Description
The Master’s programme in ‘Philosophy’ includes a subject pathway entitled ‘Research and Philosophy - Man, Nature and Society’. It is geared towards professions in research and draws primarily on the scientific output of the university lecturer-researchers within the Department of Philosophy.
Objectives
Programme objectives
The main objective of this subject pathway is to train students to meet the demands of philosophical research: writing a dissertation, devising a bibliography, developing their own philosophical knowledge, presenting their work in a seminar context, participating at colloquiums and the on-going progression towards a potential thesis subject. This programme of study, which is one of a kind in the Greater Southwest region of France, is characterised by the emphasis placed on specialised research in the dissertation element and by the great variety of themes covered within the seminar units.
Training content
Two years of study: Master 1 (M1) and Master 2 (M2)
The first year of this two-year programme aims to give students an introduction to philosophical research whilst completing any gaps in their knowledge. With supervision from a member of teaching staff, students produce a progress report of approximately fifteen pages, which they then hand in at the end of the second semester. The aim is to encourage students to see through a process of reflection and to write a research question on the subject of their choosing that is supported by bibliographic evidence. The longer-term aim is to help students prepare for the production of their research-based dissertation, which must be approximately 100 pages long and defended in an oral examination at the end of the second year.
Master 1: First year of two-year Master’s programme
During the course of the first year, students follow four seminar units in the first semester and three seminar units in the second semester. The titles of these seminar units encompass the vast extent of philosophical research and include:
- Aesthetics
- History of Ancient Philosophy
- History of Early Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
- Metaphysics, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of Religion
- Moral and Political Philosophy
- Philosophy of the Sciences
- Philosophy of the Human Sciences.
Throughout the course of the year, a ‘taster’ seminar unit enables students to follow interdisciplinary activities within the Doctoral School. Classes in ‘Documentation’ ensure that students are proficient in digital tools.
Master 2: Second year of two-year Master’s programme of study
In the second year there are slightly fewer seminars, because the emphasis is placed on the preparation of a research-based dissertation (four seminar units in the first semester, two seminar units in the second semester). The overarching themes are the same as those taught in the first year, but in this second year different elements are taught. In particular, one of the four seminar units during the first semester is taught by teaching staff from within other departments (to be chosen from ‘History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences’, ‘Literature and the Human Sciences’ and ‘Books and Sites of Knowledge in Modern Europe’).
Throughout the two years, students also take language classes. These classes focus on the one hand on oral foreign language skills, and on the other hand readings of philosophical texts in their original language (German, English or Greek and Latin).
Access condition
Find information regarding enrolment procedures and the supporting documents to be provided, according to your profile and your level of studies :
Career pathways
L’acquisition d’un haut niveau de réflexion et de culture théorique, d’une capacité méthodologique rigoureuse, constitue un acquis fondamental pour l’insertion et l’adaptabilité professionnelle.
Sont visés au premier chef les métiers de l’enseignement et de la recherche en philosophie, puis les fonctions du secteur public et parapublic accessibles par concours ; mais également l’ensemble des métiers nécessitant une formation en sciences humaines (par exemple dans l’édition, le journalisme, les ressources humaines, etc.).
Further studies
Entering employment
The acquisition of a high standard of reflection, sophisticated knowledge in cultural theory and rigorous methodological skills constitutes a fundamental asset for students as they enter employment and enables professional flexibility. First and foremost, this programme aims to prepare students for professions related to teaching and research in the field of philosophy. Secondly, students can aspire to roles in the French public and semi-public sectors following success in the competitive recruitment competitions for these roles. Thirdly however, the programme also targets roles requiring a certain level of training in the human sciences (such as publishing, journalism, human resources etc.).
Students who decide on a career path in teaching can either enter the relative competitive recruitment competition during the first year of this two-year Master’s programme (for the secondary-school teaching diploma, ‘CAPES’), or after graduation (for the university examination for the recruitment of teachers, ‘Agrégation’). If students pass the ‘CAPES’ examination, they join the School of Teaching and Education (ESPE) and integrate the second year of the Master’s for Future Teachers (Master 2 MEEF).
If students graduate from both years of this two-year Master’s programme with at least 14/20 (or Mention Bien), they are also eligible to apply for doctoral studies. Some students may either be eligible for a bursary from the Université Bordeaux Montaigne research centre for sciences, philosophy and the humanities (SPH), or for a ‘doctoral contract’. (The French contrat doctoral is a fixed-term employment contract that has the features of an individual employment agreement.)
