what has gone before? Ruthlessly avoid the temptation to ramble or waffle; padding is
invariably counterproductive. For each answer it is worth spending at least five minutes
mapping out the direction of your argument before putting pen to paper.

Dont regurgitate lecture notes:

Finals questions are not designed simply to test your memory of what was said at lectures.
An uncritical summary of a lecture or article invariably makes for a dull and (for the
examiner) depressing answer. And following the lecture line often produces blanket
coverage instead of the precise answer to the particular point raised in the question. It is
true that a Units lectures should give a general idea of the topics and problems likely to
come up in finals; but an exam question will often focus on problems from a slightly
different angle than that discussed in lectures, in order to stimulate the production of
fresher and more thoughtful answers. Never refuse to consider tackling a question on the
grounds that you have no exactly prepared answer ready. Candidates who allow themselves
40

a little time for reflection will often produce their best answers to slightly unexpected
questions.

Observe the rubric concerning the number of questions to be answered:

A common error is for a candidate to produce an enormously long first answer, with the
result that the rest of the paper is skimped.

Presentation:
It is worthwhile being fussy about what may seem minor points like spelling and
punctuation. A messy, badly, punctuated answer has little chance of achieving the clarity
and precision that are the hallmarks of good philosophical reasoning. Avoid over-long
sentences, and be careful to start a new paragraph when introducing a fresh point.
Legibility is extremely important. Remember that examiners will not give you the benefit
of the doubt if you produce reams of semi-legible material.

Your email address:

The Department may need to get in touch with you urgently during your final term.
Remember, email is the default mode of communication between staff and students at
Reading University. Please check your email regularly, at least once a day in term time, and
make sure the Philosophy Office has your correct email address.

2.7.3 Medical and other extenuating circumstances relating to exams

If there are circumstances which you think might affect or have affected your performance in
examinations or assessment, or if you wish to request an extension to a coursework deadline
on the grounds of medical or other circumstances, you are required to complete the
Universitys notification of extenuating circumstances form (an ECF) and inform your
Personal Tutor or the lecturer responsible for your work. The Extenuating Circumstances
Form, together with guidance on the relevant procedures, is available at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-circumstances.aspx The completed form
should be submitted to the Philosophy Subject Officers in the School of Humanities Office in
HumSS G44 at the earliest opportunity and not later than the deadline specified in the
Guidance accompanying the form.

Some form of supporting evidence is required to support your case, such as a medical
certificate or letter from a counsellor. Please read the guidance on extenuating circumstances
procedures carefully.

It is your responsibility to submit by the relevant deadline an extenuating circumstances form

in relation to any circumstances which you believe have affected your performance. If you do
not submit an extenuating circumstances form by the relevant deadline, your circumstances
will not normally be considered.
Extenuating Circumstances Forms submitted after the specified deadlines will only be
considered if insurmountable circumstances prevented you from submitting the form (for
example, hospitalization, incarceration, or equivalent incapacity). If you submit your
extenuating circumstances form after the relevant deadline, you must provide a statement
explaining in full the reasons for late submission, and provide supporting evidence where
appropriate.
41

In addition to submitting the form, you are strongly encouraged to discuss any
circumstances which you consider are affecting or might affect your work with your Personal
Tutor or the lecturer responsible for your coursework.

The relevant committee may decide that you have been adversely affected by extenuating
circumstances and where extenuating circumstances are accepted as having a significant
impact on your work, possible outcomes include:

you are allowed an extension to the deadline for submission of coursework

a penalty for late submission of coursework is removed
you are deemed not to have sat one or more examinations and are thereby permitted a
further attempt at the examinations as if for the first time

Extenuating circumstances forms are treated in strictest confidence. Exceptionally, in a case

where a student has highly sensitive circumstances which they are reluctant to disclose within
the School, the student may submit an extenuating circumstances form directly to the Faculty
Manager (JFO) or Faculty Director of Administration (HBS).

If you are ill at the time of the examinations, the Examinations Office may be able to arrange
for you to take examinations in an examinations centre for students with special
arrangements. You should consult the Departmental Examinations Officer, or the Philosophy
Subject Officers in HumSS G44.

2.8 Language Opportunities

The Institution-Wide Language Programme is part of International Study and Language Centre.
It was established to provide foreign-language tuition for members of the University (staff and
students) in all disciplines who wish to improve their language skills for academic or other
purposes. Students from every year are welcome, subject to timetabling. For further
information, please see http://www.reading.ac.uk/iwlp/

2.9 Study Abroad Opportunities

The possibility exists for Single Honours Students (and for most Joint Honours students) to
study for one term at certain universities where we have links. There are a limited number of
places available, usually for three calendar months during the autumn or spring terms of part
2, or the autumn term of part 3. Modules are normally taught in the language of the country
concerned, although some universities may offer some modules taught in English. This term
abroad counts for 60 credits of the year in which it is taken, and the marks for work assessed
abroad will therefore contribute to the students final degree classification. However, a student
must already have a good record of work, coursework submission, and attendance for the
Department in order to be considered, the opportunity to study abroad being entirely at the
Departments discretion.
42

For further information, contact the departments study abroad co-ordinator, Dr Nat Hansen
(n.d.hansen@reading.ac.uk).

3. Academic Organisation
3.1 The Philosophy Department
The Philosophy Department is part of the School of Humanities in the thriving Faculty of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences. The School of Humanities comprises the Departments of
Classics, History and Philosophy. The Department has strong research links with these
Departments, but it is also actively connected with many other Departments, some in other
Faculties, through the research interests of staff.
The governments Subject Review in 2000 gave the Department a perfect score of 24 out of 24
for the quality of its teaching. In 2008 the Research Assessment Exercise placed the
Department equal third in the UK, rating us among the top five philosophy departments in the
UK and ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge.
The Department is well known for our friendly and co-operative atmosphere, in which
students and staff get to know each other on an individual basis.

Contact Details
Head of Department

John Preston

Mailing Address

Philosophy Department
University of Reading
READING
RG6 6AA

Phone Number

0118 378 8325

Fax Number

0118 378 6440

Web Page

http://www.reading.ac.uk/Philosophy

Course Staff
BA Programme Co-ordinator
Name

Room
(Hum
SS)

Professor
Max
De G64
Gaynesford

Telephone

Email

0118 378 6679

r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

0118 378 8325

s.thiara@reading.ac.uk

Support Staff
Ms Sukh
Thiara

G44

43

Ms Karin
Mundt

G44

0118 378 5648

k.mundt@reading.ac.uk

3.2 External Examiners

The external examining system is a key component of the Universitys quality assurance and
enhancement processes. It plays an important role in ensuring that our awards are maintained
at an appropriate standard, that our assessment process measures student achievement
rigorously and fairly, and that the academic standards and achievement of students are
comparable with those on similar programmes in other UK universities. External Examiners
also assist the University in enhancing the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by
advising on good practice. The University appoints at least one External Examiner for each of
its award-bearing programmes.
External Examiners are normally drawn from other
universities or, in the case of programmes with a strong professional dimension, from among
relevant, suitably qualified professionals. They must meet rigorous criteria for appointment
and be in a position to offer independent and impartial judgments. They are involved in
scrutinising draft examination papers, moderating the marking of assessments, and
determining the overall result for each student.
Each External Examiner is required to produce a report on the programme(s) to which he or
she has been appointed. External Examiners reports are considered by Staff Student Liaison
Committees and by Boards of Studies. The Board of Studies is responsible for determining the
action to be taken in response to the reports, and for reporting onward to the Faculty and
University Boards for Teaching and Learning on the reports and actions taken. The School is
required to respond to their External Examiners explaining how points raised are being
addressed.
The name, position and institution of External Examiners are published, for information only,
on the Examinations Office website, following their approval by the University Board for
Teaching and Learning in the Spring Term each year. You should note that students are
strictly prohibited from contacting External Examiners directly. External Examiners Reports
are made available to students on the relevant programme, in accordance with arrangements
to be specified on the Examination Office website in the Autumn Term.
The Universitys policies and procedures for external examining are set out in the Code of
Practice on the External Examining of Taught Programmes:
www.reading.ac.uk/exams/staff/exa-EE.aspx

3.3 Student Contribution to the Evaluation of the programme

The Department obtains student feedback via questionnaires distributed at the end of each
Part 1, 2 and 3 module. In addition the University has a Final Year Evaluation questionnaire in
which we ask you to reflect on your experience of the degree as a whole.
These evaluation procedures, along with the Staff/Student Committee, are our main formal
means of obtaining feedback. You are, of course, welcome to approach members of the
academic staff and talk to them informally about your perceptions of the course.

44

3.4 Student Representation

The Staff/Student Committees function is to consider all aspects of the work of the
Department that affect students. It is an important forum for discussion and has proved an
invaluable source of information and new ideas for rectifying faults and improving the
Departments work.
Each year-group of students is represented typically by 2-4 students. The function of these
representatives is to keep in touch with other members of their year and to communicate
relevant information to the Committee. Training for student representatives is offered by the
Reading Students Union. The Department strongly encourages representatives to attend this
training not only will it help you to help fellow students and staff more effectively, it will
also appear on your transcript at the end of your study and this is the kind of course which will
impress prospective employers.
Contact details for current representatives can be found on the Staff/Student noticeboard in
the Department outside HUMSS 72b. There are two staff members on the Committee.
The Committee meets in the Autumn and Spring terms, usually in the eighth or ninth week.
Minutes are taken and these are posted on the Staff/Student noticeboard in the Department.
These minutes are also discussed at the next Department meeting, and action taken in the
light of points raised will be communicated to students via the staff-student committee.

45

4. How we support students

4.1 Personal tutors
One of the most important people you will meet while you are a student at Reading is your
Personal Tutor, usually a member of academic staff in the Department in which your degree is
to be taken. (For joint honours students, the personal tutor will be from one of the two
departments concerned). Your Personal Tutors duties are:

to see you regularly to help you reflect on your progress and support your learning

to help you in the transition as you settle in to university, and to help you make the
most of your time at Reading

to advise and support you regarding your studies, and help you with any academic or
personal difficulties that may affect your progress

to provide reports and references for future academic or career choices

Obviously this relationship relies upon regular contact and mutual confidence between you
and your Personal Tutor. As a bare minimum, you must see your Personal Tutor at least once a
term at a time agreed with your Personal Tutor. But you should also take the initiative to see
your Personal Tutor whenever you have something you would like to talk over, and you should
feel free to do so at any time. Your Personal Tutor will be able to give you better advice and
sounder references if he or she knows you well. Make sure your Personal Tutor knows about
your achievements and skills, particularly those outside the immediate programme
curriculum.
If it appears that the relationship between Personal Tutor and student is not working as it
should, either party can request a re-allocation. You should discuss this in the first instance
with the Philosophy Support staff, Sukh Thiara or Karin Mundt, in HumSS G44.

4.2 Feedback to students

It is the Universitys policy that students should receive rapid, structured and appropriate
feedback on their assignments; see
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/Policy_on_Feedback.pdf.
Whilst such
feedback may be oral, normally it will be written and will contain comments appropriate to
the nature of the assignment and how it is to be assessed. These comments, whether positive
or negative, should provide the basis for you to improve and develop.
Marked essays will be returned within 15 working days of submission. Work will be
returned to the School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44.
Students should be aware that any marks given for coursework at this stage are
provisional in nature and are subject to ratification and possible slight change due to
internal and external moderation.

If you would like feedback on your overall progress, module providers will give you an
indication of your progress in an individual module, while feedback on progress on your
programme will normally be given by your personal tutor or in some instances by the
Programme Co-ordinator.

46

The feedback you receive is intended to help you to develop and improve your
performance. Keeping your written feedback will help you to see if there are any common
themes that need to be addressed. It will also help you and your personal tutor to focus on
particular issues and to discuss specific strategies to overcome any weakness or to build on
good performance.

Appealing Against a Coursework Mark

You have grounds to appeal against a coursework mark if you feel that you have been
disadvantaged on non-academic grounds. These are the only admissible grounds for appeal (i.e.
you cannot appeal simply against the academic judgement of your marker). For further
information about appeals against coursework marks, see the Universitys Undergraduate
Guide to Assessment at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guideUG.aspx

Departmental Feedback Forms

On the following two pages are copies of the forms on which staff give students feedback on
their coursework (Parts 1-3 essays; and assignments for the module PP1RA (Reason & Argument).

47

Department of Philosophy
PP1RA Reason & Argument assignment
FEEDBACK FORM
Date:
Name:
Marker:

Comments (additional comments to those provided on the assignment itself):

Tick and initial here if the essay carries a green sticker was marked on these terms:

Raw mark:
Penalty (if applicable):
Final mark (after penalty):
All coursework marks are subject to internal moderation which may lead to
marks being changed. This piece of work has been moderated internally:
YES
NO
(If work has not yet been moderated prior to return, students will be informed of the outcome
of moderation as soon as possible.)

48

Department of Philosophy
Essay feedback form
Date:
Essay 1/2

Name:
Module code:
Marker:
Assignment title:
Poor

Virtue

Acceptable

Good

Was the essay clear, concise, and wellstructured?

Was the essay well-focused, answering the
question set?
Did the essay display an understanding of the
relevant literature?
Did the essay provide a rigorous case for its
conclusions, anticipating and responding
effectively to objections?
Did the essay display independent judgment?
Did the essay conform to standards of
literacy?
Did the essay conform to scholarly standards?

Additional comments:
Positive comments:
Suggestions for improvement:

Tick and initial here if the essay carries a green sticker was marked on these terms:

Raw Mark:
Penalty, if applicable:
Final Mark (after penalty):

All coursework marks are subject to internal moderation which may lead to
marks being changed. This piece of work has been moderated internally:
YES
NO
(If work has not yet been moderated prior to return, students will be informed of the outcome
of moderation as soon as possible.)

49

4.3 Students with disabilities, disabling conditions or specific

learning difficulties (such as dyslexia)
The University takes very seriously and does its best to assist students with disabilities.
Students who have not identified their disability before entry, and who wish to do so, should
contact the Schools Disability Representative, Astrid House (HUMSS G44, email:
a.house@reading.ac.uk).
Full information about the support available to students with disabilities is available on the
online student handbook at
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-osh-index.aspx

4.4 Making Changes to your Degree Programme

When a student is considering a change of degree programme the University strongly advises
that in the first instance the student should discuss the potential change with their Personal
Tutor to consider whether this is a sensible option.
Students need to be aware that they do not have an automatic right to change degree
programme. If a student has the necessary entry qualifications and places are available a
student may be considered for transfer. A student may also be required to take and pass the
examinations for the Part of the degree on which he or she is currently registered as a
condition of transfer.
Cases where students may consider changing degree programmes include:
Part 1 Students wishing to change to a different degree programme before the end of week 3 of
the Autumn Term
Part 1 students who wish to change degree programme before the end of week 3 of the
Autumn Term: - the University will treat them as a re-entrant and the student will need to
reapply via the central Admissions Office (the Admissions Office will apply the normal criteria
for entry onto the programme).
Part 1 Student s wishing to change to a different degree programme after the end of week 3 of the
Autumn Term
Part 1 students who wish to change degree programme after week 3 of the Autumn Term are
required to withdraw from the University and to reapply via the central Admissions Office for
entry at the next admissions point for the programme (the Admissions Office will apply the
normal criteria for entry onto the programme).
Student wishing to change to a different programme after Part 1
If the change is accepted by the relevant School there is a Change of Status- Change of Degree
Programme form which must be completed by the Programme Director (or Personal Tutor in
the Henley Business School) of the degree programme which the student wishes to enter. This
form is then sent to the relevant Faculty Office for final approval to ensure that the correct
compulsory/qualifying modules have been taken at Part 1 in order to permit the transfer.
Part 2 or 3 Student wishing to change to a different programme starting at Part 1
The University will treat such students as potential re-entrants and they will need to reapply
via the central Admissions Office (the Admissions Office will apply the normal criteria for
entry onto the programme).
50

Part 2 or 3 Student wishing to change to a different programme at the same or next Part
If the change is accepted by the relevant School there is a Change of Status Change of Degree
Programme form which must be completed by the Programme Director (or Personal Tutor in
the Henley Business School) of the degree programme a student wishes to enter. This form is
then sent to the relevant Faculty Office for final approval to ensure that the correct
compulsory/qualifying modules have been taken at the relevant parts of the degree in order to
permit the transfer.
Additional information for visa national students
If you are one of the many students studying with us who needed a visa to enter the UK then
please read the following information carefully.
The majority of student visas are a Tier 4 (general) visa although some of you may be here
under a variety of different visas including dependent visas, Tier 1 and Tier 2 visas, student
visitor visa etc. In all cases each particular type of visa carries with it specific conditions
relating to your study. Therefore if you make any changes to your programme while you are
with us, such as changing degree programme, suspending or withdrawing, this may have
implications for your visa and the University, in some instances, is obliged to inform the Home
Office of these changes.
In order to support you in relation to the often complex rules and regulations surrounding
your visa, the University has an Immigration Team that offers students free immigration
advice. The Immigration Team can advise on a range of visa related issues including the effects
of programme changes to your visa, work entitlements, visa renewal and dependent related
issues. The Immigration Team is based in the Carrington Building and offers advice either via a
drop-in service, by appointment or by email. You can contact the immigration team by
emailing immigration@reading.ac.uk or by visiting the Immigration Team reception desk
located on the ground floor of the Carrington Building.

51

5. Department and general academic information

5.1 Key dates
University Term dates can be found at the following link: www.reading.ac.uk/Study/studytermdates.aspx
Enhancement Week: week 6 (autumn and spring terms only)

5.2 Members of Staff

Contact Details
Head of Department

John Preston

Mailing Address

Philosophy Department
University of Reading
READING
RG6 6AA

Phone Number

0118 378 8325

Fax Number

0118 378 6440

Web Page

http://www.reading.ac.uk/Philosophy

Course Staff
BA Programme Co-ordinator
Name

Room
(HumSS)

Professor
Max
De G64
Gaynesford

Telephone

Email

0118 378 6679

r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

Support Staff
Ms Sukh
Thiara

G44

0118 378 8325

s.thiara@reading.ac.uk

Ms Karin
Mundt

G44

0118 378 5648

k.mundt@reading.ac.uk

Academic Staff
Professor Emma Borg
Room

HumSS 71
52

Tel

0118 378 8324

Email

e.g.n.borg@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in philosophy of language, philosophy of

mind and epistemology; author of Minimal Semantics,
and various articles in the philosophy of language.

Professor Jonathan Dancy

Room

HumSS G71

Tel

0118 378 8324

Email

j.p.dancy@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in ethics, philosophy of action,

epistemology, and early modern philosophy, and
author of five books: An Introduction to
Contemporary Epistemology (Blackwell, 1985),
Berkeley: an Introduction (Blackwell, 1987), Moral
Reasons (Blackwell, 1993), Practical Reality (Oxford,
2000), and Ethics Without Principles (Oxford, 2004).

Professor Maximilian de Gaynesford

Room

HUMSS 64

Tel

0118 378 6679

Email

r.m.degaynesford@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in the philosophy of logic, language and

mind, and the recent history of analytic philosophy.
Author of I: The Meaning of the First Person Term, Hilary
Putnam, and John McDowell.

Dr Nat Hansen
Room

HUMSS 60

Tel

0118 378 5244

Email

n.d.hansen@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in the philosophy of language and mind,

and author of articles in Mind & Language, Linguistics
and Philosophy, The European Journal of Philosophy, and
The Philosophical Quarterly.

Professor Brad Hooker

Room

HUMSS 62

Tel

0118 378 6631

Email

b.w.hooker@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in moral and political philosophy; author of

Ideal Code, Real World; editor or co-editor of Rationality,
Rules, and Utility; Truth in Ethics; Well-Being and Morality;
Morality, Rules and Consequences: A Critical Reader;
Moral Particularism.

Professor David Oderberg

Room

HUMSS 69

Tel

0118 378 5277

Email

d.s.oderberg@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in metaphysics, philosophical logic, ethics;

author of The Metaphysics of Identity over Time, Moral
Theory, Applied Ethics, Real Essentialism; editor of Form
and Matter: Themes in Contemporary Metaphysics, and
co-editor of Human Lives: Critical Essays on
Consequentialist Bioethics

Professor John Preston (Head of Department)

Room

HUMSS 72B

Tel

0118 378 7327

Email

j.m.preston@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in philosophy of the sciences,

philosophy of mind and cognition, and artificial
intelligence; author of Feyerabend: Philosophy,
Science and Society and T.S.Kuhns The Structure of
Scientific Revolutions: A Readers Guide, editor of
Thought and Language, Views into the Chinese
Room, and Wittgenstein and Reason.

Dr Severin Schroeder
Room

HUMSS 68

Tel

0118 378 7333

Specialist in aesthetics, Wittgenstein and Schopenhauer;

author of Wittgenstein: The Way out of the Fly-Bottle;
53

Email

s.j.schroeder@reading.ac.uk

editor of Wittgenstein and Contemporary Philosophy of

Mind.

Dr James Stazicker
Room
Tel

HUMSS 67
0118 378 8118

Email

j.stazicker@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in philosophy of mind and cognitive science,

philosophy of perception, and epistemology, and
author of articles in Mind & Language.

Dr Shalini Sinha
Room

HUMSS 66

Tel

0118 378 7368

Email

Shalini.sinha@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in Indian metaphysics and ethics; author or

articles on classical Indian philosophy, including the
Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy.

Dr James Andow
Room

HUMSS 59

Tel

0118 378 8118 6064

Email

j.andow@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in philosophical methodology, intuitions and

experimental philosophy. Author of recent articles in
Metaphilosophy, Philosophical Psychology, Review of
Philosophy and Psychology, Acta Analytica and Dialectica.

Professor Philip Stratton-Lake

Room
Tel

HUMSS 61
0118 378 7562

Email

p.j.stratton-lake@reading.ac.uk

Specialist in moral philosophy; author of Kant, Duty and

Moral Worth, editor of Ethical Intuitionism: Reevaluations; On What We Owe to Each Other; and the
new edition of W.D. Rosss The Right and the Good.

Dr Elaine Beadle
Room
Tel

HUMSS 70
0118 378 7342

Email

e.a.beadle@reading.ac.uk

Is currently working on animal rights; interested in the

theory of knowledge and its relation to philosophy of
science.

Dr Mark Tebbit
Room
Tel

HUMSS 59
0118 378 6064

Email

m.w.tebbit@reading.ac.uk

Is author of Philosophy of Law: an Introduction. He has

also written articles on Lukcs and Heidegger, and is
currently preparing a book on Alfred North
Whitehead.

Sessional Staff
Sessional staff are allocated to teach in the Autumn and Spring terms, and are located in
HUMSS 65.

5.3 Department accommodation and facilities

The Philosophy Department is located on the ground floor of the link corridor of the
Humanities and Social Sciences (HumSS) Building, occupying rooms 55-73. Support staff are
located in the School of Humanities Office in HumSS G44. While much teaching takes place
54

within HumSS and Palmer Building, lectures and seminars are spread over the whole
university campus.

5.3.1 Library facilities

Main University Library
Find the book you want by using the library catalogue called Enterprise. The catalogue can be
accessed directly from any computer in the library and searched in exactly the same way via
any computer with access to the web. You find the Enterprise catalogue on the Library Home
Page at: www.library.reading.ac.uk.
The majority of Philosophy books and back copies of journals are on the 3rd floor among the
class mark range: 100-129; 140-149; 160-199. Reference books in Philosophy (e.g.
encyclopaedias and dictionaries) are kept in the 3rd Floor Reference area, between the
Information desk and the Language dictionaries. Current journals are on the Ground Floor.
There is a Short Loan Collection on the Ground Floor. Copies of essential texts are typically on
Short Loan (4 hour/overnight).

Computer Facilities in the Main Library

There are 90 networked PCs, plus printers and scanners in the S@iL area on the First Floor of
the Main Library which are supported by Computer Services. There are PCs on every floor,
which access the library catalogue (Enterprise) only.

Electronic Information Services in the Main Library

You will need an ATHENS password to access these. Follow the links to ATHENS registration
from the Library home page to register online. Passwords are collected from the Ground Floor
Information Desk
Relevant periodical articles on a Philosophy topic can be found using:

Philosophers Index: available at http://arc.uk.ovid.com/

OCLC First Search Service: access to a range of databases, such as Article First which
indexes over 12,500 journals and is updated daily
Web of Knowledge: indexes over 7,000 journals, with Philosophy articles located in the
Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences Citation databases
JSTOR: access to an archive of journals the Library subscribes to if the Library has access
via JSTOR, the print copy is removed from the open shelves
For more information on where to find information, consult the Philosophy subject pages
at: www.reading.ac.uk/subjects/philosophy/index.html
or the Advanced Subject Guide, available in print on the 3rd Floor of the Main Library or
online at:
www.library.reading.ac.uk/subjects/philosophy/advphil.doc

Training programmes in using electronic information sources are available by booking at

Library Information desks. Guides on specific information sources are also available on the
3rd floor

The Philosophy Department Library

There is a small Departmental library in HumSS 73, the purpose of which is to support the
units taught in the Department. Students are urged to consult the departmental library if they
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are having trouble finding relevant material for essays in the Main Library. Students who want
to borrow books from the Departmental Library should apply the Subject Officers in HumSS
G44.
Vandalism: Library books, periodicals and other materials belong to the University community
and must not be treated as though they were your own property. Highlighting, underlining
and writing in books makes it difficult for others to read them and is an infringement of the
Library Rules. Heavy fines and/or suspension of borrowing rights are among the penalties that
can be imposed on those found damaging books or other items: perpetrators can be traced
through the computerised issue system.

Philosophy on the Web

Blackboard
All Part 2 and Part 3 modules are accompanied by their own individual Blackboard sites. These
sites will contain useful material such as handouts, seminar information, and sample exam
questions. To enter the Blackboard site, go to: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk/ and click on
Login. You will be automatically registered for the modules you take, but if there are any
problems please see your module convenor. N.B. On the front page of Blackboard you will see
a link to the BA Handbook for Philosophy.
In addition to Blackboard, the Web contains many sites dealing with philosophical topics.
Below we have listed some sites that staff and students have found useful in the past. However,
it is important to remember that there is an awful lot of rubbish out there masquerading as
useful information so use the Web wisely.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/phil
This is our own homepage. It contains a lot of information and the pages are constantly
up-dated, so keep an eye on them!

Other useful websites:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/library/finding-info/subjects/philosophy/lib-philosophy.aspx
The Librarys Internet Resource guide has many links to useful sites - you can click on them
to be taken directly to Philosophy resources for general and topic-specific information.

http://www.epistemelinks.com
Immediate Search or search under headings - has a Fun and Humour section!

http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/philinks.htm
Guide to Philosophy on the Net - Peter Suber, Philosophy Dept. Earlham

http://logic.tamu.edu/cgi-bin/quizmaster
Interactive logic
56

http://plato.stanford.edu/
One of the most popular resources for Philosophy on the web, the Stanford Encyclopedia
contains a wide range of generally high standard articles on key topics.

Questions?
If you need help with resources or Library materials, contact the philosophy liaison librarian,
Miss Anna Richards (anna.richards@reading.ac.uk).
Remember that you must cite all web resources you use in your coursework and should not
simply cut and paste from web sources to coursework. See the entry on how to avoid
plagiarism below.

For further information on academic support, see the links the Library, IT Services and
Computing facilities on the online student handbook
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-osh-index.aspx

5.4 Communication
Students should note that email is the default means of communication between staff and
students. Students must use their official University email address when communicating with
the University - for the following reasons:

the University guarantees that your University of Reading email account will be
available to you for the entire duration of your studies;

the University guarantees that suitable, supported email software will be available to
you for the entire duration of your studies;

the University offers an email service to standards of availability, reliability,

performance and security which it determines and which are under its own control;

email sent from non-University mail accounts may be classified as SPAM and hence not
read.

Information is also provided electronically using the Blackboard Learn portal

(/www.bb.reading.ac.uk/), where students can find detailed information on modules and school
specific information; the RISIS web portal (www.risisweb.reading.ac.uk/si/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn),
where students can find personal information; and the online student handbook
(http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-osh-index.aspx).
Teaching staff and students are normally expected to check their email accounts, Blackboard
Learn portals and other electronic methods of communication on a daily basis during termtime, and respond to messages as appropriate.
In addition, the following methods of communication are used by the Department.

Blackboard
Each module has its own BlackBoard site which students are encouraged to check regularly for
information. This will include information on essay titles and submission, details of any
seminars, and any changes to class times or locations, as well as general course information.

57

Pigeonholes and Noticeboards

Staff may contact you via the student pigeonholes. You should check your pigeonhole and the
noticeboards at least three times a week. It will not be accepted as an excuse that you failed to
receive material communicated in these ways.

Reading address
You should also ensure that the Department has your Reading address and telephone number.

Contacting Staff
Students can contact staff either by email, or by coming to the relevant office during office
hours, or by leaving a note with one of the subject officers (in HumSS G44).

5.5 Administrative Procedures

[An outline of common administrative requirements, e.g. students should notify the School office
of absences from compulsory teaching, etc. Reminder that administration staff are available to
answer students queries, etc. Other details, such as office hours of the School office, the Schools
telephone and fax numbers.]

5.6 Philosophy Society

The Society is a student-led organisation, which aims to provide an active forum for the
practice of philosophy amongst undergraduates at Reading University, as well as encouraging
social interaction amongst students and staff in the Department.
The primary focus of the Society is the Tuesday meeting held, on average, three times a term,
at which guest speakers from all over the country, and abroad, come to give talks. Speakers are
told that their papers should be aimed at an undergraduate audience and papers are followed
by discussion, in which priority is given to student-led debate. The meeting then adjourns to a
local pub or restaurant, where it is hoped that as many students as possible will join the
speaker to continue the debate.
All students are strongly encouraged to join the society, attend meetings, and add to the life of
the department.
For further information regarding the Philosophy Society, please contact the President, Farbod
Akhlaghi (f.akhlaghi@student.reading.ac.uk).

5.7 Spring Philosophy Day

The Philosophy Day is held in Enhancement Week in week 6 of the Spring Term. This involves
staff and students getting together in a more informal way for a range of activities, including
quizzes, philosophical talks and discussion, and a picnic lunch. Further information is posted
at the start of the Spring Term each year.

58

6. Overview of the Online Student Handbook and Key

Academic Policies and Procedures
www.reading.ac.uk/internal/student/OnlineStudentHandbook/std-serv-osh-index.aspx
The online student handbook serves as an online repository of information for students. It
provides a wealth of information in relation to:

The Reading Student Charter;

Policies, procedures and regulations (including a guide to exams and assessment,
academic misconduct, extenuating circumstances, the student maternity policy,
and health and safety information);
academic opportunities and support (including developing effective learning
practices and avoiding accidental plagiarism; opportunities for study abroad and
placements, and withdrawals/transfers between degree programmes);
student advice and support (including Counselling and Wellbeing; support for
students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties; information for visa
national students, and personal development and the Reading Experience and
Development Award);
services and facilities available to students (including Reading University
Students Union; the Library and IT Services, and the Careers, Placement and
Experience Centre).

It is the responsibility of students to familiarise themselves with the content of the online
student handbook, and to use it as a reference when required. It is particularly important
that you read (or familiarise yourself with) the following academic policies and
procedures, which can also be found in the Online Student Handbook, since they govern
important aspects of your programme and may therefore have a significant impact on
your studies and the successful completion of your degree.
Guide to undergraduate assessment http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exaguideUG.aspx
Guide to postgraduate assessment
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/student/exa-guidePG.aspx
The Guides to assessment include important information in relation to:

penalties for late submission of coursework;

examination arrangements for students with disabilities and specific learning
difficulties (see also http://www.reading.ac.uk/exams/student/exa-special.aspx);
extenuating circumstances (see also
http://www.reading.ac.uk/exams/student/exa-circumstances.aspx);
academic misconduct;
feedback to students;
marking and progression (see also http://www.reading.ac.uk/exams/Policies/exaclass.aspx);
classification of degrees (see also http://www.reading.ac.uk/exams/Policies/exaclass.aspx);
publication of results (see also http://www.reading.ac.uk/exams/student/exapublication.aspx);
re-examination;
how to make an appeal (see also
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/Policies/exa-appeal.aspx).
59

Policy in relation to students use of editorial and proof-reading services

www.reading.ac.uk/exams/Policies/exa-proofreading.aspx
Policy on and procedures for the determination of fitness to practice
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/FitnesstoPractice.pdf
Policy on and procedures relating to academic engagement and fitness to study
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/academicengagement_fitnesstostudy.pdf
Student complaints procedure
http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/Complaints_procedure_with_flowchart_(re
vised_April_2014).pdf

60

7. Reading University Students Union

RUSU is student-led, and here to support you! We want to make your experience the best it
can be whilst youre at University. We run a number of commercial ventures, which youll see
as our 3sixty Nightclub, Mojos bar, Caf Mondial and Campus Central shop. As a charity, any
profits raised are used to finance the wider work we do for you, such as running extra curricular activities. RUSU is an essential voice for students within the University of Reading ,
and campaigns on your behalf.

How is RUSU Student-Led?

RUSU is led by five full-time Student Officers who are voted into office by an annual online
election. Undertaking this role after graduating or taking a sabbatical year during their
degree, the Student Officers listen to the views of the thousands of students on campus.
The student officers represent the student voice on campus, locally and nationally and are
vital in representing your views.
This year, we are your elected student representatives:
President Natalie Harper
Education Officer Sara Chandran
Community and Development Officer Chloe Bartlett
Welfare Officer Tilly Corless
Student Engagement Officer Charlie Holman
Visit www.rusu.co.uk/studentofficers to find out more about us, and how to get in touch
with us.

As well as Full Time Officers, there is an elected team of 8 Part-time Officers. The Parttime Officers represent liberation and representation groups of students within the
University community.
The Part-time Student Officer Positions are:

International Students Officer

LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Officer
BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) Officer
Womens Officer
Disabled Students Officer
Postgraduate Students Officer
Environment & Ethics Officer
Mature Students OfficerCourse and Faculty Reps are also key in the
student representative structure. Course and Faculty Reps proactively
seek out, identify and promote the views of students. They represent
your views at School level and Faculty level.

Visit www.rusu.co.uk/coursereps to find out more about Course Reps, and how to get involved.

Visit www.rusu.co.uk/facultyreps to find out more, or to contact your Faculty Reps.

What can RUSU do for me?

Change It!
RUSU organises and supports campaigns that have been put
forward by students. Campaigns aim to raise awareness and
ultimately make change amongst the student community on
issues that affect you on campus, in the community and on a
national level. If you want to get involved in campaigns email
changeit@rusu.co.uk or visit the ARC Centre (Advice,
Representation and Campaigns Centre) and ask to speak to
the Campaigns Coordinator.
Using Change It is a great way to direct your union so get involved!

How does RUSU support students?

RUSU Advice Service

Need some housing, money or academic advice? The RUSU advice

team offer free, impartial and expert advice helping students with a
wide range of issues, from financial, to academic. The advice team
are based in the ARC in the RUSU building or go to
www.rusu.co.uk/advice to find out how to get in touch.

RUSU Student Lettings

The RUSU Student Lettings is managed by RUSU. It advertises local

properties available for students to rent. RUSU Student Lettings does
not pass any administration costs to students and is committed to
only marketing properties owned by responsible landlords, who offer
good quality accommodation. To search for properties online visit www.rusulettings.com
or pop into RUSU Student Lettings, located in the RUSU building.

RUSU Nursery Service

There are many student parents with young children. RUSU provides an
excellent nursery facility, Little Learners Nursery, for children aged 3
months to school age. If youre a parent and have your children here at
Reading, you can apply for a place by visiting www.rusu.co.uk/nursery
for more information.

How can RUSU enhance your student experience?

Societies & Sports

RUSU offers students the opportunity to become a

member of a society, with over 100 there is plenty to
choose from. If there isnt one for you, you can set one
up! Joining a society can be a great way for you to meet
other students, develop your interests and hobbies and meet other students. You can find
out about RUSU societies by going to www.rusu.co.uk/activities.

RUSU also supports the running of student sports clubs on campus. Many of
our sports clubs compete on a national level in the BUCS League, but all
clubs offer opportunities for those from all levels of experience. There are
over 50 different sports to choose from. Many sports clubs even take part in
Varsity, an all-sport event which runs every year competing solely against
one other University. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate our sporting
talent, but also to show support for your University. Go to
www.rusu.co.uk/studentactivities and find out how to get involved.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a fantastic way to not only give back

to the community, but develop your skills, meet new
people and improve your career prospects! You can
find out more about the huge range of volunteering opportunities by visiting
www.rusu.co.uk/volunteering.

For more information...

Visit our website at www.rusu.co.uk for more information or follow us on Twitter
@RUSUtweets.
You can also drop by and visit us in the RUSU building located on Whiteknights Campus.