by Samantha Holden
Soon my first year at Warwick will be over. I can’t believe I am already choosing my modules for my second-year student; a bit daunting. PPLists have 4 choices:
1. Politics and International Studies:
Political Theory From Hobbes
Theories of International Relations
Core Issues in Comparative Politics
International Security
States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy
2. Philosophy:
Ethics and Applied Ethics
History of Modern Philosophy
3. Law:
International Law
General Principles of Constitutional and Administrative Law
4. Plus one further optional module from any one of the three departments or a language
What did I choose and why?
Next year I think I am going to choose:
- International security- in PPL this year we have touched if violence is justified at any time and whether the State should be able to defend itself. International Security focuses on these issues in more depth and also looks at other new threats such as poverty, climate change and cyber-attacks. I think this will be an exciting module, as I prefer learning about situations currently happening compared to the theoretical. My friends who have really enjoyed philosophy this year are choosing Political Theory from Hobbes, so my advice is to choose what you are interested in and where your strengths lie.
- Ethics and Applied Ethics- for me this was probably my easiest choice as part of the reason I choose the PPL degree was because I was fascinated by A- level Ethics. So I am hoping to develop my knowledge and analysis aspects and put the theoretical aspects into practice with Applied Ethics; where we will cover issues such as morality in modern society and whether should you be able to buy human kidneys
- General Principles of Constitutional and Administrative Law- initially I wanted to study international law, as it sounded interesting and students highly promoted it. However, I realised that Constitutional Law impacted me personally as a British citizen and would be pertinent if I wanted to convert to a law degree at the end of my degree at Warwick. Topics covered in Constitutional Law have already been discussed in my PPL lectures such as: judicial review, rule of law and civil disobedience. Therefore I believe I have a stronger foundation to study constitutional law.
- Gender and the Law – your fourth option is really a choice for you to try something new. I would recommend attending module fairs and doing research online before deciding. The lecturer at the law module fair was approachable, engaging and her enthusiasm was a fundamental reason for choosing this particular module. The module seems like a perfect fit with a mixture of sociology, politics and the law by looking at how the law has changed and ought to change to ensure the feminist object of true gender equality.
I hope that this blog has provided you with some insight into module choosing. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comment section and I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability.