Major Overview

Description

The study of Philosophy involves thinking about some of the big questions we ask during our lifetime: Does God exist? Do the sciences tell us the truth about the world? How can we say what we mean? Are other people's experiences like our own? What does it mean to be conscious? What are emotions and how are they relevant to our lives? Philosophy teaches you to distinguish between good and bad arguments and make informed recommendations on contentious issues. Studying Philosophy allows you to explore a vast range of influential ideas, from the ancient philosophers, whose works are preserved in manuscripts from India, China and Greece, right down to cutting-edge contemporary work on pressing ethical issues, the nature of mind and artificial intelligence. UWA is the only university in Western Australia that teaches units in formal logic.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. analyse and evaluate arguments
  2. distinguish between good arguments and bad arguments, irrespective of their subject matter, and thus make informed decisions and recommendations on contentious issues
  3. demonstrate clarity of thought
  4. separate distinct issues, consider them independently and think out the consequences of positions on them
  5. demonstrate the general skills for thinking about problems and tasks, and framing and evaluating solutions
  6. frame, express and convey ideas, their own and other people's, in a clear and convincing way
  7. appreciate the value of different perspectives on life, society and knowledge.
Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so if this suits your aspirations. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.

Courses

Philosophy can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

Example Study Plan

See study plans for more information.

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
SS
summer teaching period
N/A
not available in 2025 – may be available in 2026 or 2027

Level 1

Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 PHIL1001 Ethics for the Digital Age: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Incompatibility
PHIL1107 Ethics, Free Will and Meaning
S1, SS PHIL1002 Introduction to Critical Thinking
Incompatibility
PHIL1105 Introduction to Critical Thinking
S2 PHIL1003 God, Mind and Knowledge
Incompatibility
PHIL1125 God, Mind and Knowledge

Level 2

Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 HUMR2001 Global and Environmental Justice
Incompatibility
Successful completion of
Unit(s) PHIL2009 Global and Environmental Justice
S1 PHIL2001 Bioethics
Prerequisites
any level 1 unit in the Bachelor of Arts, or equivalent
Incompatibility
PHIL2201 Social Ethics: Life and Death
SS PHIL2002 Logic: How to Defeat Your Foes with Reasoning
Prerequisites
24 points of Level 1 units
Incompatibility
PHIL2205 Introduction to Logic
S1 PHIL2003 Philosophy of Religion
Incompatibility
PHIL2211 Philosophy of Religion
S2 PHIL2004 Philosophy of Mind
Prerequisites
any Level 1 Philosophy unit
or PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain
Incompatibility
PHIL2265 Philosophy of Mind
S1 PHIL2005 Exploring the Nature of Science
Prerequisites
24 points of Level 1 units
Incompatibility
PHIL2270 Philosophy of Science
N/A PHIL2007 Knowledge and the Justification of Belief
Prerequisites
any Level 1 unit
S2 PHIL2008 Machine Minds and Superintelligence: The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Prerequisites
Any Level 1 unit
S1 PPHE2211 History of Political Ideas
Incompatibility
POLS3311 History of Political Ideas.
POLS2211 History of Political Ideas

Level 3

Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 PHIL3001 Metaphysics
Prerequisites
any Level 2 Philosophy unit
or PPHE2211
N/A PHIL3002 Aesthetics
Incompatibility
PHIL2208 Aesthetics.
PHIL2207 Philosophy, Literature and Film
S1 PHIL3003 Moral Theory
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any level 2 Philosophy unit
or PPHE2211 History of Political Ideas
or HUMR2001 Global and Environmental Justice
Incompatibility
PHIL 2209 Moral Theory
N/A PHIL3004 Meaning, Truth and Language
Prerequisites
any Level 2 Philosophy unit
or PPHE2211
Incompatibility
PHIL2212 Meaning, Truth and Language
N/A PHIL3005 Continental Philosophy: The Origin and Influence of Phenomenology
Prerequisites
any Level 2 Philosophy unit
or PPHE2211
Incompatibility
PHIL2225 Continental Philosophy
S1 PHIL3006 Philosophy East and West
Prerequisites
Successful completion of any 6 points from
PHIL unit
or PPHE unit
or HUMR unit
Incompatibility
PHIL2231 Philosophy East and West
S2 PHIL3008 Rationality and Society
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any two Unit(s)
S2 PHIL3009 The Philosophy of Psychedelics
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
72 points in an undergraduate degree.
S2 PPHE3327 Contemporary Political Theory
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any one level 2 Unit(s)
Incompatibility
POLS2227 Contemporary Political Theory.
POLS3327 Contemporary Political Theory