Introduction to Philosophy A: The Examined Life
Undergraduate
UNE-PHIL151 2025Course information for 2025 intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 16 Feb 2025
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 16 weeks
- Start dates
- 24 Feb 2025
- Price from
- $2,396
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Introduction to Philosophy A: The Examined Life
About this subject
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- think critically about the key philosophical questions about freedom, the self and the nature of ethics;
- demonstrate in their assessment tasks critical thinking skills and autonomy and judgement in the presentation and development of arguments;
- apply critical thinking in both philosophical and non-philosophical contexts;
- demonstrate a depth of knowledge concerning some significant thinkers in the western philosophical tradition; and
- apply philosophical concepts to a range of problems that arise in everyday life.
- Topics will be available to enrolled students in the subject's MyLearn site approximately one week prior to the commencement of the teaching period.
This unit introduces three of the enduring themes of philosophy: namely (i) Freedom, Fatalism and Determinism, (ii) the Self and (iii) the Ethical Life.
In this unit you will begin by considering whether we are genuinely free to shape our futures or whether fatalism about the future might be true. The unit then considers the nature of the self. We ask what is the self and where is it located? Finally, in the third module, you will examine important philosophical discussions of ethics by thinkers such as Aristotle, Kant and John Stuart Mill.
The aim of the unit is to provide you with an overview and introduction to key philosophical questions that are central to the very idea of being human.
Assessment 1: Essay - 2000 words. Relates to Learning Outcomes 1-5;
Assessment 2: Take Home Exam - 2000 words. Relates to Learning Outcomes 1-5;- Essay (40%)
- Take Home Exam (60%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Elective
- UNE-ART-DIP-2025 - Diploma in Arts
Others
Candidature in Diploma in Arts
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - Headphones or speakers (required to listen to lectures and other media). Headset, including microphone (highly recommended). Webcam (may be required for participation in virtual classrooms and/or media presentations).
- Software requirements - It is essential for students to have reliable internet access in order to participate in and complete your units, regardless of whether they contain an on campus attendance or intensive school component. For additional information please visit UNE Hardware Requirements: https://www.une.edu.au/current-students/support/it-services/hardware
- Other requirements -
Textbook requirements:
Textbook information is not available until approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the Teaching period.
Students are expected to purchase prescribed material.
Textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Undergraduate
UNE-ART-DIP