Faculty of Arts Philosophy

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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
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 School of Philosophy is accordingly one of the oldest and best established in Australia. The school 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 School have been recruited to positions in universities worldwide, and in government, industry and the arts. The School 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 commitment is needed to complete the academic requirements of each subject.

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 School for permission to enrol. Exemptions may also be granted where second/third-year subjects are taken as part of an approved interdisciplinary program with its own entry requirements.

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 an undergraduate 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 eight 12.5-point subjects, totalling 100 points. It comprises:

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

• second/third-year subjects in philosophy to total 100 points overall.

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

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 School Handbook or by consulting the Head of School or the School'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 within the history and philosophy of science program 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.

• 136-536 Realism, Relativism and Naturalism

• 136-546 The Critical Imagination

6.2. Combined honours

Students undertaking combined honours in philosophy and another program must complete:

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

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

• three honours subjects in the combining discipline (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 combining discipline.

or

• honours thesis in the combining discipline (37.5 points); and

• two honours subjects in the combining discipline (totalling 25 points); and

• three honours subjects in philosophy (37.5 points).

7. Further study

The School of Philosophy offers a 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 School of Philosophy's 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

School 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 Morality and its Dilemmas
161-104 Critical Thinking: The Art of Reasoning
161-106 Existentialism and its Critics
161-108 God, Morality and Free Will
161-110 Global Justice and Human Rights
161-111 Great Ideas in Philosophy
161-115 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 Classics of Phenomenology
161-021 From Hermeneutics to Derrida
161-024 Issues in Biomedical Ethics
161-027 Practical Ethics
161-029 Philosophy and Literature
161-030 The Rise of Modern Philosophy
161-031 Philosophy of Christianity
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 Computers
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
161-247 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 Continental 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
161-443 Political Philosophy
161-445 Current Issues in Philosophy
161-447 Topics in Advanced Logic
161-448 Topics in Asian Philosophy

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