Keele University Prospectus Undergraduate | 2016 | Page 193

Teaching and assessment

Philosophers use analysis and rigorous argument to explore
fundamental issues overlooked in everyday life, and so although you
are expected to learn about the views of the great philosophers, you
are also expected to subject those views to independent scrutiny
in order to achieve a satisfying overall intellectual picture of the
world. Since debate and a grasp of logical analysis are central to the
discipline, seminars play a key role in our teaching.
As a philosophy student, you will participate in a variety of
presentations and innovative seminar games, which develop
analytical, argumentative and public speaking skills. The use
of interactive and virtual learning facilities are integral to the
programme, and assessment is through a varied combination of
portfolios, essays, oral presentations and written examinations.
Teaching on the Philosophy course has consistently received student
satisfaction ratings above the Keele University average, and the Keele
University average is among the highest in the UK.

Skills and careers
The skills acquired by Philosophy students are widely
recognised as directly relevant to the needs of today’s
employers. Keele Philosophy graduates have an excellent
record of career-placement in a wide variety of occupations,
such as law, computing and journalism, and many have gone
on to study philosophy to a higher level.
Philosophy is particularly good at developing the following skills:
• Strong analytical skills: philosophy students learn how to spot the
arguments people are using, and how to evaluate them
• Rationality: philosophy students learn to only hold beliefs that can
be justified, which makes them particularly good team-players
• Comprehension: philosophy students learn to interpret complex
philosophical texts, which provides the skills needed to interpret
complex texts in the workplace
• Originality: to do well in philosophy, you have to think for yourself,
which is something employers value
• Oral Communication: philosophy students develop strong
debating and presentation skills
As one of our recent graduates said, “Philosophy is held in
high esteem within business because of its high level thinking and
analytical skills which made answering application questions easier.”

Good to know
Keele Philosophy consist