This joint honours degree examines some of our most fundamental ideas about truth, reality, right and wrong; develop an understanding of philosophical arguments and political theory. Studying philosophy at the University of Reading will equip you with the ability to think logically, to evaluate arguments critically, and to challenge your own ideas and those of other people. We will give you an understanding of the central principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures of philosophy. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. By studying politics you will acquire a strong grounding in fundamental elements of the subject such as political ideas and democratic processes. You can study a wide range of specialist core and optional modules, which cover topics such as British government and politics, European political integration, and political thinking. We encourage you to take placements as they provide you with a chance to put your newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice as well as allowing you to gain valuable real-world experience you can undertake a placement at any point in your degree and work in a company or charity relevant to your final year studies. For example, a previous student worked at a zoo to learn more about the ethical treatment of animals. Philosophy will give you a range of transferable skills in clear thinking, logical analysis and the critical assessment of argument. Such skills are greatly valued in a variety of professional careers such as law, politics, management and marketing. Past students have put their political analysis skills to direct use in the home and European civil services, political research units, think tanks, non-governmental organisations and journalism. Other have found employment in the civil service, journalism, consultancy, finance, local and central government, and recent employers have included the Ministry of Defence, Cambridge University Press, local authorities and other universities.