Spring PPE School (4 days)
February 16th-19th 2012 * held at Birkbeck University, Bloomsbury, Central London
An intensive four-day course for students in years 12-13 interested in the prestigious Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree. This event is an extended version of our popular PPE weekend, and will offer the most committed students an opportunity to explore all three subjects in greater depth and discuss their ideas with Oxford University tutors. Classes run from 10.30 to 4.30 each day.
This event is suitable for able and committed sixth form students who are anticipating an A grade in all AS/A Level subjects.
Download a poster to display in your school here.
Feedback from previous PPE Schools:
‘A brilliant and rigorous introduction to PPE and a great opportunity to discuss and debate with like minded people’
‘I thought it was brilliant. I’ve never done an extra acdemic course before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was’
‘Quality of teaching was outstanding – at no point did I lose interest’
‘Really good interaction between tutors and students – everyone was relaxed and friendly’
‘I found it a great insight into what the PPE course would be like’
‘I really enjoyed the course and it helped me with my interview preparation process’
‘Teaching encouraged individual thought in a way which the school environment can be lacking. It really helped me in my decision making process about which university degree to choose’
‘A good compromise between an intellectually challenging experience and an accessible introduction’
‘I really gained a sense of what PPE is all about, and I am definitely applying!’
Programme:
Day 1: Politics
Political Science and Theory are two of the most stimulating and exciting fields in academic study at university today. Political Science is the study of the theory, description, analysis and prediction of political behaviour, systems and institutions of the countries and regions of the modern world. Political Theory deals with the normative questions and assumptions that underlie these variables, including debates about the state, government, liberty, justice, rights, the law and authority. An understanding of both is crucial for any student aiming to study politics or any related discipline at university, and for anyone who values being an informed, knowledgeable citizen in the modern polity. Once students have an understanding of these key theoretical foundations they are able to look at one of the most interesting areas in the study of politics, Britain, in an entirely new way.
This course starts with an introduction to the concept of the political, where students will engage with a variety of thinkers and theories from Hannah Arendt to Bernard Crick, pushing the boundaries of what can be thought of as political space and action. The day then moves on to the key questions in Political Theory: What is Just? How can a society maximise equality and freedom? Is there a way to balance the two? We then move onto seminars on the origins of the state as well as the question of State decline, which will be augmented by expert advice and readings. The day concludes by applying the theory developed earlier in the British context. Students will look at a number of key trends, including the decline of class voting, the Presidentialisation of parliamentary government and the way that political campaigns have evolved. Fast paced and interactive, this seminar will leave students with a level of knowledge far in excess of that of most of their peers.
Day 2: Philosophy
Two of the most important individuals in philosophy – Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill – will be the focus of our attention for the philosophy day of the Spring PPE School. Designed to give students an introduction to these two key philosophers and to a range of areas of philosophical study, the day will combine learning about the thinkers and their place in the history of philosophical thought with close analysis of the writers’ texts and analysis and criticism of their ideas.
Kant and Mill often become familiar to students through the study of their moral philosophy, which can obscure the full range of their thought and the impact that their work had on extremely varied areas of philosophy. We will be focusing on Kant’s epistemology (philosophy of knowledge) and metaphysics (the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of existence), exploring his work in the Critique of Pure Reason. Kant was very troubled by the problem of how we got knowledge, and attempted to unify the two great epistemological traditions of his time – the empiricists who thought significant knowledge must come from experience and the rationalists, who believed that truths could be established through reason alone. We will be learning about and discussing the plausibility of his theory of transcendental knowledge. Turning our attention to Mill, we will be discovering how he believed progress was made in human history, the role that individual liberty played in enabling that progress to develop and the appropriate role for a government to play in facilitating freedom and progress.
Day 3: Economics
The Economics day of the Spring PPE School will include both an in-depth focus on some of the key areas of economic analysis – such as inflation, unemployment and monetary policy – and an exploration of the complex challenges which have confronted economists, businesspeople and politicians since 2007.
Students will take part in a range of seminars, lectures and debates to explore issues such as whether monetary policy be decided by an independent central bank, and if so, should the banks have dual targets of growth and inflation. What is the distinction between the price level and inflation? Which one should we target? Can Monetary Policy ever be time consistent?
Students will use the tools developed during these seminars to deepen their understanding of the tumultuous recent years for the global economy. How did the credit crunch come about and who is to blame? Why was Northern Rock saved but not Lehman Brothers? Should stability in the global financial system be considered a public good and what should be done to secure its future? What is the freshwater school of economics and how did it impact policy responses to the credit crunch? The day will offer students a unique chance to tackle economic problems and concepts in a depth similar to undergraduate study.
Day 4: Political Philosophy
The last day of the course will focus on Political Philosophy. The subject for discussion will be rights – the history of rights in political philosophy, questioning where rights come from and asking what groups of beings can have rights – is it just adults? What about children? Animals? Foetuses?
Students will, through group work, discussion with tutors and plenary sessions, study in detail complex moral scenarios where rights are involved, and where we may or may not want to sacrifice rights in order to achieve some other good. When a terrorist knows where a ticking bomb is about to go off, which could potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people – do we torture him to get the answer, or is his right not to be tortured so important that the lives of innocent civilians may be sacrificed?
The afternoon session will give students the opportunity to discuss in depth the rights issues that they are most interested in – for example:
• Where do rights come from?
• Do rights vary across different cultures?
• Can we choose to ever give up our rights?
• Are rights something we automatically have, or something we have to earn?
This day is an excellent opportunity to students to study issues in-depth which are not only important in political philosophy, but which have profound and far-reaching implications for our society.
Book a place:
The fee for the four-day Spring PPE School is £360 per student. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The Spring PPE School will be held at the University of London Union, with classes from 10.30 to 4.30 on each day. Please note that this is a non-residential course and accommodation must be arranged independently if required.
If you are applying for a fees bursary please do not fill in the form below, instead please complete the Bursary Application – Student Form.