For the academic year 2024-25: please ignore this page
Since I will dedicate this year to the Leverhulme Fellowship on Diversity Recognition, I will not be involved in teaching this academic year. The coordination of placement-based learning is taken over by Merten Reglitz. Please contact him for more information

I am the lead on Placement-Based learning in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. Since the UoB website can sometimes be a bit moody, I made this page to inform interested students and placement organisations. 

You can download the detailed handbook , but with 2 caveats:

• There may be small updates each year, so students should download the final version once it's made available on Canvas at the start of the academic year
• Specific dates (e.g. deadlines etc.) will be announced via Canvas and university email.

The induction session for students will be in the first week of the first semester on Zoom. 

Quick rundown for (prospective) placement organisations

• These Placement opportunities are for Postgraduate students
  
  
• Placements are either 80 or 160 hours (minimally)
  
  
• During the placement, students should undertake tasks that are appropriate for a Postgraduate course
  • A placement should not consist of ​only practical activities (e.g. planting trees or feeding animals). This could be a (minor) part to get practical experience in this area, but the majority of the placement should consist of theoretical or policy-related work
  • Students are not allowed to engage in fundraising activities during the placement (exceptions can be granted after discussion with the academic lead)
  • It could be a good idea to focus the Placement on a particular project which is interesting for the you as Placement Organisation as well as the student. In each case, it is recommended to make a plan for placement tasks/project before the start of the Placement.
    
    
• Requirements beyond the Placement itself and communication:
  • We know that you are busy people, so we keep other requirements to a minimum. The student is responsible for getting a signed placement agreement with you, there will be a couple of emails between the academic lead and you, but that's about it.
  • The work undertaken during the Placement remains between you and the student. Students are assessed on the basis of the Placement report. You will be invited to contribute some summative feedback regarding the placement. 
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• Any questions, please contact me at w.peeters[at]bham.ac.uk 

Quick rundown for (prospective) students)

• Placement-based learning happens at Postgraduate Level via the following 2 routes: 
  • LM Global Ethics Placement:
    • 20 credits, 80 hours placement
    • Assessment: Placement Report of 4,000 words
    • Can be taken by students on the MSc Global Ethics and Justice (on-campus and distance learning)
  • LM Practice-Based Dissertation:
    • 60 credits, 160 hours of placement
    • Assessment: Placement Report of 12,000 words
    • Can be taken by students on the MA International Law, Ethics and Politics or the MSc Global Ethics and Justice (on-campus and distance learning)
      
      
• Placements are undertaken with local, national or international organisations which work on themes related to global ethics
  • We are quite flexible about this and are happy to interpret "global ethics" in a very broad way. 
  • Students are ultimately required to source their own placement. The detailed handbook above contains some tips and tricks for finding a Placement Organisation, as well as a list of previous Placement Organisations, but ultimately, it is down to them to find an organisation.
    
    
• The assessment is a Placement Report, which is independent from any written work you have undertaken for the Placement and consists of (i) critical reflection on the organisation; (ii) critical reflection on your experience; and (iii) more standard, academic, theoretical work related to one of the themes of your Placement. 
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• We have contingencies in place for if a placement falls through through no fault of your own. 
  
  
• During the induction session (in the first week of the first semester) on Zoom, we will give more information and there will be time for an extensive Q&A!