Over halfway through the term and I am thoroughly enjoying all of my modules. The choice of topics seems a bit more exciting than last year. This teaching block I am taking Philosophy of Religion, Political Philosophy and Realism and Normativity. The latter is the core module and it’s really tough. When I enjoy Realism it’s because I’ve understood it (this isn’t a regular occurrence). It’s really interesting and it’s inspired me. My favourite lectures are given by Chris Bertram and Tim Fowler on Political Philosophy and Contemporary Political Theory. Tim in particular seems to come up with responses and counterarguments so quickly that I am in awe of how big his brain must be. In first year Philosophy many of the modules on offer cover tough, abstract concepts, and I spent so much of my time trying to get my head around them that I didn’t have much of a chance to form any strong opinions. So when I started going to Political Philosophy lectures I found that I could really get behind some of the arguments presented; some of them I completely disagreed with. It was the first time that I started to consider postgraduate education!
Last year I think I spent a lot of time just running around like a headless chicken, signing up for everything I possibly could without being very selective. I’m glad I did that in my first year though, because now I know more about what I like and what I don’t like, and it’s enabled me to be more discerning this year. I’m now starting to choose to spend my time on things that might look good on my CV, or things that will at least help me better understand what kind of job I’d like to aim for when I graduate. I’ve attended a lot of law firm employer presentations (which, if nothing else, are an excellent source of free wine and canapés). After the first few events I thought a career in commercial law might be for me. But now, having attended several, I’m completely re-evaluating what is that I want from a job. Is it money that’s driving my career aspirations, or is it something more meaningful, like the prospect of helping those less fortunate and making the world a better place? I know what the answer is in my case. Step 1: get an education. Step 2: save the world.
Alice 
Leave a Reply