BA (London) Philosophy...7 Professor Anthony Price [email protected] 020 7631 6380 Room 202, 14 Gower Street Professor: Ethics, Greek Philosophy Professor Ian Rumfitt [email protected]

BA (London) Philosophy Handbook for Students 2011/12

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Contents

PHILOSOPHY STAFF..................................................................................... 5

1. INTRODUCING THE BIRKBECK DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY .... 9

1.1. The Department ............................................................................................................................9 1.1.1. Research and Teaching ...........................................................................................................9 1.1.2. The Department’s Accommodation at 12-14 Gower Street....................................................9 1.1.3. Other teaching rooms used by the Department .....................................................................10

1.2. The staff and their roles .............................................................................................................10 1.2.1. The Administrative Staff.......................................................................................................10 1.2.2. Your Teaching Tutors ...........................................................................................................11 1.2.3. Your Personal Tutor..............................................................................................................11 1.2.4. The Undergraduate Advisor..................................................................................................11 1.2.5. The BA Tutor ........................................................................................................................11 1.2.6. The Head of Department.......................................................................................................12

1.3. Enrolling and keeping in touch..................................................................................................12 1.3.1. Enrolment and re-enrolment .................................................................................................12 1.3.2. Your email account ...............................................................................................................12 1.3.3. Your contact details ..............................................................................................................12

1.4. Information..................................................................................................................................12 1.4.1. The Philosophy Study Guide ................................................................................................12 1.4.2. The Department Website ......................................................................................................12 1.4.3. The University Website ........................................................................................................13 1.4.4. Timetables & Course Guides ................................................................................................13 1.4.5. College Library .....................................................................................................................13 1.4.6. Other Libraries......................................................................................................................14 1.4.7. IT Services (ITS)...................................................................................................................14

1.5. How the teaching is organised ...................................................................................................15 1.5.1. The Academic Year ..............................................................................................................15 1.5.2. Lectures .................................................................................................................................15 1.5.3. Group Tutorials .....................................................................................................................15 1.5.4. Individual Tutorials and Dissertation Supervisions for Fourth Year Students .....................16 1.5.5. Attendance ............................................................................................................................16 1.5.6. Essays and writing assignments ............................................................................................16

1.6. The curriculum............................................................................................................................16 1.6.1. Regulations for the BA degree. .............................................................................................16 1.6.2. Summary of the curriculum ..................................................................................................16 1.6.3. Optional Subjects offered at Birkbeck ..................................................................................17 1.6.4. The Syllabus..........................................................................................................................18

2. THE FOURTH YEAR OF YOUR COURSE IN DETAIL.......................... 18 2.1.1. Lectures in the Fourth Year ..................................................................................................18 2.1.2. Dissertation supervisions in the Fourth Year ........................................................................18 2.1.3. Tutorials in the Fourth Year..................................................................................................18

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3. EXAMINATIONS & ASSESSMENT ....................................................... 19

3.1. Finals ............................................................................................................................................19 3.1.1. Degree Class Assessment......................................................................................................19 3.1.2. Examination Registration for Finalists .................................................................................19 3.1.3. Finals Papers .........................................................................................................................19 3.1.4. Presubmissions......................................................................................................................20 3.1.5. Late Submission of Dissertation ...........................................................................................21 3.1.6. Plagiarism..............................................................................................................................21 3.1.7. Departmental Mark ...............................................................................................................22 3.1.8. Exam Results.........................................................................................................................22 3.1.9. Transcripts.............................................................................................................................22 3.1.10. The Cyril Joad Prize............................................................................................................22 3.1.11. Graduation...........................................................................................................................22

4. GETTING ADVICE.................................................................................. 22

4.1. Academic Problems ....................................................................................................................22 4.1.1. Academic difficulties ............................................................................................................22 4.1.2. What to do if you want to take a year out .............................................................................23 4.1.3. What to do if you want to change course..............................................................................23 4.1.4. What to do if you want to leave the College.........................................................................23 4.1.5. What to do if you want to withdraw from Finals ..................................................................23

4.2. Personal issues.............................................................................................................................24 4.2.1. Discussing personal issues with the Department’s staff .......................................................24 4.2.2. Harassment............................................................................................................................24 4.2.3. Student welfare - The Student Union....................................................................................24 4.2.4. Counselling ...........................................................................................................................24 4.2.5. Student Health.......................................................................................................................24 4.2.6. The Chaplaincy .....................................................................................................................25 4.2.7. Illness ....................................................................................................................................25 5.2.8. Disability Statement for the Department of Philosophy .......................................................25

5. FEEDBACK............................................................................................. 27 5.1.1. Questions & Feedback ..........................................................................................................27 5.1.2. Course Assessment Forms ....................................................................................................27 5.1.3. Suggestions & Complaints....................................................................................................28 5.1.4. Student-Staff Exchange.........................................................................................................28

6. PHILOSOPHY TALKS, MEETINGS, AND STUDY WEEKENDS .......... 28 6.1.1. The Birkbeck Philosophy Society.........................................................................................28 6.1.2. Cumberland Lodge Weekends ..............................................................................................28 6.1.3. The Aristotelian Society........................................................................................................28 6.1.4. The Institute of Philosophy ...................................................................................................29 6.1.5. The Jacobsen Lecture............................................................................................................29 6.1.6. The Royal Institute of Philosophy ........................................................................................29 6.1.7. Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities ...................................................................................29

7. YOUR CAREER AFTER YOUR BA PHILOSOPHY............................... 29 7.1.1. Graduate Studies in Philosophy ............................................................................................29 7.1.2. Applying for funding for postgraduate study........................................................................30 7.1.3. The Careers Service ..............................................................................................................30

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APPENDIX 1 – EXAMINATION RUBRICS ................................................... 31

Finals Examination Rubrics .................................................................................................................31

APPENDIX 2 – MARKS AND MARKING STANDARDS.............................. 34

APPENDIX 3 – TERM DATES ...................................................................... 36

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Philosophy Staff FACULTY Dr Mahrad Almotahari

[email protected] 0207 580 1069 Room 203, 10 Gower Street Lecturer: Philosophy of Language, Metaphysics

Dr Corine Besson E-mail: tba Extn: tba Room: tba Lecturer: Philosophy of Language, Epistemology, Logic Dr Cristian Constantinescu

[email protected] 0207 631 6397 Room 303, 12 Gower Street Lecturer: Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Language and Logic, Metaphysics

Professor Dorothy Edgington

[email protected] 020 7631 6512 Room 203, 14 Gower Street Senior Research Professor: Logic, Philosophy of Language, Metaphysics & Epistemology, especially conditionals, Vagueness, Modality, Probabilistic Reasoning

Dr Miranda Fricker (Head of Department)

[email protected] 020 7631 6549 Room 103, 12 Gower Street Reader: Epistemology, Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, Social Philosophy

Dr Michael Garnett

[email protected] 020 7631 6548 Room 201, 14 Gower Street Lecturer: Political Philosophy, Ethics

Professor Kenneth Gemes

[email protected] 020 7436 1292 Room B01, 12 Gower Street Professor: Philosophy of Science, Philosophical Logic, Nietzsche

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Professor Jennifer Hornsby

[email protected] 020 7631 6301 Room 102, 12 Gower Street Professor: Philosophy of Mind & Action, Philosophy of Language, Feminist Philosophy

Dr Keith Hossack

[email protected] 020 7631 6399 Room 101, 12 Gower Street Reader: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Mathematics

Professor Susan James

[email protected] 020 7631 6219 Room 302, 14 Gower Street Professor: 17th Century Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy

Dr Øystein Linnebo

[email protected] 020 7631 6565 Room 201, 12 Gower Street Reader: Metaphysics, Philosophical Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, History of Analytic Philosophy

Dr Robert Northcott

E-mail: [email protected] 0207 631 6377 Room B03, 12 Gower Street Lecturer: Philosophy of science, metaphysics, philosophy of biology

Dr Sarah Patterson

[email protected] 020 7631 6536 Room 302, 12 Gower Street Senior Lecturer: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Psychology, Early Modern Philosophy

Dr Charles Pelling

[email protected] Extn: tba Room: tba Lecturer: Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology

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Professor Anthony Price [email protected] 020 7631 6380 Room 202, 14 Gower Street Professor: Ethics, Greek Philosophy Professor Ian Rumfitt [email protected] 020 7631 6375 Room 202, 12 Gower Street Professor: Philosophical Logic, Mathematical Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language If you wish to contact a member of staff from inside the college, the last 4 digits work as extension numbers (with the exceptions of Almotahari and Gemes). POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS Dr Salvatore Florio [email protected] Dr Sean Walsh [email protected]

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Honorary and Associate Research Fellows, Emeritus and Visiting Professors Mr Alan Coffee Professor John Dupre Professor Samuel Guttenplan Professor David Hamlyn Professor Christopher Janaway Dr Simon May Dr David Mitchell Dr Christian Onof Dr Gudrun von Tevenar Dr Geoffrey Thomas Professor David Wiggins Dr Peter Wyss

Administrative Staff Mr Robert Brown Team Leader [email protected] Ms Kerry Johnson Administrator for Undergraduates [email protected] Ms Simmi Pahwa Administrator for Postgraduates [email protected] The Department telephone number is: 020 7631 6383 The Department fax number is: 020 7631 6564 The Department email address is: [email protected] The website address is: www.bbk.ac.uk/phil/

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1. Introducing the Birkbeck Department of Philosophy

1.1. The Department

1.1.1. Research and Teaching

The Birkbeck Department of Philosophy is one of the most distinguished centres of philosophy research in the United Kingdom. All 14 of its established members of academic staff are active researchers, and the Department’s research excellence has been consistently recognised in ranking exercises. We are ranked fourth in the UK in the 2006–08 edition of the Leiter report, which gave special mention to the quality of Birkbeck’s research in 11 different areas of philosophy. In the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008, in which overall grades for departments are no longer given), Birkbeck retained the standing attained in previous exercises: the research work of all the faculty was assessed, and 100% of it was judged to be of quality that is internationally recognized. The Department gives high priority not only to research but also to providing the best possible teaching. Our teaching achieved the highest rating when it was last assessed by the QAA: we scored a maximum 24/24 in the teaching quality assessment. We cooperate closely with other philosophy departments in London (University College, King’s College and Heythrop College) in an intercollegiate lecturing system. Birkbeck students therefore benefit from teaching not only by the Department’s own philosophers, but also by philosophers from these other renowned institutions. The Department aims to give its undergraduates a philosophical education of the very highest academic quality. We will not try to foist upon you any particular philosophical doctrines or dogmas: we want you to learn to think for yourself. By participating for yourself in the great philosophical debates, we hope you will develop your skills of rigorous reasoning; by study, analysis and criticism of the great works of philosophy, ancient and modern, we hope you will develop your capacity to make reasoned judgements for yourself. Philosophy is an ancient, noble and beautiful discipline, and we commend the study of it to you.

1.1.2. The Department’s Accommodation at 12-14 Gower Street The Department’s accommodation is in the fine Georgian houses at 12-14 Gower Street. All rooms in both houses are numbered, and the first digit of the room number is the number of the floor the room is on. The front doors are locked electronically at all times: to gain entry, either pass your Student ID card over the card reader, or use the entryphone. The academic staff have their offices either in 12-14 Gower Street, or next door in 10 Gower Street. Tutorials are often conducted in the room of the member of staff concerned. Other rooms and features at 12-14 Gower Street are:

The Department Office is Room G01 on the Ground Floor of 14 Gower Street. The Office will normally be the initial inquiry point for any queries you may have; it is open in term time from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m, and in

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vacations from 10.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. The Office is staffed by Kerry Johnson and Simmi Pahwa. Ruby Meager Library/Common Room is Room 101 on First Floor, 14 Gower Street, the Library/Common Room is a study and social area for the use of all students and staff, (except when it is needed as a teaching room). The borrowing procedure is as follows: get the keys from the Department Office, unlock the relevant shelves, choose books, lock shelves, return keys to the Office, record the books borrowed. A notice explaining the procedure is posted on the back of the library door. Books should be returned to the Department Office. The McFetridge Room is on the Ground Floor of 14 Gower Street. Named in memory of the brilliant Birkbeck philosopher Ian McFetridge, this room is used for seminars and some smaller lectures. Undergraduate Notice-board The Undergraduate Notice-board is opposite the door of the Office. It is advisable to check all notices regularly. Pigeonholes The pigeonholes for students are on the ground floor just inside the front door of 14 Gower Street and opposite the Notice-board. Please check your pigeonhole regularly. Pigeonholes for part-time teachers are in the same location. Pigeonholes for full-time staff are in the Office: when the Office is closed, mail for full-time staff can be left in the pigeonhole outside the Office, marked ‘Department Office’. Photocopying may be done on the Department’s Photocopier at a cost of 5p per copy. Please ask at the Office for access to the Photocopier, which is located in the basement of 14 Gower Street.

1.1.3. Other teaching rooms used by the Department The Main Building and the Extension Building adjoining it are situated between Malet Street and Torrington Square, next to Senate House, and the main entrance is on the Torrington Square side. Birkbeck also occupies sites in Gower Street, Gordon Square, Torrington Square and 26 Russell Square. There is a map on the Notice-board to help you find these places. Philosophy lectures may be held in lecture rooms in any of these places, and also in lecture rooms in UCL or King’s.

1.2. The staff and their roles

1.2.1. The Administrative Staff

The Undergraduate Administrator is Kerry Johnson. She is the natural first port of call for B.A. students; if she cannot answer your question herself, she will usually be able to direct you to where the answer can be found. You can contact Kerry by dropping in at the Office, or by phone (020 7631 6383), or email [email protected].

The Postgraduate Administrator is Simmi Pahwa (020 7631 6383, [email protected]). Simmi will also help undergraduates who call at the Office, if Kerry is not available.

The Department’s Administration Team Leader is Robert Brown. His room is on

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the first floor of 14 Gower Street. If you need to contact Robert please do so through the Department Office (020 7631 6383), or by email to [email protected]

1.2.2. Your Teaching Tutors As well as having lectures, you will also be taught in tutorials, so that your own work can receive individual attention. The teacher who takes your tutorial in a subject is your Teaching Tutor for that subject; you will therefore normally have several Teaching Tutors in the course of each academic year, one for each subject in which you have tutorials. You will be told who your Teaching Tutors are by email at the start of each academic year, and lists will be posted on the Notice-board and the web. You must make contact straightaway with your Teaching Tutor(s) at the start of each term to confirm your tutorials. You can contact your Teaching Tutor by email, or by leaving a note in their pigeonhole in the Office. It may sometimes happen that your Teaching Tutor is not one of the Birkbeck staff: in that case details of how to contact them will be on the Notice-board, and will be handed out in the lecture for the subject concerned. If for some reason you have not been allocated a Teaching Tutor for a particular class, or if any other problems arise in your allocation, please make contact as soon as possible with Dan Hetherington in the Office, so that we can sort the matter out – the Office staff are always pleased to help.

1.2.3. Your Personal Tutor When your course begins, one of the academic staff will be assigned to you as your Personal Tutor. You will normally have the same Personal Tutor throughout your time at Birkbeck, so he or she should get to know you fairly well. Your Personal Tutor is a friendly contact on the staff to whom you can look for academic advice and encouragement. If problems arise during the course, your Personal Tutor will usually be the best person to speak to in the first instance. You meet with your Personal Tutor at the beginning of the academic year and also once in each of the Spring and Summer terms. The meeting at the start of the academic year is to discuss your tutorial allocations and study plans. The meetings in the other terms are to discuss your academic progress in the light of the reports on your work from your Teaching Tutors. If you need to see your Personal Tutor before your next termly meeting falls due, you are welcome to make an earlier appointment by email or via the Office.

1.2.4. The Undergraduate Advisor As well as consulting your Personal Tutor, you can also consult the Undergraduate Advisor, Mahrad Almotahari, about any academic or personal difficulties you may have. The Undergraduate Advisor is responsible for all welfare and disciplinary matters concerning undergraduates. Unsatisfactory academic progress by an undergraduate is reported to the Undergraduate Advisor.

1.2.5. The BA Tutor The BA tutor is Michael Garnett. He has overall responsibility for the BA programme, and will be pleased to receive suggestions for its improvement.

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1.2.6. The Head of Department The Head of Department is Miranda Fricker. She has responsibility for the whole Department, including all the teaching and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students. If you feel that a matter needs her personal attention you can email her or arrange an appointment through the Department Office.

1.3. Enrolling and keeping in touch 1.3.1. Enrolment and re-enrolment You will need to enrol on your programme of study before the start of each academic year. If you do not complete enrolment and pay the appropriate fees, you will not be permitted to attend classes or access any college facilities, including the Library, computing resources or the Students’ Union. You will need to enrol and set up fee payment arrangements online by no later than 31 October. For further information, see the Registry website www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/enrolment. 1.3.2. Your email account All students must have an active email address, and must check their email regularly: this is how the Department will keep in touch with you, and it is vital for speedy communication. If you wish, you can obtain a Birkbeck email address from IT Services (see para 1.4.7). It is up to you whether you use your private email address or a Birkbeck address, but you MUST let the Office know your preferred email address: this is the one we will use to contact you. If your preferred email address changes you must notify the Office straightaway. All Teaching Tutors and Personal Tutors can be contacted by email.

1.3.3. Your contact details When you start your course you will need to give the College your contact details: please keep the College Registry informed of any changes. If your address changes you will need to keep Registry informed (see www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/records/chgadd for details). Please note that we cannot take change of address details by email or over the phone.

1.4. Information

1.4.1. The Philosophy Study Guide This is the one absolutely indispensable guide to your course. It describes the syllabus for the BA Philosophy, and provides essential guidance and reading lists for our undergraduate courses. It is available on-line on the UCL website at www.ucl.ac.uk/philosophy/LPSG. There are links to it from the Department website.

1.4.2. The Department Website Our website is at www.bbk.ac.uk/phil/. The site contains a great deal of important information about the Department and the course, including the Aims and Objectives

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of Degree Programmes and Courses; Timetables; the Department Handbooks; information about staff; and links to other university webpages.

1.4.3. The University Website The London University website www.london.ac.uk/philosophy includes information about philosophy meetings, lectures and seminars; course schedules, reading lists and other material for intercollegiate lectures and seminars; and past examination papers for the Federal BA.

1.4.4. Timetables & Course Guides Lecture and tutorial timetables are posted on the website. They are also on the Notice-board, and copies are available from the Department Office.

1.4.5. College Library The College Library (www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/) is situated in the main building on Malet Street. The entrance is on the ground floor and the upper levels can be accessed by stairs or a lift. Your College ID card gives you automatic use of the Library. You need to bring your card with you every time you visit the Library to activate the turnstile at the entrance. Library opening times during term 1 are: Mon-Fri 08.30-23.45 _Sat-Sun 08.30-23.45. Help Desk times during term are: Mon-Fri 11.00-22.15, _Sat 11.00-17.45, _, Sun 11.00-17.45 Opening hours for term 2 and 3 are not available yet, please check the library website for updates www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/. Undergraduates may borrow up to 10 items, which can be renewed if not requested by another reader. Most books can be borrowed for 3 weeks. Some books, videos and DVDs can only be borrowed for 1 week, and certain items in heavy demand may be 1-day loans or reference only items. Fines are charged for the late return of items, but you can sign up for email reminders to help you avoid fines. Introductory tours. New students should sign up for an introductory tour of the Library at the start of the academic year. The session will last about half an hour. The tours will take place during the first few weeks of term and will be advertised on the Library website. What the Library contains. As well as books and printed academic journals, the Library contains many electronic resources: journals, databases and books. You can access these from anywhere within College using your IT Services username and password. The majority of these resources can also be not in College.

• You can use the library website to: • Search the Library catalogue, renew your books and reserve items that are out • on loan. • Read articles in electronic journal titles and newspapers. • Search databases such as The Philosophers Index, Historical Abstracts,

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• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and JSTOR. • Read electronic books via Oxford Scholarship Online. • Access past exam papers. • Work through LIFE – an online tutorial designed to help you make the most of • the Library.

Further information and help. If a book you want is not available in the Library, or you need help with using the resources or finding information, please ask at the Help Desk (020 7631 6063). Alternatively, contact your Subject Librarian, who is Charlotte Hobson (020 7631 6063, [email protected])

1.4.6. Other Libraries Birkbeck students can also use a range of other libraries. As a Birkbeck student, you are entitled to use Senate House, which is the main University of London Library, with a large philosophy collection (www.ull.ac.uk). This library is located in the Senate House on Malet Street. In order to receive a Senate House library card you will need to show your Birkbeck Student ID card. You also have reference-only access to most University of London college libraries. In addition, the SCONUL Access Scheme gives you reference and/or borrowin access to over 170 other higher education libraries around the UK. See the College Library website for more information.

1.4.7. IT Services (ITS) ITS is an academic service department responsible for the central communications and IT infrastructure of the College. We provide a wide range of network services to support the teaching & learning, research and administrative activities of College staff and students. ITS facilities and services include:

• Extensive campus data network providing high speed connectivity to the • Internet • Purpose-built computer classrooms equipped with up-to-date networked PCs • and high-quality printers (at least one open 24 hours a day) • Wide range of general software applications (e.g. word-processing, email, • web) and specialist packages • Wireless connectivity to the College network from your laptop or other • personal computer equipment • Facilities for students with special needs, including technical support and • advice on the use of assistive technologies to help with specific disabilities • Helpdesk with extended opening hours for general computing queries • Practical, hands-on training workshops on general applications and self- • training materials to enable you to work at your own pace • Remote access to College electronic resources and services from home or • work • An online electronic course management system to support learning - the • Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (BLE)

You can find out more about these services and others by visiting the ‘My Birkbeck’ website

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Access to all IT services is controlled by using a username and password. These are provided to all registered students of the College along with personal storage space on a networked file server. An email address nominated and maintained by you will be used by the College for all College correspondence with you. Students requiring a Birkbeck email account can apply for one. You are expected to access the ‘My Studies at Birkbeck’ website to update your email address and other personal details and to access information about your programme of study. There is also a text message news flash service which enables students to receive free urgent messages from the College via their mobile phones. Full details are available on the ‘My Birkbeck’ website.

ITS Helpdesk Opening Hours Ground Floor, Main Building, Malet Street Term time: Monday to Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm Vacations: Monday to Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm Tel: 020 7631 6543 Email: [email protected]

1.5. How the teaching is organised

1.5.1. The Academic Year The academic year is divided into three terms, Autumn, Spring and Summer: for details and term dates, see Appendix 3. The week before Autumn term starts is Administration Week, which precedes the first week of actual teaching. Staff meet students on the Thursday and Friday of Administration Week to organise everything for the coming year. In the Autumn and Spring terms there is usually a Reading Week half-way through the term, when there are no classes. Examinations are held during Summer Term. There is no Reading Week in Summer Term.

1.5.2. Lectures The Birkbeck timetable includes times of all lectures. It is available from the Department Office, and is also on the department website. You are required to attend the lectures for all the subjects you are studying.

1.5.3. Tutorials in the Third Year Tutorials in the Third Year follow the same pattern as in earlier years of your course, with a maximum of six or so students in each tutorial group. Tutorials meet weekly in the Autumn and Spring term, and each student is assigned Tutorials in three subjects, namely Logic and Metaphysics, Greek Philosophy, and their choice of Optional Subject. These tutorials succeed best when everyone has conscientiously done the work set by the tutor as preparation for the tutorial. You are urged not to let your tutorial partners down; please do not fail to do the set reading and to write your essays when they fall due. That way everyone is up to speed at the start of the tutorial, and there can be a high quality discussion, in which everyone will learn from everyone else.

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1.5.4. Tutorials and Dissertation Supervisions in the Fourth Year Your tutorials in the Fourth Year are to help you to revise for Finals, and you can also use them to try out ideas for presubmission essays. All your tutorials in the Fourth Year will be taken by a member of the academic staff. Many students report that these philosophical encounters with the Department’s distinguished researchers are the high point of their Birkbeck career: we urge you to make the most of them by conscientiously doing the work you are set in preparation for your tutorials and dissertation supervisions.

1.5.5. Attendance If you are unable to attend a tutorial, it is courteous to let your tutor know beforehand. Absence from tutorials without good reason is not permitted and will be reported to the Undergraduate Advisor.

1.5.6. Essays and writing assignments The writing of essays is an essential part of your course, since it gives you the opportunity to develop your skills in presenting a case in writing. Try to give your essay a good organisation and structure, so that it makes your points clearly. If the title of the essay is a question, make sure your essay actually answers the question! Good essay-writing is a key study skill: therefore do consult your tutor for detailed advice if necessary. In each year of the course, you are required to write for each subject a specified number of essays. Essays must be typed or word-processed, and the pages must be numbered. Handing in the required essays is a condition of progression to the following year of your course.

1.6. The curriculum

1.6.1. Regulations for the BA degree The Regulations may be consulted at www.london.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/students/philosophy/ba_ma_mphil_Phil_regulations/ba_ma_phil_regs.pdf

1.6.2. Summary of the curriculum Philosophy Finals at the end of the Fourth year comprise five Compulsory Papers on the core curriculum, and three other papers on Optional Subjects, one of which may be a Dissertation. It is your performance in the eight papers in Finals at the end of the fourth year that determines the class of the degree you are awarded. The five Compulsory Papers on the core curriculum are:

1. Logic and Metaphysics 2. Epistemology and Methodology 3. Ethics OR Political Philosophy 4. Greek Philosophy 5. Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant

Optional Subjects permitted under London Regulations are as follows (BUT please note that many of these are not offered at Birkbeck, see the next section):

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a. Ethics (if not done as Paper 3) b. Political Philosophy (if not done as Paper 3) c. Philosophy of Mind d. Philosophy of Religion e. Philosophy of Language f. Philosophy of Science g. Aesthetics h. Mathematical Logic i. Set Theory and Further Logic j. Post-Aristotelian Philosophy k. Mediaeval Philosophy l. Indian Philosophy m. Philosophy of Kant n. Nineteenth-century German Philosophy o. Phenomenology p. Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein q. Marxism r. Philosophy of Mathematics s. Greek Philosophical Texts t. Philosophy of Psychology u. A paper on another topic approved by the Subject Panel v. A paper in another discipline w. Dissertation

1.6.3. Optional Subjects offered at Birkbeck The Department permits its students normally to take only those Optional Subjects for which the Department itself can provide expert teaching. Therefore in planning which Optional Subjects to choose, you need to consider which will be offered at Birkbeck in the years in which you wish to study them. Please note that the Birkbeck Department requires all its students to write a Dissertation; however, if for very exceptional academic reasons you wish to substitute another Optional subject for the Dissertation, you may apply to the BA Tutor for permission to do so. Optional subjects offered at Birkbeck in 2011-12 are as follows:

Philosophy of Kant Philosophy of Mathematics

Philosophy of Psychology Philosophy of Language

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Political Philosophy

1.6.4. The Syllabus The syllabus for the Philosophy BA is embodied in the topic descriptions given in the Study Guide, and is reflected in recent Finals papers. It is therefore essential that you absorb the advice of the Study Guide, and look at past papers to see the sort of questions you can expect in Finals.

2. The Fourth Year of your course in detail 2.1.1. Lectures in the Fourth Year

There are lectures in your second Optional Subject, and Revision Lectures on the other Compulsory Papers. You may find it helpful to sit in also on any other lectures you wish, if you need to brush up a topic.

2.1.2. Dissertation supervisions in the Fourth Year One of the Finals papers is the Dissertation, which you write in your own time before the main exams. You are assigned a Dissertation Supervisor with whom you will have three tutorials to help you prepare your Dissertation; these tutorial normally last one hour. You should get in touch with your Dissertation Supervisor before the end of Summer term of your Third Year for an initial consultation about your Dissertation. You should get in touch with them again during Administration Week to arrange your tutorials. Please note that by the exam regulations no one is permitted more than one consultation and one tutorial on the Dissertation itself. This means that at most one of your Dissertation Supervisions can be devoted to discussion of an actual draft of the Dissertation. Your other Dissertation Supervisions will be concerned with discussion of the topic your Dissertation will be about; they cannot be discussions of any actual draft of the Dissertation.

2.1.3. Tutorials in the Fourth Year In Autumn and Spring Terms you have weekly tutorials with a member of the academic staff. You will be grouped with at most one or two other students for your weekly tutorial. You spend three weeks on each subject of your Finals papers; once your group have completed three weeks on one Finals paper, you move on to spend three weeks on the next paper with your next tutor. You continue in this way throughout the Autumn and Spring terms, until you have covered all your Finals papers, except Greek Philosophy, for which there are separate teaching arrangements. You are expected to write an essay for your tutorial every week, though you can negotiate with your tutor to write fewer essays if work or other pressures makes a weekly essay impossible. You can use the essays you write for these tutorials to improve your understanding of a particular topic, or to try out ideas for any presubmissions you plan to submit.

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3. Examinations & Assessment

3.1. Finals

3.1.1. Degree Class Assessment Your BA degree will be awarded on the basis of your performance in ‘Finals’, i.e., the eight Papers you do at the end of your Fourth Year. Your performance before Finals does not affect the class of your degree; except that if you end up on the border between two degree classes in Finals, the Examiners can take account of good work before Finals in deciding the class of degree to award (see ‘Departmental Mark’ below).

3.1.2. Examination Registration for Finalists In the Fourth Year you need to register with the Department Office by mid-February giving your choice of which papers you will sit, and also which of these if any you will presubmit. You should discuss your choices with your Personal Tutor. If you fail to give us this information you may well find yourself registered by default for exams that you do not wish to sit. In the Fourth Year it is vitally important that you follow in good time the correct procedure to register for Finals. Information on how to register will be on the Notice-board in November, and will also be sent to you by email at your College address.

3.1.3. Finals Papers Finals comprises the following eight Papers:

Paper 1 Logic & Metaphysics Paper 2 Epistemology & Methodology Paper 3 Ethics or Politics Paper 4 Greek Philosophy (from its beginnings to Aristotle) Paper 5 Modern Philosophy (from Descartes to Kant) Paper 6 Optional Subject 1 Paper 7 Optional Subject 2 Paper 8 Dissertation

There is a three-hour written examination in each Paper, except the Dissertation. You are warned that it is your responsibility to attend the examinations for which you have entered. If any problem arises, through illness or simple error, you are advised to visit the Department Office and let us know of it WITHOUT DELAY. Candidates may opt to do presubmissions (see next section) in place of a written examination for up to four papers. For Paper 8 you must presubmit a single Dissertation of not more than 7500 words (see 2.2.3). The Dissertation must always be presubmitted and counts towards the presubmissions total. It is not permitted to presubmit Set Theory and Further Logic, Mathematical Logic, Greek Philosophical Texts or Option X (a paper in another discipline). If

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Option X is chosen, only three presubmissions are permitted, counting the Dissertation as usual as one presubmission.

3.1.4. Presubmissions Instead of taking the three-hour written examination for a Paper, you may opt instead to presubmit work in advance. You may presubmit for up to four papers altogether, counting the Dissertation as one presubmission. For presubmissions other than the Dissertation the requirements are as follows. For each Paper you presubmit, you must write three essays of not more than 2500 words each, on topics from the field covered by the Paper. Each presubmission must end with a bibliography, i.e. a list of works cited or referred to in the text. Candidates must count the number of words in each essay and state this on the first page. The 2500 word limit includes footnotes and endnotes, but excludes the bibliography: please note that to ensure fairness between candidates examiners are instructed to stop reading after the word limit has been reached. Your choice of topics must obey the Rubric of the Paper concerned: for example, the Rubric for the Modern Paper says that you must answer at least one question on Rationalism, and one on Empiricism; so if you presubmit essays for this Paper, at least one must be on Rationalism and one on Empiricism (see Appendix 1 for all the Rubrics). You should discuss with your tutors in good time how many Papers to presubmit. You are free to choose your own titles for presubmitted essays, but you must have your list of titles for each Paper approved by a member of staff expert in that Paper. Forms for presubmissions will be sent to you by email. You should print off and complete the forms and return them to the Department Office, countersigned by the member of staff expert in the Paper concerned, by the end of February. You MUST submit TWO copies of each presubmitted essay, and TWO copies of your dissertation. We STRONGLY ADVISE you also to keep your own copy of all your presubmissions and your dissertation. It is not absolutely compulsory that presubmissions be typed, but it is most unwise to submit a hand-written essay, unless your handwriting is very clear. Our advice is to submit your work word-processed and in a standard font, e.g. Times 12-point. It should be double spaced, and with minimal formatting; you should avoid bullet-points and other decorative extravagances, which serve only to irritate your examiners. When you present a presubmission the pages of each essay should be numbered and firmly attached to each other, and the three essays of any one set should be loosely but removably attached to each other. Probably the best way is to staple the individual essays and then combine all three with a treasury tag or something similar. Please do not use folders etc. Your candidate number, essay title and the title of the paper being presubmitted should be on the first page of each essay. Your name MUST NOT appear on any page. If you have not received your candidate number by the deadline then the Office will be able to supply this when you hand your presubmissions in. Presubmission essays must be handed in to the Office by noon on the first working Monday in April of the year in which you are taking Finals. If your essays for any given Paper have not been received in the Office by the deadline, your presubmission will not be accepted and you will have to take the relevant written paper instead. This rule is rigorously enforced, and exceptions cannot be made. An

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essay that is submitted late as a presubmission for a Finals papers is discounted and you are automatically entered for the written examination.

3.1.5. Late Submission of Dissertation The deadline for submission of your Dissertation is also noon on the first working Monday in April of the year in which you are taking Finals. If you fail to hand in your dissertation by the set deadline (or the extended deadline if one has been granted, see below), the following penalties apply:

For each day the submission is overdue, up to a maximum of 10 working days, a deduction of one quantum for each day the submission is late. A quantum is a single step on the literal scale, e.g. B++ to B+?+. (See Appendix 2, ‘Marks and Marking Standards.) After 10 working days the overdue Dissertation automatically fails. (Note that this is extremely serious — a single failed Paper means that you automatically fail the entire degree.)

If you cannot meet the deadline for handing in your Dissertation because of something beyond your control, for example because of illness, you should first discuss the matter with your Personal Tutor and then write to the Chair of Examiners requesting a formal extension, before the deadline date has passed. Normally an extended deadline will only be granted where there is good reason backed by supporting evidence.

3.1.6. Plagiarism Birkbeck College defines plagiarism as ‘the submission for assessment of material (written, visual or oral) originally produced by another person or persons, without correct acknowledgement, in such a way that the work could be assumed to be the student’s own.’ Plagiarism is to be deprecated in any circumstances, but if it is done deliberately in order to obtain a qualification it constitutes a serious fraud. Candidates are warned of the extreme danger of plagiarism, paraphrasing, and having presubmitted essays or dissertations written or edited by other persons. Any of these is likely to result in the candidate being awarded a lower class than would otherwise have been given, or in many cases in not getting a degree at all. Students should be aware that we monitor and spot check for plagiarism and several cases of plagiarism have been found over the past few years. The exam board takes a very hard line on cases of plagiarism. It is possible to plagiarise accidentally, for instance if you quote someone else’s work in one of your own essays so that it reads as if their words are your own, but forget to credit the person for it. It is also plagiarism to express ideas even in your own words if those ideas were generated by someone else (lecturer, fellow student, great philosopher from the past or whoever) and you haven’t clearly said so. Of course you may independently come up with ideas that someone else has already had in the past, without realising it; in that case writing them down isn’t plagiarism. Care is clearly required when directly or indirectly quoting other people so as to avoid the danger of plagiarising by accident. The Philosophy Study Guide has a definitive guide to what does and what does not constitute plagiarism.

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Any case of deliberate plagiarism, including plagiarism for tutorial essays, is taken extremely seriously by the Department, and the Department may alert the Examination Board. Serious cases of plagiarism are dealt with under the Disciplinary Procedures of the College and University. If plagiarism is suspected, you may be asked for evidence that what you have submitted is indeed your own work: it is therefore advisable to retain the rough drafts and notes you made for all your presubmissions.

3.1.7. Departmental Mark Before Finals, the Department assigns each student a Departmental Mark. This reflects the work you have done throughout your degree course, with the greatest weight being given to the work done in later years of the course. In deciding your Departmental Mark, the Department reviews the marks given on all your tutorial essays and Sessional tests throughout your career at Birkbeck. If your marks in Finals should be on the borderline between degree classes, (e.g. between upper second and lower second), a good Departmental Mark may result in the examiners placing you in the higher degree class. However, if your marks in Finals are not borderline, the Departmental Mark has no effect on the class of your degree, which is then determined purely and simply by your performance in Finals.

3.1.8. Exam Results Final Examination results are sent to you formally by Senate House. You may be given an informal result after the final BA Examiners’ Meeting, which usually takes place in June.

3.1.9. Transcripts Students must wait until they have completed their finals before they can be issued with any formal documentation from the University of London (Senate House). Should you require a progress report mid-degree, please ask your personal tutor or teaching tutor to write you a reference.

3.1.10. The Cyril Joad Prize Each year the Cyril Joad Prize is awarded to the student going on to postgraduate study who did best in Finals.

3.1.11. Graduation Graduation takes place in November, followed by a reception; we would be delighted to see you there.

4. Getting Advice

4.1. Academic Problems

4.1.1. Academic difficulties It is essential that you get to know your Personal tutor early on, so that if any problem arises, he or she will already know you, and so will be able to give you the right kind of support. This is why we require you to meet with your Personal Tutor regularly. If you do find yourself in any academic difficulties, you should seek advice as soon as possible: your Personal Tutor or your Teaching Tutor would be well placed to

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advise you; alternatively consult the Undergraduate Advisor, the BA Tutor, or the Head of Department. If you are not performing well in the subject, this may be a matter of study skills, or of some other difficulty which can be solved relatively easily. Problems can often be sorted out more readily than people think when they are beset by them; so please make sure to use the support systems the Department and College have for you.

4.1.2. What to do if you want to take a year out The Department is prepared to approve a Break of Studies if the circumstances are appropriate. If you feel you need to take a break from your studies, whether for personal or academic reasons, then consult your Personal Tutor. The relevant forms should be collected from and returned to the Undergraduate Administrator.

4.1.3. What to do if you want to change course Inevitably, some students find that philosophy is not after all the right subject for them. We do not encourage students who are not really enjoying the subject to persevere with it. Instead, we shall do our best to give you advice about alternative courses, and we will try to place you elsewhere in higher education if that is appropriate. In all such cases, seeking advice early is vital: please do not think that we will hold it against you or be offended if it turns out that you don’t like philosophy! If you are thinking about changing to another degree course within Birkbeck, your first step should be to talk things over with your Personal Tutor. You will need to complete the appropriate forms with your Personal Tutor, sign them and return them to the Undergraduate Administrator. Changing courses requires the agreement of the other Department(s) involved. Any proposed change is looked at carefully, so that you do not take a radical step without due advice and care. You must have the written agreement of your Personal Tutor, and must then seek the approval of the Undergraduate Advisor for any change: if you are changing within Birkbeck you must also have the approval of any other Department that would be affected by the change.

4.1.4. What to do if you want to leave the College The first step is to talk things over with your Personal Tutor. Do take care to get as much advice as you can: you might consider a temporary withdrawal instead of a permanent one, if that would give you a chance to rethink what you want to do. We shall endeavour to give you the best possible advice and support, whatever your decision. If you decide that leaving is indeed best, then you must formally notify the Undergraduate Advisor that you are leaving the course; the Undergraduate Advisor will then initiate the formal process of leaving. Fees are charged pro rata for the amount of the course you have attended, so it is important to state your last date of attendance if you wish fees to be remitted from this date.

4.1.5. What to do if you want to withdraw from Finals The first step is to discuss this with your Personal Tutor. You can withdraw from Finals on compassionate and/or health grounds: in the following year you must re-register to take the examinations.

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4.2. Personal issues

4.2.1. Discussing personal issues with the Department’s staff Your Personal Tutor will be pleased to give you all the help, advice and support they can, in complete professional confidence. All other members of the administrative and academic staff are also available to talk to in professional confidence, and you are welcome to make an appointment with any member of staff you wish; in particular, you may make an appointment to see the Undergraduate Advisor, the BA Tutor, or the Head of Department if you feel that they may be able to help you.

4.2.2. Harassment We wish to ensure that while you are here you can at all times enjoy a secure and comfortable learning environment. Therefore if anyone associated with the Department or the wider College intimidates you, sexually harasses you, or makes you uncomfortable in any way by their behaviour towards you, please tell your Personal Tutor (or any other member of staff) at the earliest opportunity and we shall take appropriate steps. The College has strict rules that define harassment and absolutely forbid it: see the document ‘Dignity at work and study (eliminating and preventing harassment)’, online at: www.bbk.ac.uk/hr/policies_services/dignityatwork

4.2.3. Student welfare - The Student Union Birkbeck Students’ Union promotes welfare issues, represents students’ interests on College committees and provides social activities via events and societies. All degree students are automatically members of the union and are entitled to use the facilities and services. Birkbeck Union is affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Mature Students’ Union. See www.bbk.ac.uk/su/about.

4.2.4. Counselling The Counselling Service is funded by the College but is run by the Student Union at arm’s length from the College. The Counselling Service is professional, independent and easily accessible. It is also completely confidential: no one in College or in the Department of Philosophy need know if you use its services. To book, or for further information, phone 0207 631 6335 or drop by the Student Union office on the fourth floor of the Malet Street extension building. Alternatively you can visit the website - www.bbk.ac.uk/su/support/counsel/. Birkbeck students also have access to the counselling service provided by the University of London Central Institutions Health Centre, which offers additional resources that complement the services the Student Union provides.

4.2.5. Student Health Birkbeck subscribes to the Gower Street Practice, located just around the corner from the Malet Street main building at 20 Gower Street. Students living in central London can register with the doctors for full NHS general practitioner services, but other students can also benefit from the facilities. Consultations are free and completely confidential. In addition to normal GP services, the Gower Street Practice offers psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy, and is experienced in helping

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students. For further information, call the Practice on 020 7636 7628, or visit http://www.gowerstreetpractice.org.uk/

4.2.6. The Chaplaincy The London University Chaplaincy serves the University community by offering pastoral counselling, and support and guidance in matters of faith and spiritual development for all students and staff of the Christian and Jewish traditions, and also those with no religious background. The Senior Chaplains will be happy to take your initial enquiries and refer you to a specific College Chaplain should that be appropriate. See www.london.ac.uk/chaplaincy.html

4.2.7. Illness If you are ill, please let the Department know as soon as possible; please also if possible inform your Teaching Tutor beforehand if you are going to miss a tutorial through illness. If you are going to be away for any significant amount of time due to illness please let us know as soon as possible: inform your Personal Tutor and the Office. If you feel that illness may affect or may have affected your performance in a set of examinations, please let us know as soon as possible. In such cases you must provide a medical certificate from your doctor, or the equivalent from a counsellor. The examiners may be able to take into account a medical certificate or a counsellor’s report if your exam results are border-line. If you miss all or some of your Finals through illness you may still be eligible for an Aegrotat degree: consult your Personal Tutor.

4.2.8. Disability Statement for the Department of Philosophy At Birkbeck there are students with a wide range of disabilities including dyslexia, visual or hearing impairments, mobility difficulties, mental health needs, medical conditions, respiratory conditions. Many of them have benefited from the advice and support provided by the College’s Disability Office.

The Disability Office The College has a Disability Office located in room G12 on the ground floor of the Malet Street building. We have a Disability Service Manager, Mark Pimm, and a Disability Advisor, Steve Short. Mark is your first point of referral for disability enquiries at the College whilst Steve is for dyslexia. They can provide advice and support on travel and parking, physical access, the Disabled Students Allowance, special equipment, personal support, examination arrangements etc. If you have a disability or dyslexia, we recommend you come to our drop in session where we can discuss support and make follow up appointments as necessary. The drop in sessions are between 4pm and 6pm Monday to Friday. The Disability Office can also complete an Individual Student Support Agreement form with you, confirming your support requirements and send this to your School and relevant Departments at the College so they are informed of your needs.

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Access at Birkbeck Birkbeck's main buildings have wheelchair access, accessible lifts and toilets, our reception desks have induction loops for people with hearing impairments and we have large print and tactile signage. Disabled parking, lockers, specialist seating in lectures and seminars and portable induction loops can all be arranged by the Disability Office.

The Disabled Students Allowance UK and most EU students with disabilities on undergraduate and postgraduate courses are eligible to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). The DSA usually provides thousands of pounds worth of support and all the evidence shows that students who receive it are more likely to complete their courses successfully. The Disability Office can provide further information on the DSA and can assist you in applying to Student Finance England for this support. The Personal Assistance Scheme Some students need a personal assistant to provide support on their course, for example a note-taker, sign language interpreter, reader, personal assistant, disability mentor or dyslexia support tutor. Birkbeck uses a specialist agency to recruit Personal Assistants and they can assist you with recruiting, training and paying your personal assistant. Please contact the Disability Office for information on this scheme. Support in your School The provision which can be made for students with disabilities by Schools is set out in the Procedures for Students with Disabilities. This is available from the Disability Office and on the disability website (see below). As mentioned above your School will receive a copy of your Individual Student Support Agreement from the Disability Office. This will make specific recommendations about the support you should receive from the School. Whilst we anticipate that this support will be provided by the Programme Director, tutors and School Administrator the Department of Philosophy also has a Student Disability Liaison Officer. If you experience any difficulties or require additional support from the School then they may also be able to assist you. They may be contacted through the School Office or the Disability Office. Support in IT Services and Library Services There is a comprehensive range of specialist equipment for students with disabilities in IT Services. This includes software packages for dyslexic students (e.g. Claroread and Inspiration), screen reading and character enhancing software for students with visual impairments, specialist scanning software, large monitors, ergonomic mice and keyboards, specialist orthopaedic chairs etc. For advice and assistance please contact Disability IT Support. There is also a range of specialist equipment in the Library including a CCTV reading machine for visually impaired students as well as specialist orthopaedic chairs and writing slopes. The Disability Office refers all students with disabilities to the Library Access Support service who provides a comprehensive range of services for students with disabilities.

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Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) Mature students who experienced problems at school are often unaware that these problems may result from their being dyslexic. Whilst dyslexia cannot be cured, you can learn strategies, which make studying significantly easier. If you think you may be dyslexic you should contact the Disability Office who can screen you and where appropriate refer you to an Educational Psychologist for a dyslexia assessment. These assessments cost £215. Some students can receive assistance in meeting this cost from their employer. In exceptional cases students may receive assistance from the Access to Learning Fund.

Examinations Students with disabilities and dyslexia may be eligible for special arrangements for examinations e.g. extra time, use of a word processor, amanuensis, enlarged examination papers etc. In order to receive special arrangements a student must provide medical evidence of their disability (or an Educational Psychologists report if you are dyslexic) to the Disability Office. For School examinations you should contact your Programme Director to request special arrangements at least 2 weeks before the examination. For main College summer examinations you are given the opportunity to declare that you require special provision on your assessment entry form. Students who require provision should then attend an appointment with the Disability Office to discuss and formalise the appropriate arrangements. The closing date for making special examination arrangements in College examinations is the 15th March and beyond this date consideration will only be given to emergency cases. Further information Full information on disability support can be found at: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/disability For further information or to make an appointment to see Mark or Steve, please call Steve Short (Disability Advisor) on 020 7631 6336 or email [email protected]. Alternatively you can go to the Disability Office in room G12 between 4pm and 6pm Monday – Friday.

5. Feedback 5.1.1. Questions & Feedback

The BA Tutor (Michael Garnett) oversees undergraduate teaching matters: if you have concerns, suggestions or comments about undergraduate teaching at Birkbeck, please contact Michael, or indeed any of the staff. Another important avenue for student feedback is the Student-Staff Exchange (see below). If there is a point that you wish to draw to the attention of the staff, please mention it to your class rep.

5.1.2. Course Assessment Forms At various stages of the course you will be asked to fill in assessment forms commenting on your classes. We ask you to take the time to fill these in fully and informatively: they are most valuable to us in seeking to sustain and improve the quality of our teaching.

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5.1.3. Suggestions & Complaints If you have a general suggestion about the Department or the structure of the course, please let a member of staff know, or you can take up your suggestion with your representative on the Student-Staff Exchange. If you have any complaints about your own treatment by the Department, you can discuss the matter with your Personal Tutor. You might alternatively choose to approach the Undergraduate Advisor, the BA Tutor or the Head of Department. If you are still not satisfied there is a College Complaints Procedure, see www.bbk.ac.uk/qa/reg/regs/complaints_pdf

5.1.4. Student-Staff Exchange In addition to informal discussions, there is also a formal system of consultation. Each year of the B.A. course elects two class representatives, whose role is to provide a channel of communication between students and staff and to represent their year on the Department Student-Staff Exchange Committee. Representatives should keep in touch with the opinions of the students in their year. The names of student representatives, with contact details, are posted on the Department’s web site. Minutes of meetings are posted on the website and on Blackboard.

6. Philosophy talks, meetings, and study weekends 6.1.1. The Birkbeck Philosophy Society

The students of the Department run a Philosophy Society. We encourage all students to join. The Society generally holds meetings three or four times a term at which a philosopher from another university presents a paper followed by discussion. These meetings give you the opportunity to see a wide range of philosophers in action, including some of the most distinguished people working in the subject. Information about the programme of events can be found on the Philosophy Society’s webpage. Posters advertising their events may be displayed in the Department and in the Malet Street building. See www.bbkphilsoc.org.uk

6.1.2. Cumberland Lodge Weekends Each year we hold a residential study weekend at Cumberland Lodge, the very beautiful former royal palace in Windsor Great Park. The Lodge is owned by the Crown, and is now used by St Catharine’s Trust as a conference centre for academic visitors. These study weekends are open to all students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. During a study weekend, staff and students present papers on philosophical topics, which are then discussed. We warmly recommend these weekends to you. Cumberland Lodge awards a limited number of Bursaries to students who would otherwise be prevented by financial hardship from attending a Study Weekend. If you think this applies to you, please contact the Department Office for an application form.

6.1.3. The Aristotelian Society www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk We strongly recommend that you join the Aristotelian Society. This world-famous society arranges a programme of distinguished speakers every academic year. Meetings are held fortnightly on Monday afternoons in Senate House. The paper for

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each meeting is circulated in advance. Speakers introduce their papers and then answer questions from the audience. There is a reduced membership fee for students.

6.1.4. The Institute of Philosophy The Institute of Philosophy is part of the University of London’s Department of Advanced Studies. The Institute runs a series of lunchtime seminars. It also puts on several one-day conferences each year on a variety of philosophical topics, and invites speakers from around the world. (The conferences are usually held during the day on Fridays, but sometimes run on into Saturdays.) In addition, the Institute arranges one-day Graduate Conferences for research students. Information about the programme of events can be found on the Institute’s website, www.philosophy.sas.ac.uk.

6.1.5. The Jacobsen Lecture The University of London Jacobsen Lecture is held annually and is given by a specially invited philosopher of international standing. The Jacobsen Lecture to be held in May 2010 will be announced in due course, and will be available on the Institute of Philosophy’s website (see above). Admission is free.

6.1.6. The Royal Institute of Philosophy Each year, the Royal Institute of Philosophy puts on a lecture series in which distinguished speakers address a common theme. The lectures are free to the public and take place on Friday evenings at 5.45 p.m. Information about the current lecture series and its location can be found on the RIP website, www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org/index.php.

6.1.7. Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities arranges a programme of conferences and workshops on current intellectual issues in the Humanities. It often invites prominent philosophers to speak. You can find its programme on its website, www.bbk.ac.uk/bih.

7. Your career after your BA Philosophy 7.1.1. Graduate Studies in Philosophy

If you wish to go on to graduate work in philosophy after you finish your BA degree, where better to continue your studies than at Birkbeck? The Department runs graduate courses for the London M.A., M.Phil.Stud and PhD. If you are interested in continuing your studies with us, please consult the relevant pages on the Department website www.bbk.ac.uk/phil.

Whether you are thinking of graduate work here or at another university, please consult your Personal Tutor in the first instance. There are important deadlines you should know about, and you should discuss things with your Personal Tutor as soon as possible, especially if you will need to obtain funding for the higher degree. You can obtain further advice about MA courses at Birkbeck or elsewhere by consulting Sarah Patterson or Miranda Fricker; Sarah is our MA Admissions Tutor and Miranda is MA Tutor. For research degrees (M.Phil.Stud. and Ph.D), you can obtain further advice from the Research Admissions Tutor, Anthony Price, and from the Research Tutor, Susan James.

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7.1.2. Applying for funding for postgraduate study For the United Kingdom, the main grant-awarding body is the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). If you wish to be considered for an AHRC Studentship, then you must state this in the applications you make to universities for admission, whether to an M.A. or a research degree. Universities haven’t yet set their deadlines for applicants for places with an AHRC Studentship. But it is likely that applications will need to be in early in February. (For further details, see the websites of universities to which you intend to apply, and also the AHRC website.) If you are considering postgraduate study in the United States, you may have to apply for funding as early as September/October the previous academic year. Whether you are applying for funding in the UK or the USA, it is essential to consult the Research Tutor, Susan James.

7.1.3. The Careers Service The Specialist Institutions’ Careers Service is part of The Careers Group, University of London. SICS works exclusively with adult and degree specialist students. They help both career-changers and those wishing to develop their career further. They offer a FREE advice, guidance, job vacancy and information service on the 4th floor, ULU Building, Malet Street opposite Waterstones. For a more detailed look at the services please go to www.careers.lon.ac.uk/sics. For evening students The CareersGroup (the parent organisation) also provides information resources available at Stewart House, 32 Russell Square until 8pm every Wednesday. No appointment is necessary; just turn up.

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Appendix 1 – Examination Rubrics

Finals Examination Rubrics • Candidates are advised to have a look at papers set for previous years. See the

University of London website for information on past papers. • The number of questions set for each paper is about 15-20, some more, some

less. Alternatives are often given within a single question. • On all papers a candidate is asked to answer three questions. • Answers must be strictly relevant to questions. Short relevant answers are

superior to long irrelevant ones. • Certain papers are divided into sections and instructions are given as to how

many questions from each section the candidate should answer. (These instructions are called the ‘rubric’ of the paper.)

• Candidates writing presubmitted essays must observe the convention of the rubric for the paper concerned. Consult your tutor if you are in doubt about whether your presubmission essay titles are consistent with the rubric.

The following gives some guidance on the usual rubrics of the exam papers in each subject. Please note however that this guidance is NOT definitive, and merely reflects recent practice. The examiners are free to alter the rubric of any paper in any diet of examinations as they see fit. Logic & Metaphysics

Candidates taking Philosophy of Mind may not answer questions marked with a *.

Epistemology & Methodology

Candidates taking Philosophy of Science may not answer questions marked with a *.

Ethics Divided into two sections: (A) General (B) Historical. Answer at least one question from each section. Candidates taking Kant as an Optional Subject cannot answer questions on him in this paper.

Political Philosophy Divided into two sections: (A) Historical (B) General. Answer at least one question from each section. Candidates taking Marxism may not answer questions on Marx.

Greek Philosophy Divided into two sections: (A) Presocratic (B) Plato and Aristotle. Answer at least 2 questions from Section (B). No questions which are explicitly on ethical, political or aesthetic topics will appear on this paper.

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Modern Philosophy

Divided into three sections: (A) Rationalists (B) Empiricists (C) Kant. Answer at least 1 question from Section (A) and at least 1 from Section (B). The other question may be chosen from any part of the paper, including Section (C). Candidates taking the Optional Subject, The Philosophy of Kant, may NOT attempt questions from Section (C).

Philosophy of Mind

Certain questions marked with a * may not be attempted by candidates taking Philosophy of Psychology.

Philosophy of Religion No general restrictions.

Philosophy of Language

No general restrictions. Philosophy of Science

No general restrictions. Aesthetics

No general restrictions. Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein

Candidates must answer on at least two philosophers; for these purposes Early and Late Wittgenstein count as two philosophers. There may also be questions on other philosophers. Some questions may marked with a * as not to be taken by candidates taking Philosophy of Language, and some questions may marked with a * as not to be taken by candidates taking Philosophy of Mathematics.

Nineteenth-century Continental Philosophy No general restrictions.

Phenomenology

No general restrictions. Mathematical Logic

No general restrictions. Set Theory and Formal Logic

Divided into two Sections: (A) Set theory and (B) modal logic; answer at least one question from each section.

Philosophy of Kant

Divided into two sections: (A) Metaphysics (B) Moral Philosophy and Aesthetics. Answer at least one question from each section.

Post-Aristotelian Philosophy No general restrictions.

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Marxism

No general restrictions. Philosophy of Mathematics

No general restrictions. Philosophy of Psychology

No general restrictions. Indian Philosophy

No general restrictions. Mediaeval Philosophy

No general restrictions. Greek Philosophical Texts

Contains twelve passages in Greek from the set texts: Candidates should choose three for translation and comment.

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Appendix 2 – Marks and Marking Standards The Department uses the London scheme of literal marks, as set out in the table below:

Literal

mark

Numerical

equivalent

Degree Class

A 100% First

A- First

A= First

AB 70% First

BA 69% Upper Second

B++ Upper Second

B+?+ Upper Second

B+ 60% Upper Second

B?+ 59% Lower Second

B Lower Second

B- Lower Second

B= Lower Second

BC 50% Lower Second

CB 49% Third

C+ Third

C Third

C- Third

CD 40% Third

D 39% Failed paper

F 33% Failed degree

0% Failed degree

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The meaning of the London literal marks is given by the ‘marking standards’ below: F: Candidate fails to achieve level necessary for award of D. D: Candidate shows at least one of the following to some degree: (i) Awareness of the philosophical issues that arise in the general area

of the question. (ii) Knowledge of relevant philosophical texts or arguments (iii) Appreciation of the philosophical techniques relevant to the

general area of the question. CD: Candidate shows each of (i), (ii) and (iii) above to some degree, or one or two

of them to a fair degree. BC: Candidate shows each of (iv), (v) and (vi) below to a fair degree, or one or two

of them to a good degree. (iv) Awareness of the philosophical issues that arise in the area of the

question. (v) Knowledge of relevant philosophical texts or arguments. (vi) Appreciation of philosophical techniques relevant to the question, and

some attempt to apply such techniques. B+: Candidate shows each of (vii), (viii) and (ix) below to a good level: or one or

two of them to an excellent level and the remainder to at least a fair level: or shows each of (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x) to a fair level.

(vii)Awareness of the philosophical issues that arise in the precise area of the question.

(viii) Knowledge or relevant philosophical texts or arguments. (ix) Appreciation of philosophical techniques relevant to the question, and

makes a successful attempt to apply such techniques. (x) Capacity for independent critical thought about the question. AB: Candidate shows each of (vi), (vii), (ix) and (x) above to an excellent level, or

one or two of them to an outstanding level and the remainder to at least a good level.

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Appendix 3 – Term Dates Autumn term Monday 3 October 2011 to Friday 16 December 2011

Administration Week Monday 26 September 2011 to Friday 30 September 2011 Reading week: Monday 7 November 2011 – Friday 11 November 2011

Christmas and New Year closure The College will close at 5pm on Thursday 22 December 2011 and re-open at 9am on Tuesday 3 January 2012

Spring term Monday 9 January 2012 to Friday 23 March 2012

Reading week: Monday 13 February 2012 – Friday 17 February 2012 Easter closure The College will close at 6pm on Wednesday 4 April 2012, re-opening at 9am on Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Summer term Monday 23 April 2012 to Friday 6 July 2012

Documents

BA (London) Philosophy...7 Professor Anthony Price [email protected] 020 7631 6380 Room 202, 14 Gower Street Professor: Ethics, Greek Philosophy Professor Ian Rumfitt [email protected]