The
School of Philosophy, Linguistics and Human Bioethics pursues a deeper
understanding of what people are doing when they reason, communicate and make
moral choices. The major research strengths of the school lie in logic and
metaphysics, applied ethics and moral philosophy, and language in society.
The school runs programs of courses in three disciplines: philosophy,
linguistics and human bioethics, each of which articulate conceptions of the
nature of the world we live in and offer conceptions of the good life within a
tolerant, liberal society. Research and teaching are conducted with reference
to traditional theoretical frameworks as well as to the study of contemporary
issues, at times challenging some of the traditional notions and leading to
theory development and modification. Fields of study within the school include
the history of ideas, world religions, language and thought, and contemporary
issues such as intercultural communication, language planning and policy, and
ethics in a changing world.
Theories of logic, syntax, semantics, phonology, sociolinguistics, pragmatics
and discourse are applied to improve our knowledge and understanding of the
phenomenon of language and the use of languages in society. Foundational
ethical frameworks are brought to bear on specific issues in political theory,
in professional ethics, and especially in dealing with moral concerns which
arise out of the application of new scientific advances to human subjects.
Linguistics
is the study of the structure and function of language and the uses of language
in communication including written, spoken and ´cyber' contexts.
Linguistics explores how languages differ, what they all share, and provides
the techniques and principles to be adopted in the analysis and description of
any given language. In addition, the linguistic study of language and language
use in socio-cultural contexts contributes to our understanding of identities,
social and cultural organisation, multiculturalism/multilingualism,
institutions and power as well as the creative functions of language in texts
and discourses. Knowledge of linguistics is central to the study of languages
(eg English, Australian Aboriginal languages, Chinese, French, German,
Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, ). Linguistics
also offers students of anthropology, mathematics, philosophy, sociology,
engineering, psychology, law and computer science useful insights into the
nature of language in their particular area of interest. Examples of the
practical applications of linguistics include communications within
organisations, communications interfaces with electronic systems, the
preparation of materials for language teaching, the development of language
policies in government and in education, and in the areas of business,
professional and technical communication, tourism and intercultural
communication and speech therapy.
The first year provides students with an introduction to the nature of
language, including the manner in which sounds are produced and represented
(phonetics), the organisation and relationship of sounds in language
(phonology), the grammatical forms of words (morphology), the organisation of
words in sentences (syntax), the analysis of meaning (semantics), language
change (historical linguistics) and language variation and the uses of language
in social contexts (sociolinguistics).
In the second and third years, the areas of syntax, semantics, pragmatics,
phonetics, phonology, and sociolinguistics are developed on a general and
comparative basis and there are also subjects exploring varieties of English,
historical and comparative linguistics, Aboriginal languages, discourse
analysis, applied linguistics, psycholinguistics, first and second language
acquisition, language and gender, intercultural communication, multiliteracies
in English and the structure of English.
Offered
every year Coordinator: To be announced
First year normally comprises LIN1010 and LIN1020 (or LIN1030 and LIN1040 prior
to 2001). However, a student may start linguistics in second semester by taking
LIN1020 (or LIN1040 prior to 2001) followed by LIN1010 (or LIN1030 prior to
2001) the next year.
Several linguistics subjects are offered by distance education or by a combination of online resources and face-to-face teaching contact. These subjects are usually available in the same semester as the on-campus delivery of the subject. The access to online resources and distance education allows for flexibility and face-to-face class commitments are kept to a minimum. Alternative arrangements include the use of the Monash Portal and electronic group discussion programs. In addition to the online or print resources, students can access tutorial support by telephone, fax and email. These basic resources are supplemented by optional one-day workshops, usually held on a Saturday. The intention is that the flexible learning program should make linguistics subjects available to students whose work or other commitments make it difficult for them to attend regular classes on campus. The following subjects can be undertaken on-campus, by distance education or through flexible mode using online resources:
For more details on flexible learning subjects, contact the Linguistics section or visit its website at http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ling/
Philosophy
is the study of fundamental ideas about the world we live in, about what would
constitute a good life in such a world, and about what could be done to make it
better.
Students are not expected to be persuaded by the doctrines of any one school or
tradition. Rather, we seek to deepen the understanding of a variety of
different world views. Students are encouraged to express any conclusions that
they themselves may have reached concerning foundational questions, but they
are also expected to try to understand some of the influential conclusions that
others have reached. Furthermore, it is essential that students try to
understand what reasons people have had for reaching those conclusions. Thus,
we strongly encourage students to study the theory of reasoning (logic) if they
intend to major in philosophy.
The following are other areas of study which are central to philosophy.
Metaphysics is the study of what sorts of things exist in the world, and how
they are related: for instance, whether there is a mind or soul and if so, how
it is related to the body. Epistemology is the study of what constitutes
knowledge of the world, and of what methods can be used to obtain it. Ethics
and aesthetics investigate what it is to make value judgements, and how such
judgements can be justified. Political philosophy investigates the principles
which underlie the structure of a good society.
Every human inquiry rests on general assumptions which we take for granted
while we pursue more particular goals. At times however, in any discipline,
foundational questions arise. Anyone facing such questions, in any discipline,
is doing philosophy. Thus for any discipline there is an area of study
appropriately described as the philosophy of that discipline. There is the
philosophy of history, of psychology, of biology, of science, of law, of
mathematics, and so on.
Sometimes these foundational questions within a discipline can profitably be
explored by philosophers as well as by specialists in that discipline.
Philosophers can draw connections between the foundational problems arising in
one discipline and those arising in other disciplines. Philosophers can also
attempt to integrate different disciplines, at a foundational level, into a
coherent overall world-view.
Thus, the focus of philosophical concerns varies enormously. Consequently, we
provide a wide range of options for study while at the same time attempting to
ensure that every student has some acquaintance with the central problems and
traditions in philosophy.
For an indication of some of the most central issues in current philosophy,
read What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel, Oxford University Press,
1987.
Unlike
degrees in law or medicine, the BA and BSc degrees equip you for a variety of
careers, not just one. It is therefore not easy to say just what jobs
philosophy will help you get. We believe that training in philosophy provides
students with many of the transferable skills that employers want. These
include reasoning and communication skills, originality and the ability to
think and act on your own initiative. Studies in the United States have shown
that philosophy majors consistently outperform graduates of all other
disciplines in reasoning and verbal aptitude tests; and among arts and social
studies graduates, they come behind only economists on quantitative skills (see
Peter Ratcliffe and Martin Warner, Philosophy Graduates and Jobs, Royal
Institute of Philosophy and the University of Warwick, 1986).
Some of our recent graduates who majored in philosophy have gone on to jobs in
education, the public service, computing, finance and the diplomatic corps.
Still others have gone on to graduate work in philosophy and then on to
teaching positions at colleges and universities, both in Australia and abroad,
research positions in ethics centres, positions on hospital ethics committees
and, in two cases, successful careers as politicians.
Students wanting advice should first approach their tutors or lecturers in individual subjects. If problems persist, the students should approach the appropriate year-level coordinator. Year coordinators for 2001 will be Aubrey Townsend (first, second and third years) and Graham Oppy (fourth year and graduate).
Several philosophy subjects are offered in flexible mode. All these subjects can be taken in any semester and are flexibly scheduled so that class commitments are kept to a minimum. Flexible learning mode subjects are also available in the summer. These subjects use Open Learning materials, but there is also a tutorial support service operating by telephone, fax and email. These basic resources are supplemented by two one-day workshops, usually held on a Saturday. The intention is that the flexible learning program should make philosophy subjects available to students whose work or other commitments make it difficult for them to attend regular classes on campus. The following subjects are normally offered in all three semesters in flexible mode:
For more details on flexible
learning subjects, contact the Philosophy section or visit its website at
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/phil/
Closely associated with resource-based teaching is an alternative assessment
program. The Keller Plan is used in most of these subjects. In the plan, a
series of assessment tasks are completed in a specified order. Typically, the
series involves short exercises, an essay and tests. Each task has to be
completed at a satisfactory standard before moving on to the next, but students
nominate the standard to count as satisfactory (pass, credit or distinction)
and can retry on any task until that standard is achieved.
Coordinator:
Jeanette Kennett
Philosophy offers four first-year subjects:
* PHL1070 AND PHL1080 EMPLOY THE RESOURCE-BASED TEACHING
STRATEGY EXPLAINED ABOVE.
In order to undertake studies in PHL1020 (Introduction to philosophy B),
students should have satisfactorily completed either PHL1010 (Introduction to
philosophy A) or PHL1070 (Philosophy: life, death and morality) by the
time the course commences.
For a detailed description of these subjects, consult First-Year Philosophy
at Monash 2001, which is available from the Philosophy section or from
enrolment advisers.
All students must go to the Philosophy section during the week before the
semester begins to arrange tutorials.
Students may enrol in one subject (in either semester) or in an approved pair of subjects (usually one in first semester and the other in second semester) to form a first-year sequence in philosophy. The latter would be the normal first-year enrolment in philosophy. Approved first-year sequences in philosophy are:
A first-year
sequence in philosophy is the normal prerequisite for later-year philosophy
subjects. However, some later-year subjects have only one (semester) philosophy
subject as a prerequisite, and some others have no philosophy prerequisite at
all.
STUDENTS MAY NOT TAKE 1010 AND 1070 WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION FROM THE
HEAD OF THE PHILOSOPHY SECTION.
** STUDENTS MAY NOT TAKE 1020 AND 1080 WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION FROM THE
PHILOSOPHY SECTION.
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