Music and Philosophy, BA (Hons)

Course summary

The BA Music and Philosophy enables you to pursue your interest in both disciplines and explore the fascinating intersection between them. You will be part of two particularly vibrant departments. Located at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Durham offers the perfect juxtaposition of the ancient and the cutting-edge.We pride ourselves on combining the traditional and the modern in the study of music, exploring diverse genres from the past and present and developing exciting new approaches in musicology, composition, music and science, analysis, ethnomusicology and performance.As part of the philosophy element of the course, you will examine the broad divisions of philosophy, delving into metaphysics and theory of knowledge on the one hand, and moral philosophy on the other. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.In the first year you will take a variety of core and optional modules designed to give you a broad overview of the disciplines and approaches of each subject.In the second year, there is an increased emphasis on the development of critical and analytical skills and the modules will specialise more strongly in particular areas.The third year of this course is structured around an independent project, which can take the form of a composition portfolio, public performance recital or dissertation (in either music or philosophy).

Year 1 Core modules: Historical Studies 1 introduces the historical study of the Western art music tradition, covering music from the baroque to late classical periods. A number of representative musical works from the period are explored and you will deepen your knowledge of those works and the contexts of their composition and reception, while also acquiring skills foundational to the practice of historical musicology. Ethics and Values provides a structured introduction to moral philosophy, including applied ethics, by exploring key moral concepts and showing how they influence moral practices and theories. Knowledge and Reality introduces philosophical problems in epistemology (the study of knowledge), and metaphysics (the study of reality and ourselves). In recent years, optional modules have included: Introduction to Ethnomusicology Analysis 1: Elements of Tonal Theory and Practice Historical Composition Techniques Composition 1: 20th Century Innovations Performance 1 – with recital/with essay Reading Philosophy Science, Medicine and Society Being Human: An Introduction to Post-Kantian Philosophy.