Disciplines and areas of study
Philosophy
Program Coordinator: Professor Andrew Brennan
Philosophy is fun, useful, and as unavoidable as falling in love. It explores the fundamental questions that everyone asks some time or other. If you have ever been puzzled about why some actions are right and others are wrong, or about what makes belief in gravity more sensible than belief in Santa Claus, then you have already asked philosophical questions. Because complex and big questions often have more than one answer, philosophy is helpful to you no matter what your main area of study is. Whether your interests lie in history, psychology, biology, politics, literature, drama, computing, religion, media studies, or health sciences, you will find something in philosophy that is relevant, useful, and challenging.
By taking philosophy, you learn to think rationally, creatively and fairly about the problems that face human beings and the contemporary world. If you think your writing and analytical skills could be improved, then there are subjects in critical thinking and logic that will develop your abilities in these areas. If you are interested in how the modern scientific worldview emerged, you can take introductory subjects in biology, and philosophy. If you want to learn about human freedom, values, and God, then there are comprehensive introductory subjects on these topics. All these areas are also studied in detail at second and third year levels.
Programs of study
Students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and in the disciplines of biological sciences and mathematical and statistical sciences may take a major in philosophy. Students in other faculties should consult their own faculty’s entry requirements, or their advisers of studies, to discover which subjects are available to them and in what degree combinations. It is possible to take some philosophy subjects in the third year of a course without having taken any in the second year. Certain other non-philosophy subjects, listed at the end of this section, may be credited up to a total of 40 credit points in a major. Enquiries concerning the crediting of such subjects should be made to the Philosophy Program Coordinator.
Philosophy Major
To complete a major in philosophy students must complete:
- a philosophy core subject at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level of philosophy subjects from the list below.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Philosophical Problems | PHI1PPR |
| OR | ||
| TE-SEM-1 or 2 | Great Philosophical Ideas | PHI1GPI |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Making of the Modern Philosophical World View | PHI2MMW |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Twentieth-Century Philosophers | PHI3TCP |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Critical Thinking | PHI1CRT |
| TE-SEM-1 | Philosophical Problems | PHI1PPR |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Thinking (on-line subject) | PHI1CRT |
| TE-SEM-2 | Great Philosophical Ideas | PHI1GPI |
| TE-SEM-2 | Philosophy of Natural Science | PHI1BAP |
| Second year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Making of the Modern Philosophical World View | PHI2MMW |
| TE-SEM-2 | History and Philosophy of Science B1 | PHI2HPB |
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Being in the World: Heidegger and Nietzsche on hope and despair | PHI2BAW/PHI3BAW |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human Rights: fundamental issues | PHI2HUR/PHI3HUR |
| TE-SEM-1 | Language, Meaning and Understanding | PHI2LMU/PHI3LMU |
| TE-SEM-1 | Logic: Analytic and Systematic Reasoning | PHI2LOG/PHI3LOG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Philosophy of Science A | PHI2PSA/PHI3PSA |
| TE-SEM-2 | War and Peace | PHI2WAP/PHI3WAP |
| TE-SEM-2 | Philosophy Today | PHI2PTO/PHI3PTO |
| TE-SEM-2 | Plato and the Meaning of Being | PHI2PAM/PHI3PAM |
| TE-SEM-2 | The Ways of Paradox | PHI2TWP/PHI3TWP |
| Third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Reading Course A | PHI3RCA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Reading Course B | PHI3RCB |
1Only available to students not enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Certainty and Subjectivity | PHI2CAS/PHI3CAS |
| Discourse, Body, Knowledge | PHI2DBK/PHI3DBK |
| Ecological Philosophies | PHI2ECP/PHI3ECP |
| Frontiers of Logic | PHI2FOL/PHI3FOL |
| Freud | PHI2FRD/PHI3FRD |
| Inventing Right and Wrong | PHI2ETH/PHI3ETH |
| Love, Desire and the Master-Slave Dialectic | PHI2LDM/PHI3LDM |
| Postmodernism: Metaphysics and Politics | PHI2PMP/PHI3PMP |
| Twentieth-Century Philosophers | PHI3TCP |
| Values, Meaning and the Good Life | PHI2VML/PHI3VML |
Other subjects approved for a major in Philosophy
Important notice: Students qualifying for a degree by taking a major in philosophy should note that no more than 40 credit points from the subjects listed below might be credited towards a major without the specific approval of the Philosophy Program Coordinator. Not all of the subjects listed below will be available every year. See the subject descriptions for availability and semester of offer.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| Second or third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Contemporary Feminist Thought | ENG2CFT/ENG3CFT |
| Introduction to Buddhism | AST2INB/AST3INB |
| Semantics | LIN3SEM |
| Syntax | LIN3SYN |
Honours
Enquiries regarding the honours program are welcome from students at any time after completion of their first year. Students considering honours are strongly advised to consult the coordinator to plan a suitable major. Information about honours is available from the program office and the program website.
To be admitted to the honours year in philosophy, students are normally required to have taken at least a 130-credit point major in philosophy, have obtained at least a B average in their philosophy subjects (students who do not have a B average should consult the Honours Coordinator and may still be considered for admission) and have taken such subjects in their second and third years as will enable them to fulfil the prerequisites of at least three of the honours components offered. In addition to these requirements, students are strongly advised to have included in their second and third year subjects at least 20 credit points in each of the following areas: logic, ethics or political philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics, and philosophy of science. Any difficulties or queries should be referred to the Honours Coordinator.
Philosophy 4
Honours students enrol in Philosophy 4, which consists of three of the fourth year components plus an honours seminar and a research essay on an approved topic.
Information about the fourth year components is available from the Honours Coordinator. Students who are especially keen to take a given component and who have not fulfilled the prerequisites should consult the lecturer who may in certain circumstances waive the prerequisite, possibly setting additional vacation work in its place.
Class requirements
Classes in each component run as two hour weekly semester-length seminars.
Assessment
In general, students have the option of being assessed by examination, by essays and/or exercises, or by a combination of these. Compulsory examinations may sometimes be introduced and students concerned about this should consult the Honours Coordinator at the time of enrolment.
Research essay
An honours student is required to write a research essay on an approved topic. Students are encouraged to commence work on this topic during the long vacation. The research essay must be of 12,500 to 15,000 words and it is worth 50% of the final assessment. Full details regarding final deadlines for submission, presentation requirements, etc. are available from the Honours Coordinator.
Honours seminar
Honours students are required to attend a regular honours seminar to discuss questions related to long essay topics and articles and papers of general philosophical interest.
Selection of components and approval of thesis topic
Students enrolling for fourth year must see the Honours Coordinator to arrange the selection of their course components, to have their thesis topic approved, and to be assigned to a supervisor. The coordinator is available as an adviser of studies to honours (and potential honours) students. Any student at any level who is considering an honours course will find it useful to consult with the Honours Coordinator.