Philosophy, Major (0028)

  • Western Sydney University Major Code: 0028

Previous Code: M1058.1

Available to students in other Western Sydney University Programs:  Yes.  Check that your program has the available credit points required to complete the subjects in this field of study. Any requisite requirements must also be met. Consult your Program Advisor for further advice.

Philosophy has always asked the “big questions” about our lives. These are questions, for example, about the limits of our knowledge, the best way that humans can live together, how we understand the world around us, and what is the good life. A philosophy major will enable students to develop particular skills and attributes - such as clear thinking, capacities to assess arguments and values, sound understanding of important philosophical views that have always been essential to university scholarship, and which continue to be valuable for graduates in both public and private life.

Location

Campus Mode Advice
Bankstown City Campus Internal enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road Internal enquiriesHCA@uws.edu.au

Major Structure

Students must complete 80 credit points as follows.

Complete the following four compulsory units.

Subject Title Credit Points
PHIL 3006Books that Changed how we Think10
PHIL 1001Ethics and Philosophy10
PHIL 1006Introduction to Philosophy10
PHIL 2014Thinkers That Changed the World10

Select four subjects from the following pools, with no fewer than two Level 3 subjects.

Note: not all subjects will be offered each year. Subjects will be offered on a rotational basis.

Subject Title Credit Points
Level 2 Pool Subjects
Ancient Western Culture: Periclean Athens
The Ethical Life
Thinking Cinema
Truth and Knowledge
Western Political Philosophy
Level 3 Pool Subjects
Aesthetics
Classics of Modern Philosophy
Ethics in Historical Perspective
Literature and Philosophy
Philosophies of Love and Death
Philosophy and Environment
Philosophy of History
Philosophy of Race and Racism
Philosophy of Religion
Theories of Conflict and Violence
Theories of Authority
Thought and Action in Greece and Rome
Understanding Freedom
Understanding Power
What is the Human?

Equivalent Subjects

The subjects listed below count towards completion of the major for students who passed these subjects in 2021 or earlier.

PHIL 2005 - Case Studies in Philosophy: Thinker, replaced by  PHIL 2014 Thinkers That Changed the World
PHIL 3007 - Case Studies in Philosophy: Text, replaced by PHIL 3006 Books that Changed how we Think
PHIL 2006 - Key Philosophers, replaced by PHIL 2014 Thinkers That Changed the World
PHIL 3014 - Philosophy in Focus, replaced by PHIL 3006 Books that Changed how we Think
BEHV 3013 - Humanities Internship, no longer offered as part of this major.
PHIL 2008 - Philosophy and the Good Life, no longer offered as part of this major.