Politics, International Relations & Philosophy

Overview

The M.Res. (Master of Research) degree is a combined taught and research degree, in which you take an advanced taught module in ‘Metaphilosophy’ (the study of the nature of philosophical inquiry) which is jointly taught by various staff on the programme. You write a dissertation (about 20,000 words) and also undergo research training, which is assessed by portfolio. The focus on metaphilosophy is unique to Keele, and makes for a fascinating course of study, since the various staff who will teach you have very different views about the nature of philosophical inquiry. This degree is ideal for students who want the freedom to write a dissertation on a topic of their choice, while also receiving the guidance expected from a taught masters.

Keele offers a small, friendly and research-intensive environment where everybody knows each other, and postgraduate students can talk to staff whenever they want. Facilities are good, the rural environment of Keele campus is highly conducive to concentration and focus, and the research of our staff is at the cutting-edge in some of the most fascinating areas of contemporary philosophy. Keele has enjoyed a strong international reputation for philosophy since the 1950s, with well-known Keele philosophers including Antony Flew, Richard Swinburne, Jonathan Dancy, and many others, and provides postgraduate students with the opportunity to engage with ideas from Universities all around the UK though our Royal Institute of Philosophy (R.I.P.) events, in which leading philosophers are regularly invited to Keele to talk about their latest work. There are also a variety of other philosophy research events, such as conferences, organised by the Keele Forum for Philosophical Research.

Research Interests

The following staff are currently available to supervise research degrees:

Sorin Baiasu

Sorin is a leading authority on the philosophies of Kant and Sartre, and the author of Kant and Sartre: Rediscovering Critical Ethics (Palgrave MacMillan 2011) among many other publications. His main research interests at present are in Kantian philosophy, Existentialism and Phenomenology, and issues concerning normativity, justice and desert. He is also able to supervise in aesthetics, and many other areas of metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, philosophy of law and the history of philosophy.

Giuseppina D’Oro

Giuseppina (aka Josie) is a leading authority on the philosophy of R.G. Collingwood, and the author of Collingwood and the Metaphysics of Experience (Routledge 2002) among many other publications. Her main research interests at present are in the philosophy of action, particularly the history of the reasons/causes debate, the nature of the action event/distinction and the problem of mental causation. She is also interested in metaphilosophy, particularly the relation between philosophy and science, and in how second-order metaphilosophical positions affect our understanding of the relationship between the human and natural sciences. She can supervise in many other areas of philosophy, especially in areas relating to idealism. You can access some of her work on her page.

James Tartaglia

James is a leading authority on the philosophy of Richard Rorty, and the author of Rorty and the Mirror of Nature (Routledge 2007) among many other publications. His main research interests at present are in philosophy of mind, particularly in physicalism and consciousness, metaphilosophy, particularly in the relation between philosophy, science, and religion, and the problem of personal identity. He is able to supervise in many areas of philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, continental philosophy and the history of philosophy, and would also consider proposals in comparative philosophy (especially Western – Chinese) and some areas of the philosophy of technology.

Facilities

Keele library has excellent provision for philosophy. Most of the research activities of Keele Philosophy are organised under the auspices of the Keele Forum for Philosophical Research. The Forum arranges for leading philosophers from around the UK and abroad to present their ideas at Keele on a regular basis.

Events include the Forum Annual lecture, the Royal Institute of Philosophy Invited Lecture Series, and various other work in progress seminars, workshops and lecture series organised by RC4SPIRE. There is also a thriving student–led Philosophy Society that holds regular debates and film screenings. And all post-graduate students are part of the Research Institute for Social Sciences, thereby benefiting from facilities such as a dedicated research building.

Student research topics

Topics currently or recently researched at Keele at M.Res., M.Phil. or Ph.D. level include:

• Collingwood’s Philosophy of History
• Davidson, Rorty, and the Problem of Mental Causation
• Panpsychism in Contemporary Analytic Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophical progress: its possibility and nature
• Kant's transendential idealism and laws of nature

We are always ready to supervise dissertations relating to our main research strengths, which are: Kantian philosophy (all aspects); metaphilosophy; philosophy of mind and action; Collingwood; Rorty. We will also consider proposals within the areas of history of philosophy; political philosophy; environmental philosophy; metaphysics; moral philosophy, in particular normative ethics and metaethics; and many other areas of philosophy. See the ‘Research Interests’ tab on this page for more details.

International

SPIRE is a thoroughly international school, and is particularly welcoming to international students, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for home students to broaden their horizons.

We have staff with educational backgrounds in a wide variety of countries, such as Columbia, Canada, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Romania, and Turkey, who present their research all around the world. Students have the opportunity to hear visiting lecturers from various different countries, arranged through our ERASMUS partnerships.

International students will join established international communities at Keele, and will find plenty of support mechanisms in place to help them make the transition to study in the UK (see the ‘International Applicants’ button above).