A postgraduate course in Arts and Humanities.

This course aims to equip you with postgraduate-level skills including critical analysis, argumentation and clarity of thought and expression. It’s also designed to acquaint you with some contemporary debates in philosophy, around the theme of personhood. You’ll learn to recognise a philosophical problem, find and use resources (in libraries and electronically), read philosophical texts and present your arguments clearly in essays. You’ll also receive guidance on the use of libraries and aids to research such as bibliographic databases – employing the excellent facilities that we offer to all our students. There will be opportunities to engage in online tuition and discussion.

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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The skills developed by this postgraduate foundation course for the MA in Humanities will prepare you particularly well for further study of philosophy in the MA programme, but will be an advantage in whatever you choose to do afterwards.

The course comprises an introduction followed by five chapters, each considering an area of contemporary philosophy to do with the theme of personhood. The philosophy is broadly in the analytic tradition. Each chapter is linked to a selection of readings. Engaging with these will encourage critical thinking, enquiry, and the formulation of your own view of the debate. You will then be able to advocate and defend it in the written assessment.

The course software offers you email contact with your tutor and fellow students, if you want it, and links to the Open University library and to online forums offering guidance and support. You will also have access to philosophical journals and to The Philosopher’s Index, a philosophical database. Extensive support is available, so you should not have difficulties even if you have never used a computer before. You do not need to own a computer, but you are expected to have regular access to one.

Entry

To take this course, you must declare the MA in Philosophy (F30) (or another qualification towards which this course can count) as your qualification intention. You should have an honours degree or equivalent, ideally, but not necessarily, in philosophy. Your subject knowledge and study skills must be adequate for study at this level. The MA website offers detailed information about the topics discussed in the course, preparatory reading, and important advice if you are new to philosophy. You can also contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Qualifications

A850 is a compulsory module in our:

• MA in Philosophy (F30)

A850 is an optional module in our:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Humanities (C20)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Humanities (D35)
• MA in Humanities (F07)

If you leave the MA in Humanities programme before obtaining your masters degree this module will qualify you for a Postgraduate Certificate. With another 60 credits from specified modules, including at least 30 credits from subject modules, you can obtain a Postgraduate Diploma.

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

This course makes extensive use of the internet and online forums, so you may need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer. Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

Study materials

What's included

Course books and other printed materials.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You can contact your tutor by email and there will be an online forum for discussion and general enquiries. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2014. We expect it to be available once a year.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Thought and experience: themes in the philosophy of mind (AA308)
• Exploring psychology (DSE212)
• Cognitive psychology (DD303)

How to register

To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.

Student Reviews

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

A taste of OU study

Course satisfaction survey

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