Philosophy
Philosophy is for thinkers and doers. It's about solving real-life problems, and applying intellectual rigour to how we understand and interact with others, society and the world. Studying Philosophy at Waikato will teach you how to learn, think and write clearly, argue vigorously, and question deeply held assumptions and beliefs.
The study of Philosophy involves tackling ethical and science-related issues, logic problems and debates about the nature of reality. It asks fundamental questions about what it means to be human, at this time and in this place. Questions such as: what is truth; what is reality; what is the mind; and what is good?
Employers understand the value of graduates who can think, and decide, for themselves. Waikato Philosophy graduates have the practical and analytical skills needed for careers within the public and private, health, business, environmental, publishing, information technology and education sectors, among others.
Key information
| Study Locations: | Hamilton, Tauranga, Online Papers offered differ by location. The Catalogue of Papers has full location info. |
|---|---|
| Area of Study: |
Study Philosophy in these qualifications
Study Philosophy as a specialisation of
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Climate Change
- Bachelor of Communication
- Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences with Honours
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Science (Technology)
- Bachelor of Social Sciences
- Certificate
- Diploma
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Graduate Certificate
- Graduate Diploma
- Master of Arts
- Master of Arts (Applied)
- Master of Laws
- Master of Management Studies
- Master of Philosophy
- Master of Science
- Master of Science (Research)
- Master of Science (Technology)
- Master of Social Sciences
- Postgraduate Certificate
- Postgraduate Diploma
Career opportunities
- Business Consultant
- Editor
- Environmental Consultant
- Health Policy Adviser
- Policy Analyst
- Public Relations Practitioner
Study in Tauranga
Students in Tauranga can complete a minor in Philosophy through a combination of papers taught at the CBD campus, and online.
Papers
Available Philosophy papers
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILO102 | Introduction to Logic | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| An introduction to symbolic logic, including formal testing of arguments for validity in propositional logic and predicate logic. | |||
| PHILO103 | Critical Thinking | 15.0 | 23A (Online) & 23G (Online) |
| This paper helps students to engage critically with the sorts of arguments encountered both inside and outside the University. | |||
| PHILO106 | Social and Moral Philosophy | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) & 23A (Online) |
| An investigation of contemporary moral and social issues from a practical ethics perspective. Issues may include abortion, animal welfare, discrimination, euthanasia, freedom of speech, genetic enhancement, privacy, punishment, and your online life. | |||
| PHILO150 | The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) & 23B (Tauranga) |
| An introduction to philosophy that investigates a range of big questions. The big questions may include: does God exist?, does my morality apply to you?, do we have free will?, what is the meaning of life?, and who am I?. | |||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAORI202 | Ngā Iho Matua: Māori Philosophy | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the philosophical underpinnings of seminal tikanga Maori concepts, and their influence both historically and in contemporary Maori culture. | |||
| PHILO204 | Wisdom, Language, and Communication | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| Is language the seat of all knowledge and wisdom? The aim of this paper is to explore growing philosophical debates in epistemology and the philosophy of language. | |||
| PHILO205 | God, Spirituality, and the Afterlife | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) & 23B (Tauranga) |
| This paper analyses a range of conceptions of God (Ultimate reality), spirituality, and the afterlife in order to explore our place in the universe and understand different perspectives on the meaning of life. | |||
| PHILO215 | Moral and Political Philosophy: A Historical Introduction | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to central issues in Moral and Political Philosophy, using texts from historical figures in philosophy to study questions about virtue, happiness, justice, liberty, democracy, tyranny, feminism, art, censorship, and moral education. | |||
| PHILO217 | Environmental Ethics | 15.0 | 23H (Online) |
| A study of ethical questions about the relation of humans to the rest of the natural world, including the attribution of value and rights to the non-human world and ethical issues in environment and development. | |||
| PHILO218 | Ethics at Work | 15.0 | 23G (Online) |
| A study of ethics as it relates to business and professional practice in New Zealand including material specifically for interest groups: eg computer science, psychology and social work. | |||
| PHILO225 | Happiness and Wellbeing | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| Drawing on ancient wisdom and modern science, this paper investigates the meaning and value of happiness, and the role it plays in making our lives go well for us. | |||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPSS390 | Directed Study | 15.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major under the guidance of academic staff. | |||
| EDSOC300 | Māori Knowledge and Western Impacts in Education | 15.0 | 23A (Online) |
| This paper explores comparisons between key Western and Maori philosophies. It considers how Maori and Western philosophies respectively describe the self's relationship with thought and knowledge in the context of education. | |||
| PHILO309 | Experiments in Ethics | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| The paper uses thought experiments to introduce students to central issues in contemporary moral philosophy. The issues may include: What makes an action right? Are there any absolute duties? Is morality entirely subjective? Is it possible to have moral knowledge? How can we be sure our moral judgments are right? | |||
| PHILO310 | Mind, Matter and Consciousness | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| Are mental states just brain states? If not, what are they? Can we account for consciousness in purely physical terms? PHILO310 covers these central questions in the Philosophy of Mind. | |||
| PHILO315 | Democracy, Justice & Equality | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This course provides students with an in-depth introduction to contested topics in modern political philosophy. Students will be expected to analyse the theoretical basis of these positions, and to consider the practical consequences of them. | |||
| PHILO317 | Environmental Ethics | 15.0 | 23H (Online) |
| Do we have moral obligations toward nature? How should human beings treat the natural world? This paper examines questions such as these in light of our current ethical theories. | |||
| PHILO318 | Ethics at Work | 15.0 | 23G (Online) |
| This is an applied ethics paper focussing on the professions, research and business. It examines contemporary issues relevant to a wide range of occupations graduates might enter. | |||
| PHILO355 | The Fundamental Structure of the World | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| What is there? What makes up the furniture of reality? What about holes, chairs, possible worlds, fictional characters, musical works, temporal parts, races, or genders? These are central questions within metaphysics that we explore in this paper. We also explore higher-level questions: what is it to exist, and how should we go abo... | |||
500 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPSS590 | Directed Study | 30.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major under the guidance of academic staff. | |||
| PHILO533 | Moral and Political Philosophy | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper will cover a range of current topics in moral and political philosophy. The exact content will be guided by choices made in class, but will include detailed analysis of foundational problems in modern political philosophy, and exploration of the intersection of moral and political philosophy in practice. | |||
| PHILO536 | The Philosophy of Mind | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| In this paper we will discuss recent philosophical work on issues concerning consciousness and intentionality. | |||
| PHILO545 | Aesthetics | 15.0 | 23B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers a range of topics in contemporary aesthetics, including: What is art? What is the difference between art and craft? Are aesthetic values entirely subjective? Can fictional events give rise to real emotions? How is it possible to enjoy horror? | |||
| PHILO560 | Special Topic: Free Will and Moral Responsibility | 15.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| This paper will examine conceptual and empirical issues in the literature on free will and moral responsibility. Topics may include: Does free will or moral responsibility require the ability to do otherwise? If we lack the kind of free will required for moral responsibility, can punishment be justified? Do psychopathy or addiction... | |||
| PHILO588 | Foundations of Philosophical Research | 30.0 | 23A (Hamilton) |
| In this paper we engage in focused analysis of a range of philosophical topics relevant to the research goals of students. The paper enhances students' knowledge of long standing and contemporary debates in philosophy. Students cultivate their research skills through seminar development and presentation, and gain a grounding in phi... | |||
| PHILO591 | Dissertation | 30.0 | 23A (Hamilton), 23B (Hamilton) & 23D (Hamilton) |
| A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation. | |||
| PHILO592 | Dissertation | 60.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation. | |||
| PHILO593 | Philosophy Thesis | 90.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research. | |||
| PHILO594 | Philosophy Thesis | 120.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research. | |||
800 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILO800 | Philosophy MPhil Thesis | 120.0 | 23X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
900 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILO900 | Philosophy PhD Thesis | 120.0 | 23I (Hamilton), 23J (Hamilton), 23K (Hamilton) & 23X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
Scholarships and prizes
New to Waikato? The International Excellence Scholarship is worth up to $10,000.
Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships
Subject links
Subject Requirements
Philosophy is available as a major for the BA and BSocSc.
Philosophy is available as a major for the BA and BSocSc. Philosophy may also be taken as a second major or as a supporting subject within other undergraduate degrees, subject to academic approval of the Faculty or School of Studies in which the student is enrolled.
For more information about subject requirements please refer to the Catalogue of Papers for the most up to date information. If you have any questions and need more advice contact one of our friendly student advisors phone:
Please note: For all graduate subject requirements check the information provided in the papers section above.
Contacts
School of Social Sciences
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4030
General and Undergraduate Email Enquiries: [email protected]
Graduate and Postgraduate Email Enquiries: [email protected]