Philosphy in UCD or Trinity

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

Which course is better and which university has better lecturers.

The points for entry into UCD are much lower than Trinity. Would this be a real representation of course quality?

andrew369

I am currently doing philosophy at Maynooth and while researching the courses I was told Trinity focuses on the more Analytic school of philosophy while UCD would have more of a Analytic/Continental split. Could I ask what philosophers you enjoy?

As for points range I wouldn't worry too much about quality depending on the points. Courses at Trinity are always going to be higher simply because it is Trinity. UCD has a well established department which includes members of the Irish Philosophical Society, far more interesting post-grad masters courses and some excellent guest speakers. Had Noam Chomsky last year I think.

VincentLeB

I am a first-year philosophy student in Trinity (TSM).

If you have any questions, let me know.

I do know that Trinity's philosophy department is more well-respected than UCD's. Specifically, the head of the school of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Prof. Peter Simons, is a renowned philosopher, and he's bringing the department on further.

With regards to points — they are purely a supply-and-demand thing. I don't know how many people UCD take in, but philosophy is quite big in TCD, between PPES, TSM and single-honours philosophy.

All round, Trinity is the better experience. It's in the heart of Dublin, has a better international reputation, and it's Trinity. Enough said.

Clearlier

It has been just over 10 years since I completed my degree in UCD. At the time the distinction that Andrew mentions where Trinity focused on Analytical philosophy and UCD had a broader outlook that include continental, analytical and American pragmatism was very pronounced to the point where I met 2 TCD PhD students who had literally never heard of Derrida, Foucault and other prominent continental philosophers.

I've had a quick glance at both programmes and my guess is that they have both drifted a little bit away from Analytical philosophy. There appears to be slightly more than a token nod towards continental philosophy in Trinity now but the emphasis looks firmly analytical and there seems to be slightly less analytical modules in UCD than when I did my course but overall based on the module titles I'd prefer to do the philosophy course now than when I actually did it as they appear to have developed the course in a more interesting and quasi-practical way with more of a focus on questions than an area or a philosopher.

In terms of lecturers I was taught by about half the current faculty and what remains is a mixture of the good, the bad and the diligent. It's a pity that Dermot Moran appears to have moved up in the UCD world as he was the best teacher IMO although Richard Kearney was considered to be far more eminent in my time.

To get back to your dilemma.

No, points are not a good indicator of quality. I'd be willing to bet that the standard of lecturing (publishing in my experience is not a good indicator of this) is similar with a mixture of good, bad and indifferent in both departments. You'll get a more in depth analysis of analytical philosophy in Trinity and a broader understanding of the different strands of philosophical thinking in UCD.

If you have the opportunity it's probably still quite feasible to drop into a couple of lectures to get a feel for what happens. Perhaps look up the departmental secretaries and email them explaining that you're thinking of applying to study philosophy and were wondering if it were possible to sit in on a couple of lectures or assuming things are organised as when I went you could just look up the timetables and sit in.

Good luck whatever you decide.

UpsidedownA

I've had experience as a visiting lecturer at both Trinity and UCD (a few years ago now). I found, with the odd exceptions, that the students at Trinity were more engaged and on the ball than the UCD students. Perhaps you don't think this is a relevant observation but bear in mind that you won't get much contact time with lecturers at either institution and a lot of your learning will be through interacting with peers. If you have a bunch of friends who are really digging the course and reading the readings and doing the work, your conversations on the topics will be so much better informed and you will be able to delve into the issues in much more detail. If you can get into Trinity then go there. However, you can do well at UCD too. Plenty of UCD students have gone on to do PhDs in philosophy in the UK or USA. One of the smartest students I met while teaching at either UCD or Trinity was a UCD student who is now pursuing a PHD at the University of Cambridge.