Law and Philosophy & Ethics BA (Hons)

LAW

Law shapes our society and affects every part of our lives. It sets our duties, regulates relationships, and offers ways to resolve disputes. Studying law means exploring a complex subject and the rules that support society.

Our law degree gives you a strong foundation in both theory and practice. You will learn about the key principles and theories that form the law in England and Wales. You will also study how Public Law creates the framework for government and administration. This includes the values of democracy, constitutionalism, and the rule of law that uphold our system.

This law course aims to create graduates who not only know the law but also understand its impact and potential changes. You will think critically. You will connect ideas from different subjects. You’ll question readings and explore topics that interest you.

You can study the LLB or Joint law degrees over three or four years. Choose four years, and the third year offers legal work experience. This helps meet the Solicitors Qualifying Exams requirements.

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS

Philosophy and Ethics explores the big questions of life and morality: on what basis do we judge things good or evil? It challenges you to examine your assumptions, opinions and worldview. Do we need to believe in God for life to have meaning – or have the arguments for the existence of God broken down? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will, or is our life completely determined?

Through close attention to the primary texts of philosophers such as Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant and Nietzsche, our Philosophy and Ethics degree will help you learn to analyse and evaluate arguments, and to compose and communicate your own ideas in a reasoned way. You will have a grounding in the foundational questions of philosophy. As you progress, you will look in depth at philosophy of religion, political philosophy, applied ethics and issues of human personhood, artificial intelligence, ecology and animality.

Liverpool is a great place to study philosophy: the city famously wears its heart on its sleeve, and is home to a rich web of cultures that explore the human condition through humour, art and performance. The Liverpool Hope team has developed a programme that aims to be contemporary and timely, especially in the field of applied ethics. And in a city that has been riven with sectarian strife in its past, the innovative approaches that the team takes to thinking about religion in the modern world are highly topical. 

This degree will help you to develop your professional capacity by equipping you with the intellectual skills and perspectives needed to face the ethical and ideological challenges of the contemporary world. Such skills are essential for careers that require you to grasp with complex and often conflicting ideas across a whole range of professions.