Philosophy Honours

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In the course of one year of full-time Honours studies with UJ Philosophy, you will be provided with a solid grounding in Philosophy in cutting-edge modules. You will also complete an independent research essay over the year, with guidance provided by a supervisor. The Department offers supervisory expertise in Anglo- American, Continental and African philosophy, and you will be instructed by highly respected scholars.

Are you a 3rd year student confused about your next move? Below is some advice.

The Honours programme consists of five compulsory modules.

  1. Research Essay module (runs for the whole year)

Students choose a topic linked to the expertise of one of the lecturers. They are guided through the process of writing a 6000-8000 words essay on this topic by their chosen supervisor and the module coordinator.

Which courses are offered for the other four modules in a specific year will be determined by the department and will be based on, amongst other considerations, the availability of academic staff with the requisite expertise in a field and the interests of students.

In 2023 we offer:

Philosophy of Science (Prof Ben Smart)

Select Topic: Identity Politics (Dr Devon Bailey)

Continental Philosophy (Prof Rafael Winkler)

Applied Ethics Ethics (TBA)’
To be admitted to this programme, students must fulfill the department’s admission requirements:

Minimum requirement

You must have scored at least 65% average for both semesters of third-year Philosophy as a major subject.

​Admission to Honours 2024 (SA Students)

DEADLINE: 30 October 2023

​THE APPLICANT COMPLETES AND SUBMITS THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ONLINE TO THE STUDENT ENROLMENT CENTRE:

(All documents must be certified copies, with the exception of the academic record and certificate of conduct)

  1. ​Academic record and (certificate of conduct if registered at another higher education institution)
  2. Matriculation exemption certificate (only students who did not study at UJ)
  3. Previous degree/certificate, (only students who did not study at UJ)
  4. An UJ application form (only students who did not study at UJ)
  5. Departmental contact details form​

THE APPLICANT COMPLETES AND SUBMITS THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS VIA EMAIL TO THE POSTGRADUATE ADMISSIONS CO-ORDINATOR, Prof Catherine Botha cbotha@uj.ac.za , AT THE DEPARTMENT:

  1. ​Documents [1] to [3] as listed above
  2. ONE of their best Philosophy 3 essays
  3. A covering letter that includes a statement of purpose of no longer than 300 words. A statement of purpose usually include, but not only, the following: reasons why you want to do this degree, impediments to your study, work commitments, etc.

Note: Prospective candidates may also be invited to an interview.

 

Admission to Honours (International Students)

Candidates who do not have permanent residence in South Africa or who are not South African citizens need to consult the International Office for specific prerequisites with regard to legal requirements and other relevant information. This includes matters such as study permits, medical cover and English language proficiency requirements. The international office will, where applicable, refer candidates to SAQA for validation of qualifications, as well as for English language proficiency testing. The International Office also provides information about the application procedure.​

Contact details​

International office: +27 (0)11 559 2018

Please contact either Prof Catherine Botha cbotha@uj.ac.za, the Postgraduate admissions co-ordinator, or Dr Asheel Singh asheels@uj.ac.za, the Postgraduate teaching co-ordinator, to help with any queries.