MA Philosophy by Research

About the course

This MA programme was established by the late Professor Sir Roger Scruton, the inaugural Professor of Philosophy at The University of Buckingham, and reflects his values and the subjects which he illuminated in his extensive writings. The focus is on philosophical questions that have a direct bearing on our understanding of and participation in the contemporary world, not the abstractions – usually expressed in impenetrable language – to which much modern philosophical writing has succumbed.

The Master’s degree can be taken either full-time and completed in a single academic year, or taken part-time and extended over two years. Although original research it the prime focus of the programme, there is also a strongly collegial aspect to the course, as all research students meet regularly throughout the year for a series of early-evening seminars by some of the most distinguished philosophers working in contemporary Britain and beyond. The seminars are held in the Reform Club in Pall Mall, London, SW1, and provide an opportunity for students to meet and debate with the visiting speaker. Each seminar is followed by a working dinner at which discussion continues. (The full seminar programme is given below.)

True to its Scrutonian origins, this MA in Philosophy will explore questions which have direct bearing on the most pressing issues in politics and contemporary society. Throughout his career Scruton was deeply invested in the political implications of fundamental disputes in philosophy. Likewise, central to Scruton’s vision in designing the programme was his conviction that the best way to learn philosophy is by doing philosophy, i.e. engaging in philosophical discussion of issues that are important for understanding the world and the human being’s place within that world. The MA seminars will combine these two principles by opening to discussion some of the central issues of world and national politics in the context of some of the most fundamental questions in philosophy.

Students will examine the intellectual origins of a variety of political traditions – libertarian, social democratic, conservative, socialist among others – and acquire a grounding in the deep philosophical issues that underlie political discourse today.

There are no timed examinations involved. Instead, the student works towards the completion of a dissertation of not less than 20,000 words and not more than 25,000 words. The submission of this as a completed text constitutes the sole mode of examination. The student has a free hand in the choice of research topic, subject only to the limitations of surviving evidence and the originality of the subject – both matters on which the Programme Director and the student’s supervisor are available to offer advice, during and after the application process.

The University of Buckingham MA programmes are intended to impart all the skills necessary for the student to work as an independent researcher and writer – skills that are valued by both academic and non-academic employers. But the MA can be undertaken just as fulfillingly as an exercise in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and as a means of exploring areas of enquiry that are of particular interest to the student.

Tutorials and classes will normally take place at the University of Buckingham’s London offices at 51 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, WC1E 6HJ, close to the British Museum.

DEFINING A SUBJECT FOR RESEARCH

Some students know from the outset the precise subject on which they intend to work. For most, however, the definition of a research proposal is usually a gradual process, with the student starting with a general area of interest, and then focusing on a more closely defined topic as a result of further reading and consultation, usually with the Course Director. Most students do not arrive at the final title of their dissertation until towards the end of the first Term, just before Christmas.

RESEARCH SEMINARS AND DINING

The research seminars are led both by faculty members associated with the programme and other leading thinkers on philosophical matters, drawn from within and outside the academy. The range of topics covered in the programme will give the participants a firm grounding in some of the key concepts and ideas in philosophy and politics. The seminars also reflect the wide range of research areas that were central to the work of Sir Roger Scruton.

The seminar meets regularly between late September and June in two venues. Seminars followed by dinner take place in handsome accommodation at the Reform Club in Pall Mall. All these seminars begin at 6:30 pm with the talk by the visiting speaker, and this is followed by a question session and discussion that runs to 7:45 pm. There is then a short break for pre-dinner drinks and the group reconvenes at 8:15 pm for a three-course dinner with wine, during which the historical discussion continues. Proceedings usually end at 9:30 pm.

There are also a number of non-dining seminars, held at the University of Buckingham’s offices at 51 Gower St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6HJ. These also begin at 6:30 pm and are followed by a drinks reception with the speaker.

The programme aims not only to offer a stimulating intellectual experience, but one which is an enjoyable sociable experience as well. The cost of the dinners is included in the tuition fees.

The seminar meets regularly between October and June in handsome accommodation at the Reform Club in Pall Mall. All seminars begin at 6:30 pm with the talk by the visiting speaker, and this is followed by a question session and discussion that runs to 7:45 pm. There is then a short break for pre-dinner drinks and the group reconvenes at 8:15 pm for a three-course dinner with wine, during which the historical discussion continues. Proceedings usually end at 9:30 pm. The programme aims not only to offer a stimulating intellectual experience, but one which is an enjoyable sociable experience as well. The cost of the dinners is included in the tuition fees.

SEMINAR DATES FOR 2024-25

Note: seminars take place at two venues: the Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EW, and University of Buckingham’s offices at 51 Gower St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6HJ.

24 September 2024
Dr Ralph Weir (University of Lincoln): ‘Human Nature and the Concept of a Person’ (51 Gower St)

5 November 2024
Dr Ralph Weir (University of Lincoln): ‘Free Will and Liberty’ (51 Gower St)

26 November 2024
Dr Jonathan Price (St Cross College, Oxford): ‘The Origins of Law’ (51 Gower St)

10 December 2024
Dr Jonathan Price (St Cross College, Oxford): ‘Authority and the State’ (51 Gower St)

21 January 2025
Speaker to be announced: ‘Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism’ (Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall)

25 February 2025
Dr Mikolaj Slawkowski-Rode (Course Director): ‘Culture and Value’ (51 Gower St)

1 April 2025
Speaker to be announced: ‘Religion and the State’ (Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall)

22 April 2025
Professor Stephen Priest (Wolfson College, Oxford): ‘History and Progress’ (Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall

8 May 2025, (date TBC)
The Rt Hon. Michael Gove (Former Secretary of State): ‘On Democracy’ (Research Day at The University of Buckingham)

20 May 2025
Professor Nigel Biggar CBE (St Cross College, Oxford, Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology): ‘On Just War’ (Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall)

3 June 2025
Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption OBE, PC, FSA, FRHistS, KC (Former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom): ‘On Democracy’ (Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall)

17 June 2025
Dr Mikolaj Slawkowski-Rode (Course Director): ‘On Forgiveness’ (51 Gower St)

STUDY PERIOD

The usual period of Master’s degree research is one year for the those who engage in full-time study. Part-time study is also available, with students completing the dissertation in two years.

RESEARCH SUPERVISION

Every Master’s student in School of Humanities is supported by two supervisors. There is a First (or Principal) Supervisor, who is the student’s regular guide during his or her research, and with whom the student meets regularly throughout the year. There is also a Second Supervisor, whom the student may consult on a more limited basis where a ‘second opinion’ on a particular draft chapter may be helpful. Full-time students see their supervisor for one-to-one supervisions not less than twice a term.

The University has an extensive group of scholars available to undertake supervision in the field of Philosophy.

The programme is directed by Dr Mikołaj Sławkowski-Rode, Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy in the Humanities Research Institute, University of Buckingham, and his publications include The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death Loss and Grief (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023) as well as numerous articles in learned journals. He has been involved in the University of Buckingham’s research degrees in Philosophy since their establishment by Scruton. He is also Research Fellow in Philosophy at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw.

Dr Ralph Weir was supervised by Sir Roger Scruton at Oxford when reading for the BPhil. He subsequently received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and went on to start a Philosophy BA and MA at the University of Lincoln. His publications include: The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics: An Argument from Consciousness to Mental Substance (Routledge, 2023). He is also Member of the Faculty of Theology of Religion, University of Oxford.

Dr Jonathan Price has a PhD in the philosophy of law from Leiden University and a DPhil in Law from Oxford University. He studied with Sir Roger Scruton in Oxford and is currently the Director of the Centre for Theology, Law and Culture at Pusey House, Oxford. He is the founding editor of the peer-reviewed journal Politics & Poetics and the author of The Egalitarian Constitution: Modern Identity in Three Moral Values (Leiden 2018).

PROGRESSION FROM THE MA TO THE PHD DEGREE

A number of MA students also wish to undertake the PhD degree. This is often in a different area from that which has been studied at MA level. In such cases, the student starts afresh, and the PhD degree usually requires a further three years of full-time study.

Alternatively, a number of students opt to stay with their MA topic and to expand the scope of the project to PhD level. Those wishing to do so may apply at the end of their first year for ‘upgrading’ to PhD status. Where this is granted, the student’s year of MA-related research can be counted as the first year of the three years of full-time study required for the PhD.

ASSOCIATE STUDENTS

Those who wish to attend the talks and dinners, but who do not wish to take a degree, may join the course as Associate Students (in US usage ‘Audit Students’). This status will enable the student to attend the ten guest seminars and dinners, join the field trips, and to meet the guest lecturers, but does not require the submission of written work. Associate Students are not registered for the MA degree.

For further details contact:

• Humanities Research Admissions on +44 (0)1280 827514
• Email: humanitiespg-admissions@buckingham.ac.uk