Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics

专业详情

Psychology, philosophy, and linguistics are closely interrelated disciplines, so studying a combination of them allows students to explore different aspects of each subject, resulting in a very varied and dynamic course. Psychology addresses such questions as: how do we perceive colours? How do children acquire language? What predisposes two people to get on with each other? What causes schizophrenia? Philosophy is concerned with a wide range of questions including ethics, knowledge, and the nature of mind. Linguistics is the study of language in all its aspects, including the structure of languages, meaning (semantics), pronunciation, and how people understand, mentally represent and generate language.

Psychology at Oxford is a scientific discipline, involving the rigorous formulation and testing of ideas. It works through experiments and systematic observation rather than introspection, with data science and coding playing an important role in how we train students. The Oxford Experimental Psychology Department is widely regarded as one of the leading psychology departments in the UK. At present, there are particularly strong groups in the fields of human cognitive processes, neuroscience, language, and developmental and social psychology.

The Oxford Philosophy Faculty is one of the largest Philosophy departments in the world, and regularly tops international rankings. Philosophers at Oxford have active interests in the philosophy of language and of logic, philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of science, and maintain close links with those working in neuroscience and psychology.

The Faculty of Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics brings together scholars working in theoretical and descriptive linguistics (especially syntax, semantics and phonology), experimental phonetics, psycholinguistics, linguistics of the Romance languages, historical linguistics and comparative philology. Unlike other subjects in the humanities, it includes two scientific research laboratories – the Language and Brain Laboratory and the Phonetics Laboratory.

Students can elect to graduate after three years with a BA degree. Alternatively, they can decide to remain for an optional fourth year composed of a research-intensive, clinically-focused or translation-focused extended project in Experimental Psychology and allied disciplines. Students who complete the fourth year will graduate with a Master’s degree in PPL.