Faculty of Arts Philosophy

 Search : Index : Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Arts

Table of Contents

1. Time commitment to study
2. Prerequisites
3. Diploma in Arts (Philosophy)
4. Requirements for a major
    4.1. Philosophy major
    4.2. Logic and philosophy of science major
    4.3. Philosophy and social theory major
5. Honours entry
6. Honours requirements
    6.1. Pure honours
    6.2. Combined honours
7. Further study
8. Career opportunities
9. For more information
Subject Lists
    First-year subjects
    Second/third-year subjects
    Third-year subject
    Fourth-year subjects

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 the University of 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. Time commitment to study

As well as scheduled contact hours for lectures, tutorial and seminars a considerable additional time committment is needed to complete the academic requirements of each subect.

A subject-specific time commitment to study will be provided by your lecturer or tutor at the beginning of semester to help you schedule your workload and successfully manage your time during the semester. In addition, general estimates of the total time commitment required to study a 12.5-point single semester subject in the Faculty of Arts can be found on Time commitment to study.

2. 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.

3. Diploma in Arts (Philosophy)

The Diploma in Arts (Philosophy) is only available to students who are currently enrolled in a degree course at the University of Melbourne. It consists of a three-year sequence of study, and adds one year to the duration of your degree.

Students must complete 25 points of first-year philosophy subjects and 75 points of second/third-year philosophy subjects. Alternatively, students who have completed appropriate background studies at first year may complete 100 points of second/third-year philosophy subjects.

4. Requirements for a major

4.1. 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.

4.2. 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.

BA students who complete a major in logic and philosophy of science at a satisfactory level (minimum of H2A average within the major) may undertake combined honours in philosophy and HPS. They may not however be eligible for admission to pure honours in either department. Students wishing to undertake pure honours in either department should consult with the relevant honours coordinator for advice on how to design their course to meet departmental entry requirements for pure honours.

4.3. 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.

BA students who complete a major in philosophy and social theory are not thereby eligible to apply for entry to combined honours in philosophy and social theory. Students wishing to undertake pure or combined honours in philosophy or combined honours in social theory should consult with the relevant honours coordinator for advice on how to design their course to meet departmental entry requirements for honours entry.

5. 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.

For information on how to apply see Applying for Honours.

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 complete 161-310 What is Philosophy? a subject specifically intended for aspiring honours students.

6. Honours requirements

6.1. Pure honours

Students undertaking pure honours in philosophy must complete:

• 161-504 Philosophy Thesis (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

• 136-536 Realism, Relativism and Naturalism

6.2. Combined honours

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

• 161-504 Philosophy Thesis (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).

* As the honours thesis in philosophy is 25 points (as opposed to the usual 37.5 thesis in other Arts areas) combined honours students taking their thesis in philosophy take three coursework subjects in both philosophy and the combined area of study.

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).

7. 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.

8. 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)

9. For more information

Department of Philosophy
Ground Floor, Old Quad 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

161-101 Moral Conflicts
161-104 Critical Thinking: The Art of Reasoning
161-106 Freedom and Constraint
161-108 Reason, Religion and Responsibility
161-110 Global Justice and Human Rights
161-111 Great Ideas in Philosophy
161-115 Introduction to Formal Logic
161-134 Asian Philosophies

Second/third-year subjects

161-007 Great Thinkers in Moral Philosophy
161-008 Basic Issues in Moral Theory
161-009 Knowledge, Truth and Relativism
161-010 Scepticism and Reason
161-011 Manners of Meaning
161-012 Classics of Political Thought
161-013 Contemporary Political Philosophy
161-014 Environmental Philosophy
161-016 Metatheory
161-017 Does God Exist?
161-018 Philosophy of Art
161-019 Greek Philosophy
161-020 Phenomenology and Existentialism
161-021 Theories of Interpretation
161-022 Philosophy of Feminism
161-023 Medieval Philosophy
161-024 Issues in Biomedical Ethics
161-027 Applied Ethics
161-029 Philosophy and Literature
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
161-053 The Good Life in Ancient Thought
161-054 Human Life in Modern Thought
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
161-235 Recent French Philosophy
161-236 Nietzsche and the Dream of Reason
161-237 Analytic Philosophy
161-238 Body, Time and Spirit in Indian Thought
161-240 Chinese Philosophy
161-241 Mathematical Logic
161-246 Reasoning and Uncertainty
161-247 The Structure of Reality

Third-year subject

161-310 What is Philosophy?

Fourth-year subjects

161-504 Philosophy Thesis
161-431 Recent European Philosophy
161-432 Topics in Moral Psychology
161-433 Value Theory
161-434 Epistemology and Metaphysics
161-435 Topics in Philosophy
161-436 Issues in Analytic Metaphysics
161-437 Topics in Applied Ethics
161-438 Logic and Philosophy
161-439 Rationality
161-440 Philosophical Psychology
161-442 Ethical Theory
161-443 Political Philosophy
161-445 Current Issues in Philosophy
161-447 Topics in Advanced Logic
161-457 Legal Philosophy

Search : Index : Faculty of Arts

Status:                   Official 2005
Last Modified:            Saturday May 28 22:13
SGML to HTML Conversion:  Information Division - CWIS (SDI)
Authorised by:            Academic Registrar
Enquiries:                http://unimelb.custhelp.com/