Diploma in Arts (Philosophy)

Course 319-ZP (2008)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2008.Search for this in the current handbook

Year and Campus:	2008
Fees Information:	Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Level:	Undergraduate

 ContactSee www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/about/contact.html 

Course Overview:	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?
Objectives:	Refer to http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2008/105-AA
Course Structure & Available Subjects:	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.
Subject Options:	First year subjects Subject Study Period Commencement: Credit Points: 161-108 Philosophical Issues Semester 1 12.50 161-111 Great Ideas in Philosophy Semester 2 12.50 Second/third year subjects Subject Study Period Commencement: Credit Points: 161-007 Great Thinkers in Moral Philosophy Semester 1 12.50 161-008 Ethical Theory 2 12.500 161-010 Epistemology Semester 2 12.50 161-011 Philosophy of Language Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-012 Political Thought Not offered in 2008 12.50 161-013 Political Philosophy Semester 2 12.50 161-017 Does God Exist? 1 12.500 161-018 Aesthetics Semester 1 12.50 161-019 Greek Philosophy Not offered in 2008 12.50 161-020 Phenomenology Semester 2 12.50 161-021 From Hermeneutics to Derrida Semester 1 12.50 161-024 Biomedical Ethics Semester 2 12.50 161-027 Practical Ethics Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-029 Philosophy and Literature Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-030 The Rise of Modern Philosophy 1 12.500 161-031 Philosophy of Christianity Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-035 Philosophy of Buddhism Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-052 Ideas of Utopia Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-200 Philosophy of Law 1 12.500 161-201 Reasoning and Uncertainty 2 12.500 161-202 Objectivity and Value Semester 2 12.50 161-210 Philosophy of Logic Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-211 Minds and Computers Not offered in 2008 12.50 161-212 Logic for Philosophers 1 12.500 161-213 Thinking in Asian Philosophy Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-214 The Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein Not offered in 2008 12.500 161-215 Philosophy of Mind 2 12.500 161-217 Kant's Metaphysics of Experience 1 12.500 161-219 Argumentation Theory 2 12.500 161-220 Existentialism and its Critics 2 12.500 161-221 Asian and Comparative Philosophy Semester 2 12.50 161-236 Nietzsche and Hegel 1 12.500 161-237 Analytic Philosophy Semester 1 12.50 161-238 Indian Philosophy 2 12.500 161-240 Chinese Philosophy Semester 1 12.50 161-241 Logic Completeness and Incompleteness Semester 1 12.50 161-247 Metaphysics 2 12.500 Third year subject Subject Study Period Commencement: Credit Points: 161-310 What is Philosophy? Semester 2 12.50 Philosophy alternative subjects - First Year Subject Study Period Commencement: Credit Points: 136-105 Science, Philosophy and History Semester 2 12.50 Philosophy alternative subjects - Second/third Year Subject Study Period Commencement: Credit Points: 110-210 Ethical Traditions in Islam Semester 2 12.50 136-033 Science, Reason and Reality Semester 1 12.50 136-260 God and the Natural Sciences Semester 2 12.50 166-020 Contemporary Political Theory Semester 1 12.50 730-261 Advanced Legal PhilosophyNot offered in 2008 Not offered in 2008 12.500 730-315 Jurisprudence Not offered in 2008 12.500
Entry Requirements:	The Diploma in Arts (Philosophy) is only available to students who are enrolled in a non-Melbourne Model degree course at the University of Melbourne. Students need to be able to fit a three-year sequence of study alongside their degree to be eligible for the Diploma in Arts.
Core Participation Requirements:	The Diploma in Arts requires a standard level of ability across all disciplines. It will be assumed students are able to access and attend classes on a regular basis, are capable of learning in a University environment and will be able to take responsibility for their own learning. Any ability beyond this threshold will be robustly supported through the curriculum. There are no pre-requisites for first year subjects, and any intensive use of IT or technologies will be adequately supported. Certain subjects have more specific requirements and demands, such as fieldwork or travelling, which are clearly outlined in the Handbook's subject description. However, the University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. The Faculty Disability Contact Officer works with students, the University Disability Liaison Unit and teaching staff to assist students with their special requirements, with a particular focus on accommodations for in-class and examination assessment tasks. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability.
Further Study:	The School of Philosophy offers a range of further study options to students who have already completed a degree: 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.
Graduate Attributes:	Refer to http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2008/105-AA
Generic Skills:	Refer to http://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2008/105-AA

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First year subjects

Second/third year subjects

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Philosophy alternative subjects - First Year

Philosophy alternative subjects - Second/third Year