02One-year programme
September 2026 · Birmingham
Philosophy,
Politics & Economics
A liberal-arts intensive for madrasa graduates and students of Islam: a disciplined encounter with the ideas, texts and institutions that shape the modern world.
DurationOne academic year
StructureThree terms
Teaching rhythmMon · Wed · Fri
Sessions2 × 90 minutes
Political institutions, economic theories and philosophical assumptions influence almost every area of contemporary life. PPE gives students the arts required to meet them: grammatical precision, logical discipline, rhetorical judgement and the patient reading of primary texts and their commentaries.
01
Term one · The arts of thoughtLearn how an argument is made.
Grammar, logic and rhetoric · Arabic and classical intellectual traditions · Formal and dialectical reasoning · The quadrivium as number, proportion and order · Foundations of philosophy · Ethics and epistemology · Primary texts, commentary and seminar.
02
Term two · Political and economic ordersRead the ideas that govern public life.
Classical Islamic political thought · Great works of European political philosophy · Liberalism, Marxism and post-colonial thought · Law, society and authority · Microeconomics and macroeconomics · Finance, development and Islamic economic thought.
03
Term three · History, civilisation and judgementMove from reading to considered response.
Ibn Khaldun and civilisational theory · Philosophy of history · Governance, inequality and the common good · Technology, climate and society · Research and writing · Capstone project · Presentation, discussion and final assessment.
A demanding part-time programme
Three days.
Serious reading.
Lectures model disciplined reasoning; seminars test it. Teaching is supported by substantial independent reading, writing and preparation.
MondayPrimary texts + the arts of thoughtWednesdayPhilosophy, politics + economicsFridayCommentary, seminar + writing
Fees & payment
Plan your study.