MA in Philosophy and History of Science

This is a one year MA (or two years part-time) that draws on the unique strength of the Bristol Department of Philosophy in Philosophy and History of Science. The MA is designed as a self-standing degree, but it also serves as preparation for doctoral level research.

Upon arrival you will be assigned a personal tutor who will help you select your course of studies and choose the topic for your dissertation. We have designed the MA to allow you to gain full advantage of the research expertise of individual members of the department. We will support you as you gradually develop your skills and knowledge, starting from a broad base in the history and philosophy of science and then allowing you to focus in on specialist interests.

Teaching

The first part of the MA programme consists of two mandatory seminar units that are taken by all students on the programme,  and nine optional units of which you will choose four.  The two mandatory units, the Philosophical Writing and Research Seminar and Scientific Epistemology and Methodology lead into more specialised units that focus on the philosophy and history of particular scientific domains.

The six units comprising the taught element of the course are delivered through a series of ten weekly seminars of two hours each, led by one or more staff. In these seminars you will discuss a range of topics and texts as a group. You may be expected to prepare short presentations for some of these seminars.

You may also elect to take the project unit, which is an independent studies unit, taught through the medium of individual tutorials with research specialists on agreed topics of your choosing.

For both seminar and essay units, you will meet regularly with staff to discuss your essay and staff will read and comment upon a first draft.

Teaching Staff

• Alexander Bird
• Leon Horsten
• James Ladyman
• Richard Pettigrew
• Samir Okasha
• Andrew Pyle
• Finn Spicer
• Jonathan Grose
• Cedric Paternotte

Research

The culmination of the MA programme is the dissertation.  This is the single most important and demanding part of the course. You will work closely with a carefully selected adviser who will read and comment upon your writing, but the dissertation is your own work, reflecting your creative and intellectual capacities as well as your research skills. The choice of subject is your own, but help and guidance  will be provided in the process of identifying a suitable topic and defining its focus.

The dissertation is 15,000 words long. You work on it over the summer, supported by your adviser with whom you will arrange regular meetings. They will provide extensive feedback and comments on your work as it develops. You will submit in September.

Attending seminars is an important and enriching part of philosophical life and learning.  As a postgraduate in the Department, we will consider you an integral part of the academic community. We take particular pride in our wide range of philosophical activities: research seminars, work-in-progress seminars, workshops and conferences and reading groups. Please see details of current and recent events. You will be encouraged to develop those skills and strategies that are essential to the professional philosopher in a gradual way, in a supportive environment, through taking part in the Postgraduate Seminar and through attending academic Work-in-Progress Seminars and other events.

We have very close links with departments in the Faculties of Science and Social Sciences - in particular with Physics, Mathematics, Biology, and Psychology. There is an active joint seminar run with the Physics Department, together with a regular series of research seminars on logic, mathematics, psychology, and biology. The group working in philosophy of science at Bristol has links with other leading groups in philosophy of science in the UK, in particular with philosophers of physics at Oxford and the London School of Economics, with both of whom we hold joint seminars. We also have links across continental Europe and with universities in the US.

We have been highly successful in attracting external and internal research awards, including three Philip Leverhulme Prizes and numerous AHRC research awards. Samir Okasha recently won the 2009 Lakatos Award for outstanding contributions to the philosophy of science. The Department hosts the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, which is arguably the premier philosophy of science journal in the world.

For further information, please contact Dr Anthony Everett.