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 a philosophy major.

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 a minimum of 52 credit points of PHIL subjects, of which at least 16 credit points are 200-level PHIL subjects and at least 24 credit points are 300-level PHIL subjects.  Students taking a major in Philosophy may count 8 credit points from POL213.

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)

Study Program

Subject Code	Subject Name	Credit Points	Session
100 level
PHIL106	Media Ethics and Law	6	Spring
PHIL107	Values Self & Knowledge	6	Autumn
PHIL151	Practical Reasoning	6	Spring
200 level
PHIL206	Practical Ethics	8	Autumn
PHIL207	International Studies in Philosophy	8	Autumn/Spring/Summer
PHIL209	Logic	8	N/O 2009
PHIL210	Contemporary European Philosophy	8	N/O 2009
PHIL211	Greek Philosophy	8	Summer
PHIL232	Political Philosophy	8	Spring
PHIL255	Philosophy of Language	8	Spring
PHIL256	Ethics and the Environment A	6	Autumn
PHIL258	Ethics and the Environment B	8	Autumn
PHIL262	Theories of Knowledge	8	Spring
PHIL284	Theoretical Ethics	8	Spring
PHIL286	Philosophy of Social Science	8	Autumn
PHIL288	Philosophy of Mind	8	Autumn
300 level
PHIL305	Special Philosophical Questions	8	Autumn/Spring/Summer
PHIL309	Knowledge & Language	8	Spring
PHIL310	Advanced Applied Ethics	8	Autumn
PHIL313	Advanced Theoretical Ethics	8	Autumn
PHIL314	The Embodied Mind	8	Autumn
PHIL363	Philosophy of Feminism	8	Spring
PHIL380	Bioethics	8	Spring
PHIL390	Contemporary Political Philosophy	8	N/O 2009