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Overview of Program

Overview of Undergraduate Program

What is Philosophy?

Philosophy is both a subject and a way of thinking.

As a subject, philosophy asks, and seeks to answer, fundamental questions about many areas of human life and inquiry. These include questions about the relationship between the mind and the body; the existence of God; the nature of human fulfilment and alienation; the status of moral beliefs and aesthetic judgements; the nature of knowledge; and the relationship between the world and our concepts and modes of reasoning. Philosophers are also concerned with contemporary social and political issues, such as economic inequality, the environmental crisis, gender relations, animal welfare, and indigenous rights.

As a way of thinking, philosophy puts an emphasis on thinking for yourself rather than relying on someone else’s authority. By studying philosophy, you learn how to think for yourself better: to reflect on your views, to give reasons for them, and to understand and evaluate other positions and arguments. The kind of thinking developed by the study of philosophy is important in many different professional contexts, which is why Philosophy graduates enjoy good employability.

Because philosophy is such a broad subject, it combines well with a range of other degree programs, including those in psychology, law, the physical and life sciences, mathematics, computing, anthropology, sociology, media, cultural studies, politics, and history. Philosophy graduates may enter careers in fields as diverse as business, journalism, foreign affairs, politics, the law, medicine, computing, education and the arts.

The value of Philosophy from a career-development point of view has been the subject of recent media reports in US, UK, and Australia, as well our very own newsletter.

The Macquarie Philosophy Program

We offer over 30 undergraduate units in philosophy from introductory level courses to advanced level honours seminars. Our units provide comprehensive overviews of important and internationally relevant developments in philosophy, and serve as a source of skills and insights which will be useful in other areas of study and outside the university.

Introductory 100 level units

Our 4 introductory 100 level units provide a broad background to Philosophy. Two of these units -  Critical Thinking and Philosophy, Morality and Society - belong to the group of ‘People’ units to be offered across the University from 2010. All Macquarie students commencing their studies after 2009 are required to complete at least one ‘People’ unit during the course of their studies.

The introductory philosophy units are offered every year in the following pattern:

Semester 1

• PHL 132 Philosophy, Morality and Society (People unit)
• PHL 137 Critical Thinking (People unit)

Semester 2

• PHL 131 Mind, Meaning and Metaphysics
• PHL 134 Introductory Formal Logic

Intermediate 200 and 300 level units

Our offering at 200 and 300 level is inclusive of a wide variety of traditions of philosophical thought and technique. Most of these courses are not taught every year but in a rotation pattern (either once every two years or twice every three years). Click here (link to academic offering 2009-11) to check our unit offering over the coming three years.

Philosophy 200 and 300 level units fall into three broad streams:

Mind, Metaphysics and Meaning

PHL 232 Philosophy of Science
PHL 246 Philosophy of Religion
PHL 249 Biology, Mind and Culture
PHL 256 Knowledge and its Limits
PHL 262 Body and Mind
PHL 280 Truth and Reality
PHL 281 Philosophy of Language
PHL 358 Metaphysics
PHL 363 Philosophy and Cognitive Science

Social Philosophy and European Philosophy

PHL 238 Phenomenology and Existentialism
PHL 250 Aesthetics
PHL 254 Freedom and Alienation
PHL 351 Social Philosophy
PHL 356 Philosophies of Globalisation
PHL 365 Film and Philosophy

Ethics and Applied Ethics

PHL 225 Ethical Theory
PHL 242 Practical Ethics
PHL 260 Bioethics and Biotechnology
PHL 264 Business and Professional Ethics
PHL 341 Action, Virtue and Character
PHL 352 Gender, Race and Identity
PHL 357 Theories of Justice
PHL 382 Agency and the Self

We also have two specifically designated history of philosophy units:

PHL 245 Reason in History
PHL 359 Pragmatism

Capstone unit (PHL 354)

To be introduced in 2010, the philosophy capstone unit provides students with the opportunity to integrate knowledge acquired in their study of philosophy, to reflect on the development of their skills, and to focus on how their study of philosophy equips them for the next step in their careers.   

(last updated: 7/9/09 )