For the latest instalment of the College’s Sofa Chat series, we spoke Univ’s Beacon Junior Research Fellows in Philosophy, Dr Jordan Scott and Dr Tareeq Jalloh.

Dr Scott, who has research interests in epistemology and the philosophy of race, is interested in questions about the nature and normativity of epistemic rationality, and about how the rationality of belief differs from the rationality of action. He is also exploring questions about the nature of racism, considering how we can distinguish good theories of racism from bad ones.

Dr Jalloh is currently working on a project titled “The Philosophy of Rap: An Aesthetic, Political and Legal Framework.” His published work interrogates popular and pervasive critiques of rap music, particularly those underpinning the criminalisation of rap music. Dr Jalloh has also served as an expert witness for the defence in a case where the prosecution looked to use the lyrics of the defendant to secure conviction.

During their conversation, the two Junior Research Fellows spoke about their pathways to studying philosophy at Oxford, the questions they explore in their work and the crossovers between them, and the importance of accessibility in philosophy.

You can watch their Sofa Chat episode below.

You can find out more about the Univ Beacon Programme here.

Published: 27 October 2026

Explore Univ on social media