Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of the most fundamental aspects of reality and value. Every area of inquiry and endeavour—from art and history through politics and economics to biology and mathematics—generates philosophical issues about our world and our place in it. Philosophers debate the meaning of life and the meaning of adverbs, the analysis of Divine foreknowledge and the analysis of colour, the nature of mathematics and the nature of terrorism.

Work in philosophy involves the creative, critical task of constructing, clarifying and comparing ideas. We dig into the fundamental assumptions beneath our everyday views, to see how they hang together, how they can be improved, or how we might have reason to prefer one over another. We learn to take conflicting views seriously, to clarify imprecise concepts, and to synthesize new positions.

You learn both traditional and contemporary approaches to individual topics in Philosophy. In tutorials and written work you practice the important skill of advancing cogent and informed arguments of your own.

Students go on to apply their philosophical skills in a wide range of different careers where creative and analytic thinking is useful, such as law, education, analysis, advocacy and policy development.

See program objectives

The Graduate Diploma in Arts in this area of specialisation requires:

• one compulsory subject (12.5 points)
• minimum of two elective subjects at 3rd year level (25 points)
• five additional Philosophy subjects with no more than one subject at first year level (62.5 points)

Total 100 points

Compulsory Subject

One compulsory subject (12.5 points)

Level 1 Elective Subjects

Maximum 12.5 points

Level 2 Elective Subjects

Level 3 Elective Subjects

A minimum of two elective subjects at 3rd year level (25 points)