Extended Major Overview

Description

Very many important issues – climate change, healthcare, political participation, taxation and much more besides – have philosophical, political, and economic dimensions. UWA's Philosophy, Politics and Economics extended major is a challenging and rigorous programme which equips students to engage with such issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students receive a thorough grounding in each of the three disciplines, and will examine the ways in which insights from each area of study can fruitfully inform scholarship in the others. Students will also study the intertwined history of philosophy, politics, and economics, and develop invaluable critical thinking and analytical skills essential for success in the modern workplace. This page is for students in the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Students who commenced the Bachelor of Arts prior to 2021 should refer to the Handbook for the original Philosophy, Politics and Economics Major.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. explain the foundations of philosophy, political science, and economics
  2. explain the intertwined history of philosophy, political science, and economics
  3. apply insights from philosophy, politics, and economics to important social questions such as climate change, inequality, and distributive justice
  4. critically review assumptions underpinning philosophical, political and/or economic viewpoints on important social questions such as climate change, inequality, and distributive justice
  5. demonstrate sound research skills and written and oral communication skills
  6. demonstrate valuable analytical and critical thinking skills.
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.

Incompatibilities

No other major may be taken as part of the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Courses

Philosophy, Politics and Economics can only 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

Students should note that completion of the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics also requires the completion of PHIL1002: Introduction to Critical Thinking, which is a foundation unit for the degree.

Level 1

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (24 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1, S2 ECON1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets
Incompatibility
ECON1000 Economics for Business
S1, S2 ECON1102 Macroeconomics: Money and Finance None
S1 POLS1101 Understanding Politics and Policy None
S2 PPHE1001 Liberty, Equality, and the Market None

Level 2

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (24 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications
Prerequisites
ECON1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets
or ECOX1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets
S1 PHIL2001 Bioethics
Prerequisites
any level 1 unit in the Bachelor of Arts, or equivalent
Incompatibility
PHIL2201 Social Ethics: Life and Death
S2 POLS2220 Foundations of Global Political Economy
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 1
Incompatibility
POLS3320 International Political Economy
S1 PPHE2211 History of Political Ideas
Incompatibility
POLS3311 History of Political Ideas.
POLS2211 History of Political Ideas
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 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
SS PHIL2002 Logic: How to Defeat Your Foes with Reasoning
Prerequisites
24 points of Level 1 units
Incompatibility
PHIL2205 Introduction to Logic
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
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 POLS2201 Foundations of Public Policy
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 1
Incompatibility
POLS3301 Public Policy
S2 POLS2202 Foundations of Comparative Politics
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 1
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ECON2105 Rise of the Global Economy
Prerequisites
ECON1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets
or ECOX1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets
or ECON1000 Economics for Business
or BUSN1103 Foundations of Global Business
S2 ECON2234 Macroeconomics: Policy and Applications
Prerequisites
ECON1102 Macroeconomics: Money and Finance
or ECOX1102 Macroeconomics: Money and Finance

Level 3

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
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
S2 PPHE3001 Rational Choice Theory
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any level 2 Unit(s) POLS, PPHE, PHIL
or ECON
S2 PPHE3327 Contemporary Political Theory
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any one level 2 Unit(s)
Incompatibility
POLS2227 Contemporary Political Theory.
POLS3327 Contemporary Political Theory
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ECON3220 Development Economics
Prerequisites
Completion of at least two Level 2 units in the Economics
or Professional Economics majors.
S2 ECON3235 International Trade
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications
S1 ECON3302 Applied Microeconomics
Prerequisites
ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications or equivalent
S2 ECON3303 Applied Macroeconomics
Prerequisites
ECON2234 Macroeconomics: Policy and Applications
S1 ECON3310 History of Economic Ideas
Prerequisites
ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications.
for pre-2012 courses: none
S2 ECON3395 Economic Policy
Prerequisites
ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications
Degree-specific major units

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

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 ASIA3005 Autocracy and Democracy in Asia
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any one level 2 Unit(s) from the School Social Sciences
or Humanities
Incompatibility
Successful completion of
ASIA3005 Democratisation in Asia
S2 HUMR3001 Human Rights: Research and Practice
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
HUMR2001 Global and Environmental Justice
S1 IREL3002 The Politics of Human Rights
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
POLS1102 Understanding Global Politics
Incompatibility
POLS5686 International Norms, Ethics and Human Rights
S2 PARL3399 WA Parliamentary Research Program
Prerequisites
Acceptance into the WA Parliamentary Research Program
and Successful completion of
96 points in your chosen degree
or approval from the School
N/A POLS3204 The Politics of Gender
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Science and/or Humanities study at level 2
S2 POLS3231 Politics of the Mass Media
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Science and/or Humanities study at level 2
Incompatibility
POLS2231/POLS3331 Politics of the Mass Media
S1 POLS3302 South Asia and the Middle East: Foreign Relations and Politics
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 2
S2 POLS3304 Policy and Diplomacy in Practice
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any one level 1 Political Science (POLS) units and any three level 2 Political Science (POLS)
or Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics (PPHE) units
Incompatibility
PARL3339,
and WILG3001
S1 POLS3308 Greater China: Politics and International Relations
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 2
Incompatibility
POLS2208 Politics in Greater China
S1 POLS3335 Social Movements and the Politics of Change
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 2
N/A POLS3342 Global Environmental Politics
Prerequisites
12 points of Social Sciences and/or Humanities study at level 2
Incompatibility
POLS2229 States, Welfare and Environmental Policy
Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 ECON3301 Game Theory and Strategic Thinking
Prerequisites
ECON2233 Microeconomics: Policy and Applications
S2 PHIL3008 Rationality and Society
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
any two Unit(s)