Faculty of Arts Philosophy

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Faculty of Arts

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Requirements for a major
    2.1. Philosophy major
    2.2. Logic and philosophy of science major
    2.3. Philosophy and social theory major
3. Honours entry
4. Honours requirements
    4.1. Pure honours
    4.2. Combined honours
5. Further study
6. Career opportunities
7. For more information
Subject Lists
    First year subjects
    Second/third year subjects
    Third year subjects
    Fourth year subjects
    Subjects not offered in 2002
        Second/third year subjects not offered in 2002
        Fourth year subjects not offered in 2002

Philosophy has been taught and studied continuously at the University of Melbourne since 1881, and the department is accordingly one of the oldest and best established in Australia. The department is renowned for promotion of an eclectic and wide-ranging approach to philosophical issues. It has earned an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching in all of the core fields of the discipline, as well as in less traditional but burgeoning areas of philosophical inquiry and debate. Graduates of the Department have been recruited to positions in universities worldwide, and in government, industry and the arts. The department also provides an articulated structure of higher degree study for students who wish to further pursue their interests in this exciting field.

Philosophy deals with the fundamental aspects of reality and value. It tackles questions that lie outside the scope of any of the more specialised disciplines such as physics, mathematics or history, or which the specialised disciplines suggest, but cannot themselves adequately answer. Despite the abstract nature of many of the problems it encounters, philosophy looks for answers that can only be justified by the highest standards of argument and rigour. Philosophy at Melbourne is wide ranging in scope and covers core topic areas such as logic, ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, feminism, political and environmental philosophy. Among philosophical questions discussed are these: Could all experience be a dream? Does God exist? Is morality just a matter of personal preference? Is there such a thing as human nature? Are we genuinely free to choose? Does life have meaning?

1. Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for first year philosophy subjects.

The prerequisite for a second/third year subject in philosophy is completion of one philosophy subject at first year (12.5 points). Students who have done suitable alternative first year subjects are advised to consult with the Head of Department for permission to enrol. Exemptions may also be granted where second/third year subjects are taken as part of an approved interdepartmental program with its own entry requirements. Note, however, that a major in philosophy requires the completion of two first year subjects.

Students are advised to consult individual subject prerequisites for further information.

2. Requirements for a major

2.1. Philosophy major

A major in philosophy consists of nine 12.5 point subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two first year subjects in philosophy (25 points) and;

• seven second/third year subjects in philosophy (87.5 points).

BA Students may take up to three alternative subjects offered by other departments towards their major in philosophy. Subjects from the following list will be approved automatically. Other subjects may be approved by the Head of Department if the content is deemed appropriate.

2.2. Logic and philosophy of science major

A major in logic and philosophy of science (see Logic and philosophy of science major) consists of nine 12.5 point subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two first year subjects in philosophy (25 points), which must include 161-115 Introduction to Formal Logic and one other first year subject from the list below and;

• seven second/third year subjects (87.5 points), which must include 136-033 Science, Reason and Reality and six other second/third year subjects from the list below.

2.3. Philosophy and social theory major

A major in philosophy and social theory (see Philosophy and social theory major) consists of nine 12.5 point subjects, totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two first year subjects (25 points) from the list below and;

• seven second/third year subjects (87.5 points), which must include either 136-074 Society: Revolutions to Social Movements or 161-020 Phenomenology and Existentialism and;

• six other second/third year subjects from the list below. At least two subjects must be taken from each of list A and list B.

3. Honours entry

The prerequisites for entry to fourth year honours in philosophy are:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA and;

• completion of a major in philosophy and;

• an average grade of H2A or higher over the second/third year subjects

  within the major.

Entry to honours must be approved by the philosophy honours coordinator and the Faculty of Arts honours course adviser.

Students proposing to enter honours are required to have achieved some spread over their second/third year subjects. Information as to how this may be achieved can be found in the departmental Handbook or by consulting the Head of Department or the department's honours coordinator. No subjects are compulsory, but prospective honours students are strongly advised to take the subject 161-310 What is philosophy? a course specifically intended for aspiring honours students.

4. Honours requirements

Students enrolled in philosophy honours must achieve an H2B grade or better in each assessable component of their honours year.

4.1. Pure honours

Students undertaking pure honours in philosophy must complete:

• 161-503 Philosophy Thesis (25 points) or 161-504 Philosophy Thesis (MYE) (25 points) and;

• six honours subjects in philosophy (totalling 75 points).

Students may be permitted to take up to two existing honours subjects offered by the Department of History and Philosophy of Science towards their fourth years studies in philosophy. Subjects from the following list would normally by approved automatically. Other subjects may be approved on a case-by-case basis. If a student wishes to take more than two subjects then combined honours should be considered. Notwithstanding the above, enrolment is subject to approval by the philosophy honours coordinator.

• 136-416 Beyond Realism and Relativism

• 136-417 Science in the Classical World

• 136-462 Realism, Relativism and Naturalism

• 136-464 Philosophical Problems in Statistics

• 136-466 Scepticism, Fallibilism and Relativism

4.2. Combined honours

Students undertaking combined honours in philosophy and another area of study must complete:

• 161-503 Philosophy Thesis (25 points) or 161-504 Philosophy Thesis (MYE) (25 points) and;

• three honours subjects in philosophy (37.5 points) and;

• three honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 37.5 points).

or

• honours thesis in the combined area of study (37.5 points) and;

• two honours subjects in the combined area of study (totalling 25 points) and;

• three honours subjects in philosophy (37.5 points).

5. Further study

The Philosophy Department offers the usual range of further study options to students who have already completed a degree: graduate certificate in philosophy (a specialised version of which is recommended for those students interested in preparing themselves for teaching philosophy at VCE level), graduate diploma in philosophy, postgraduate diploma in arts (philosophy), master of arts (by research or coursework), and the PhD. Further information about these programs can be obtained by consulting either the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook or the philosophy department's appropriate postgraduate coordinators.

6. Career opportunities

Philosophy develops rigorous thought, clear expression, and creative approaches to problems which are appreciated and valued by employers: 'The best graduates are those who have received a very good training in...the philosophical side of the subject matter; the understanding that will last a long time, irrespective of changes in technology or changes in the market place.' (BHP deputy chair, Jerry Ellis, The Australian 4/12/96)

7. For more information

Department of Philosophy
First Floor, Old Arts Building
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel: +61 3 8344 5142
Fax: +61 3 8344 4280
email: office@philosophy.unimelb.edu.au
Web: http://www.philosophy.unimelb.edu.au

First year subjects

161-001 Moral Conflicts
161-003 Critical Thinking: The Art of Reasoning
161-005 Freedom and Constraint
161-006 Reason, Religion and Responsibility
161-110 The Ties that Bind
161-111 Great Ideas in Philosophy
161-115 Introduction to Formal Logic
161-134 Asian Philosophies

Second/third year subjects

161-008 Moral Theory: Basic Issues
161-009 Knowledge, Truth and Relativism
161-012 Classics of Political Thought
161-018 Philosophy of Art
161-021 Theories of Interpretation
161-023 Medieval Philosophy
161-024 Issues in Biomedical Ethics
161-026 Philosophy and Music
161-027 Applied Ethics
161-030 The Rise of Modern Philosophy
161-031 Metaphysics and the Nature of God
161-033 Philosophical Problems of Space and Time
161-035 Philosophy of Buddhism
161-052 Ideas of Utopia
161-210 Philosophy of Logic
161-211 Minds and Machines
161-212 Non-Classical Logic
161-213 Thinking in Asian Philosophy
161-214 The Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein
161-215 The Nature of Mind
161-216 Science, Knowledge and Dogma
161-217 Kant's Metaphysics of Experience

Third year subjects

161-310 What is Philosophy?

Fourth year subjects

161-503 Philosophy Thesis
161-504 Philosophy Thesis (MYE)
161-431 Recent European Philosophy
161-432 Ethical Perspectives
161-435 Topics in Philosophy
161-436 Issues in Analytic Metaphysics
161-437 Topics in Applied Ethics
161-443 Political Philosophy
161-445 Current Issues in Philosophy
161-447 Logic

Subjects not offered in 2002

Second/third year subjects not offered in 2002

161-054 Human Life in Modern Thought

Fourth year subjects not offered in 2002

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Status:                   Official 2002
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