Head: Professor John Bigelow
Graduate coordinator: Dr Graham Oppy
The Department of Philosophy offers two graduate level courses: the PhD and the MA by research. Although the department's strength lies in the area of analytic philosophy in the Anglo-American tradition, it is also able to offer high-quality supervision in many areas of recent European thought, feminism, and the history of ideas.
Dirk Baltzly Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy; metaphysics; aesthetics; moral philosophy.
John Bigelow Metaphysics; philosophy of mathematics; philosophy of science; philosophy of language.
Claire Colebrook Philosophy and literature; feminist theory; literary theory; Romanticism; Freud (joint appointment with Centre for Women's Studies and the Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies).
Karen Green Feminism; existentialism; political philosophy; ethics; philosophy of language.
Elizabeth Grosz Feminist theory; psychoanalysis; French philosophy (joint appointment with Centre for Women's Studies and the Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies).
Richard Hanley Philosophy of mind; philosophy of language; epistemology; metaphysics; ethics; applied ethics.
Richard Holton Philosophy of mind; philosophy of language; linguistics; political philosophy, ethics.
Lloyd Humberstone Philosophy of logic; metaphysics; modal logic and its applications.
Frank Jackson Epistemology and metaphysics; philosophical logic; philosophy of mind; ethics (visiting professor).
Jeanette Kennett Ethics; moral philosophy; philosophy and friendship.
Rae Langton History of philosophy; philosophy of science; political philosophy; feminism, epistemology.
Graham Oppy Philosophy of language; philosophy of religion; philosophy of science; aesthetics; logic; metaphysics; philosophy of mind.
Robert Pargetter Epistemology and metaphysics; philosophical logic; philosophy of science; ethics and social philosophy.
Peter Singer Ethics; applied ethics; history of philosophy (associate member).
Chin Liew Ten Ethics; social and political philosophy; philosophy of law.
Aubrey Townsend Philosophical logic, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language; history of philosophy.
Course code: 0020
Course fee: Local students HECS; international student: $A12,000 pa
Course coordinator: Graham Oppy
The PhD is a research degree by thesis only. Full-time students normally take three years to complete the degree - the minimum period of candidature is two years, and the maximum is five years. Part-time students normally take six years to complete the degree - the minimum period of candidature is four years, and the maximum is eight years.
Upon successful completion of this degree, students will have made a substantial original contribution to the discipline of philosophy; will be able to carry out advanced-level research in philosophy; will be able to engage in original philosophical debate; and should be able to tutor philosophy to students with a range of backgrounds and competences.
Honours degree with H2A average or better, or the equivalent, in philosophy or a related discipline.
Students complete a substantial thesis - typically around 75,000 words with a maximum of 100,000 - under the supervision of one or more members of the department. Students are required to attend staff and honours seminars, and engage in philosophical discussion with staff members and peers.
Course code: 0017
Course fee: local students HECS; international students: $A12,000 pa
Course coordinator: Graham Oppy
The MA by research is a research degree which takes one of two forms - either it is by thesis alone or coursework combined with research (66 per cent). Full-time 100 per cent research students normally take two years to complete the degree; part-time students normally take up to four years to complete the degree. Students undertaking the MA by coursework and research are required to complete their program of study in one year if full-time or two years part-time.
Students who successfully complete the degree will have undertaken a major program of research in philosophy; will be prepared to undertake research in the discipline of philosophy; will be able to participate in high-level discussion of philosophical topics; and should have some ability to tutor philosophy to students with a range of backgrounds and competences.
Honours degree with H2A average or better, a Masters Qualifying with a H2A grade or the equivalent, in philosophy or a related discipline.
Students who take the 100 per cent research option complete a substantial thesis - 40,000 to 60,000 words - under the supervision of one or more members of the department. Students who take the 66 per cent research option undertake coursework to a value of sixteen points - ie two eight-point subjects - chosen from the department's fifth-year level offerings, and then complete a substantial thesis of 25,000-35,000 words under the supervision of one or more members of the department. All students attend staff and honours seminars, and engage in philosophical discussion with staff members and peers.
A complete reading list for all subjects will be available from the department.
Pre-1998 students enrolled in part one of the Master of Arts program must follow the course structure outlined in the 1997 handbook, however, they may choose from fourth-year level subjects for their 1998 enrolment. Candidates admitted in 1998 are not permitted to undertake fourth-year level subjects, - they must choose fifth-year subjects.
There is a regular staff seminar held on Friday afternoons. Graduate students are encouraged to attend. A work-in-progress seminar for honours and graduate students is also held one afternoon per week during teaching periods.