Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)

Do human beings have free will?  Is the mind distinct from our physical constitution? What is knowledge?  Is morality a matter of opinion?  These are some of the questions that may be examined in an introductory philosophy degree. 

The curriculum covers established areas of enquiry such as theory of knowledge, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and action, philosophy of language, theoretical ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of law, philosophy of feminism, and applied philosophy, including health, media and environmental ethics.

Upper level subjects within the philosophy major divide into two broad streams of study: (a) Ethics, Politics and Society, and (b) Knowledge, Mind, Language, and Metaphysics. These streams of study reflect central areas of enquiry making up the subject matter of philosophy.

Introductory subjects in philosophy serve to introduce students to the themes that are taken up in more depth in the upper level subjects within streams (a) and (b). In the interests of a good education within the discipline, it is recommended to students that they include in their major a spread of subjects across streams (a) and (b).

Major Study
A major in Philosophy comprises 52 credit points of PHIL subjects, of which at least 24 credit points are 300-level PHIL subjects.  Students taking a major in Philosophy may count 8 credit points from the following:  POL211, POL314 and POL324.

Minor Study
A minor in Philosophy will consist of at least 28 credit points in subjects from the schedule of the Philosophy major.  Students may not take more than two subjects at 100-level, and may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

Honours
See Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Assessment
Requirements vary from subject to subject and are set out in general terms in each of the subject entries.

Study Program