University study should provide both intellectual challenge and enjoyment. It should be valuable in itself, as well as providing the opportunity to develop skills that students will need to rely on when they leave the university. The Philosophy Department at Stirling offers programmes designed to meet all of these various needs. To earn a degree at Stirling a student needs to gain credit in a range of units. Most units are taught and assessed during the course of one semester.
Students typically take three units in each semester.
Units in philosophy are taught by a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures explore issues raised in the course reading material, raise questions, and work through arguments. In most lectures there is an opportunity to ask questions. Seminars are an opportunity to discuss issues raised in the course reading and in lectures. Discussion and argument are central to philosophy, and seminars, along with essay writing, are critical to the development of philosophical understanding.