UWA Handbook 2025

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:

• BP001 Bachelor of Arts
• BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Units