Philosophy Program
Environmental Enquiry
In the last decade ecology has taken its place beside earlier critical discourses, such as post-colonialism, feminism and Marxism, as an indispensable critical perspective within the humanities and social sciences. Ecological considerations open up new horizons of relevance and inquiry across a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, sociology, politics, anthropology, history, literary criticism and economics. Deep and often hidden environmental assumptions must be identified and challenged across the disciplines if environmental reform of current social practice is to be achieved.
Environmental Enquiry offers a new and innovative course of study for students wishing to focus their attention on environmental issues from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences rather than from the more traditional perspectives of environmental science or environmental management.
Program of study
Environmental Enquiry is a major in the Batchelor of Arts. Students enrolled in the BA must complete a total of 360 points of coursework. To qualify for the major in Environmental Enquiry they must complete at least 130 of those points from the list below, including the four core units, PHI2ECP/PHI3ECP Ecological Philosophies (not available in 2007), PHI2EDU/PHI3EDU Ecology, Democracy, Utopia, PHI2MMW/PHI3MMW Making of the Modern Worldview and HUS1CNF Creating Nonfiction. At least 40 of the 130 points should be at second-year level and 60 points at third-year level.
Before enrolling, intending students should consult with the coordinator of Environmental Enquiry, especially with regard to prerequisites for approved second and third-year units.
Combined majors in Environmental Enquiry and another discipline or area of study are encouraged. Students should plan such combined majors in consultation with one of the coordinators of Environmental Enquiry.
The coordinators are Dr Freya Mathews and Associate Professor Janna Thompson of the Philosophy Program, School of communication, Arts and Critical Enquiry.
First-year units (15 credit points)
At least two humanities or social sciences first-year units are required. It is highly recommended that one of these be a philosophy unit. Other recommended units are as follows:
Animal diversity, ecology and behaviour BIO1AD
Australian history: colonial HIS1AHC
Culture and globalisation ANT1CAG
Economy, environment and human rights POL1EEH
Globalisation: rise of the modern world HIS1DEV
Plant science BIO1PS
Second or third-year units
The units listed below are weighted at 20 credit points unless otherwise indicated.
Aboriginal Australia ANT2ABA/ANT3ABA
#Animal ecology ZOO2AE
Applied Cultural Heritage Management ARC2ACH/ARC3ACH
Archaeology of animals ARC2ZOO/ARC3ZOO
Australian Image & Identity ARH2AII/ARH3AII
Comparative social movements SOC2CSM/SOC3CSM
Contemporary Australian politics POL2CAP/POL3CAP
Creating Non-fiction HUS3CNF
Development, globalisation and culture ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC
Ecological philosophies PHI2ECP/PHI3ECP
Ecology, democracy and utopia PHI2EDU/PHI3EDU
Environmental science (10 credit points) ENV2ENV
Ethics PHI2ETH/PHI3ETH
Global environmental issues (15 credit points) ECO2GEI
#Issues in conservation CBE2IC
Heritage sites and landscapes in Australia HIS2HSL/HIS3HSL
Inventing the bush ENG2ITB/ENG3ITB
Making of the Modern Worldview PHI2MMW/PHI3MMW
Managing Archaeology ARC2MAN/ARC3MAN
New Media & Society MST2NMS/MST3NMS
Peace and change POL2PAC/POL3PAC
#Plant ecology BOT2PE
Rise & Fall of Civilisations ARC2RFC/ARC3RFC
Sociology of the environment SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE
Twentieth-century Australian literature ENG2TAL/ENG3TAL
# Prerequisites apply
NOTE
Not all of the units listed above will be available every year. See the unit lists for the specific disciplines, where units unavailable in 2007 will be indicated.
Honours
An Honours year is available for students who have completed the major at a satisfactory level. Further information is available from the coordinators of environmental enquiry.
Vocational aims
The vocational aim of the course is to help students to achieve environmental literacy. Corporations and organizations of many kinds, including businesses and industries, professional bodies, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and educational institutions, are today increasingly aware of the obligation to become environmentally accountable. Students taking Environmental Enquiry will be introduced to diverse vocabularies and conceptual frameworks for the representation and communication of environmental issues. A capacity to negotiate a variety of environmental discourses will assist in preparing students for a range of organizational roles relating to environmental responsibility. Such a capacity for environmental communication, as distinct from competence in the quantitative methods of traditional, science-based environmental studies, is in increasing demand across the employment sector.
To consult with a coordinator or for further inquiries please contact:
Philosophy Program
School of Communication, Arts and Critical Enquiry
La Trobe University, Vic 3086
Tel: +03 9479 1673
Fax: +03 9479 3639
Email: philosophy@latrobe.edu.au
|
