This unique joint honours degree combines courses from the fields of government (politics) and philosophy, in approximately equal weighting, whilst providing a considerable amount of choice in the specific courses taken within each field.

Rather than simply studying the core elements of politics and philosophy “side by side”, the aim of this degree is to show how the study of each is relevant for understanding political practices and behaviour, and for the understanding and development of political ideals. To this purpose, in their third year, students will take a course in Philosophy and Public Policy, which examines specific policy questions from conceptual and normative perspectives.

For more information, see the LSE Course Description and the Official Programme Regulations.

The First Year

1st Year Courses
Logic
Reason, Knowledge and Values: An Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Political Theory
Introduction to Political Science
LSE100 (Lent term only)

The Second Year

2nd Year Courses
Any course from Government List A
An approved outside option or a further course from Government List A
Either Philosophy, Morals and Politics or Contemporary Political Theory
Either Philosophy of the Social Sciences or Philosophy of Science
LSE100 (Michaelmas term only)

The Third Year

3rd Year Courses
Either: Any course from Government List B Or: GV390 Government Dissertation Option Or: PH399 Dissertation in Philosophy
PH222 Philosophy and Public Policy
Either a course from Government List A or an approved course taught outside of the departments of Government and Philosophy if an outside option was not already taken.
Either: A course from Government List A Or: A course from the Philosophy List Or: An approved course taught outside of the departments of Government and Philosophy.

Options

Philosophy List Government List A Government List B
PH201 Philosophy of Science GV225 Public Choice and Politics GV302 Key Themes in the History of Political Thought
PH203 Philosophy of the Social Sciences GV227 Politics of Economic Policy GV308 Leadership in the Political World (H)
PH214 Philosophy, Morals and Politics GV245 Democracy and Democratisation GV309 Politics of Money and Finance in Comparative Perspective
PH217 Set Theory and Further Logic GV247 Theories and Problems of Nationalism GV311 British Government
PH221 Problems in Analytic Philosophy GV248 Power and Politics in the Modern World: Comparative Perspectives GV312 Advanced Topics in Government: Executive Politics
PH225 Business and Organisational Ethics (H) GV251 Government, Politics and Public Policy in the European Union GV313 Politics of Trade in Comparative Perspective
PH227 Genes, Brains and Society (H) GV262 Contemporary Political Theory GV314 Empirical Research in Government
PH228 Emotion, Cognition and Behaviour: Science and Policy (H) GV263 Public Policy Analysis GV366 Political Economy of the Developing World
PH311 Philosophy of Economics GV264 Politics and Institutions in Europe GV315 Voting and Elections in Developing Democracies (H)
PH332 Effective Philanthropy: Ethics and Evidence (H) GV249 Research Design in Political Science GV316 Advanced Issues in Applied Political Theory (H)
PH399 Dissertation in Philosophy GV317 The Modern State – Theory and Practice (H)
LL305 Jurisprudence (third year only) GV318 Building Democracies from Conflict? Violence, Power-Sharing and Institutional Design (H)
LN253 European Literature and Society GV325 Advanced Issues in Political Economy (H)
GV335 African Political Economy (H)

Please note that where Philosophy degree programmes permit “options”, these must be selected from amongst courses at LSE. In general, only courses administered by LSE count towards our degree programmes.

This information is provided for guidance only. The definitive statement of all of the School’s regulations can be found on the LSE Calendar.