This is an introductory subject/unit that exposes students to the basic and fundamental beliefs and practices that constitute the fabric of the Islamic world. Students will be able to explore relationships and differences between the key teachings of Islam and the customary practices of Muslims. In doing so, students will study both unity and diversity in various regions of the Muslim world. Historical and anthropological approaches to studying a number of key institutions and discourses in Muslim societies will also be introduced.

A history of Buddhism and its spread through Asian and more recently to the West, introducing its principal beliefs and practices, the diversity of its manifestations, its political, cultural, and social impact. This unit is a history of this current global religion in its social, cultural and political context.

In 2012 this unit replaced by 101882 - A History of Modern Global Buddhism. A history of Buddhism and its spread through Asian and more recently to the West, introducing its principal beliefs and practices, the diversity of its manifestations, its political, cultural, and social impact. Focus is on contemporary Buddhism.

Classics of Modern Philosophy introduces students to a selected number of 'great' (highly influential) philosophical texts of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Addressing fundamental issues such as human freedom, the nature of truth and knowledge, technological progress, problems of modern life, this unit guides students through key statements with supporting explanation of the philosophers, their projects and careers, and relevant social contexts.

This unit considers the intimate relationship between film and philosophy through close examinations of key philosophical and theoretical writings on film (incorporating hermeneutic, phenomenological, ontological, psychoanalytic, cognitivist and aesthetic approaches). Treating cinema as a philosophical medium in its own right, the unit explores the ways in which philosophical concepts have been taken up and addressed by film, as well as considering the ways in which cinema has in turn influenced philosophy.

An introduction, in English translation, to the two most important texts of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophetic Tradition (Hadith), which Muslims regard as the primary sources of Islam. Students will study: the origins of the Qur'an and Hadith; their overall structure and content; major themes; approaches to their interpretation; and their functions in Muslim religious, social and political life. The themes and topics covered should assist students in understanding contemporary debates on the relevance of Islam today. Students will also explore the relationship between text and traditions in various Muslim societies in the present day.

Philosophy and Environment focuses on how we understand and value our interactions with the natural environment, how humans have changed the world and themselves through those interactions and the questions and problems created through that dynamic. Contemporary issues such as climate change, resource depletion, land degradation, conflict over resources, and treatment of animals have become prominent ethical, political and philosophical concerns. This unit looks at these sort of environmental problems through philosophical methods that reveal the traditions of thought, attitude and action underlying them. Students will be introduced to the major apporaches and questions most relevant to explaining contemporary environmental problems.

What does it mean to live a "good life"? One conception of philosophy that goes back to the teachings of the ancient Greeks and Romans is that it is the discipline pre-eminently concerned with teaching people how to live a good life. This unit will investigate the idea of "the good life" through an examination of select texts in ancient and modern philosophy. It will address questions that both ancient and modern philosophers have grappled with: on the right relation between reason and emotion, on the role of pleasure in human life, on the development of character, on the "care of the self," and on pursuing a meaningful life.

This unit introduces students to time-honoured ethical questions and controversies. The issues to be examined point to questions that students are likely to face at some stage during their lives: Is death always a bad thing? Is abortion immoral? Are we obligated to give to charity? Should we be vegetarian? Should you have sex outside of a committed relationship? Is ethics founded upon religion, reason or community standards? As well as examining specific issues, students will be introduced to the leading secular and theistic ethical theories.

The major social and political philosophy of the West, from the 5th century BC Greece till the 18th century will be examined. The development of ideas of citizenship, subjectivity, freedom, equality and the democratic state will be explored. The influence of Christianity will also be a major theme. Authors will include: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, More, Hobbes, Locke, Vico, Rousseau.

The major philosophies of art will be examined. The Western tradition will be surveyed from the Ancient Greeks through medieval and Renaissance theories of art to modern and postmodern aesthetics beginning with Kant. Marxist and feminist aesthetics will be especially emphasised. The artistic material will primarily come from the visual arts.

By looking at culture in a cross-cultural perspective, anthropology assists us in relativising our own values and worldview. When we understand the logic of the other, we perform a double movement: we transform the exotic into familiar and vice versa. With religion taking a centre stage in world order, the anthropological perspective can give us an understanding ‘from within’ and help us overcome prejudice and fear. In this unit we will discuss topics such as magic, witchcraft, attitudes toward the body, healing, shamanism, and spirit possession. We will also address religion in complex societies by exploring the issue of secularisation and re-enchantment of the world. Finally, we will cover the globalisation of religious practices and beliefs.

This unit gives students knowledge of research methods relevant to humanities disciplines. Modules provide advanced instruction in developing a research topic, evidence-based research and Human Research Ethics processes and policy.

The unit provides an historical overview of the different types of ethical beliefs and practices that have been used is specific social settings from the classical world to the modern West. It looks at different types of spiritual and secular ethical behaviours, and the doctrines associated with each. It focuses upon the types of ethical argument and judgment-making specific to particular professions, occupations and social statuses over time. It concludes by surveying the different types of ethics taught to professionals today in the West, and on the differences between each, as well as the specific requirements of each. It will be of interest both to students with an interest in the history of ideas, and to students who want to learn more about ethics and moral decision-making.

Evolutionary thinking has been one of the strongest and most pervasive influences on human thinking and behaviour in the modern era, leading in its most dangerous forms to eugenics, social engineering and theories of racial hierarchy. This unit examines various evolutionary modes of thought - focusing especially on Darwins The Origin of Species (1859) - their social and cultural impact, and challenges to their legitimacy.

This unit aims to provide third year humanities students with first-hand knowledge of workplaces or research processes related to their chosen field of study (major), such as art galleries, museums, libraries, local and state government, tourism and administration or in academic contexts. The unit will introduce students to various fields in which the skills developed over two years of study in humanities can be applied. It will augment their study and provide much needed work experience. The internship placement and/or project will be chosen by the student in consultation with the staff member responsible for the major area and the placement will be overseen and the academic work assessed by the member of staff responsible for the major area of study relevant to the internship.

This unit introduces students to Islam an its adherents within contemporary globalcontext. It looks at key Muslim intellectuals from the 19th Century till the present and examines their attempts to come to terms with modernity as a Western project while addressing critical issues facing Islam. Areas for consideration include: renewal and reform; the impact of colonialism and globalisation on Muslim discourse; independent judgment (ijtihad) versus emulation (taqlid); and issues associated with civil society. Students will also explore the challenge of shaping a Muslim identity in the modern world in the context of key Muslim institutions and social movements.

Islam is a significant feature of Southeast Asia’s past and present. Employing methodologies and insights drawn primarily from history, political science, and anthropology, this unit explores Islam’s place in and contribution to contemporary Southeast societies and politics, as well as its history in the region. Major themes to be explored include: the debates about Islam’s spread to Southeast Asia and its interaction with the region’s established socio-religious features, the colonial experience, Islam’s often contested place in the national life of Southeast Asian nations, its past and ongoing links with the rest of the Muslim world, as well as contemporary issues associated with the War on Terror and conflicts in Muslim societies.

This unit introduces students to Islamic legal theory, its sources and principles, and its application by different schools and scholars to derive religious verdicts. Students will study efforts to ‘streamline’ Islamic law through a number of Sunni and Shiite schools, various conceptions of shari’ah, and modern attempts at law reform through dynamic scholarship and ijtihad (independent judgment). Upon completion, students should be able to explain developments in Islamic legal thought within their socio-historical contexts, and identify key debates among Muslim scholars. Using current case studies, students will also study Islamic law issues affecting Muslims today, especially Muslim minorities.

This unit explores a selection of literary works that invite us to examine the tenuous border separating the “human” from the “non-human." Readings will allow students to learn how literary texts employ various formal techniques (allegory, anthropomorphism, etc.) that call into question the conventional opposition between human and animal. Particular attention will be given to the intersection of animality, race, gender, and sexuality. Readings may include one or more national literatures, such as American or Australian literature.

This unit will examine ways in which literature and philosophy interact. It will consider the ways in which literature and philosophy offer important and different ways of thinking. And it will consider the differences between literature and philosophy. Literature will be understood to involve thinking through sensations, while philosophy will be understood to involve thinking through concepts. The unit will examine examples of interaction between literary texts and philosophical texts, considering how literary effects can inhabit philosphical texts and philosophical ideas can permeate literary texts. The unit will consider frequently occurring themes within both literature and philosophy, such as ethics (ways of living and acting).

The Western experience of the fundamental questions of love and death will be examined. Literary as well as philosophical works will be utilised. Ancient Greek, Christian and medieval attitudes will be contrasted with more modern romantic and existentialist views. Authors will include: Sophocles, Plato, Augustine, Goethe, Austen, Sade, Dostoyevsky and Heidegger.

In the past and present, vision has been both privileged as a metaphor for truth, and denigrated as the source of distortion, illusions, and lies. This unit begins by situating the contemporary fascination with ‘visual cultures’ within the context of a long tradition of philosophical discourse on vision and sight. It traces the relationship between the emergence of visual technologies and the language used by philosophers to discuss truth and falsehood. It explores the manner in which current visual cultures call for both to repeat and to rewrite our philosophical inheritance.

Philosophy Today provides an introduction and analysis of selected issues in contemporary philosophy, with an emphasis on moral and ethical controversies, problems in modern social life, and explanations of human subjectivity and consciousness. Themes and philosophers are selected to provide students with a series of focused perspectives on recent and current philosophical debate - particularly on controversial issues and areas of public debate.

In the West, it is assumed that the authorities of the state and of the church are separate. The state looks afters the public or political affairs, while religion takes care of one’s private beliefs and moral values. In practice, however, such a separation has always been precarious. From American politics to the conflicts in the Middle East, the two have remained intermeshed. The unit will trace the idea of the separation of state and church back to its genesis and track its development in modern thought. The aim is to demonstrate the variegated relation between politics and theology by closely examining a wide array of texts in a variety of disciplinary fields, including literature.

This unit focuses on the relationship between religion and culture and considers the role of religion as elemental to forces of cultural change. Various religions are studied with a view to investigating how culture shapes religion and in turn how religion shapes and moulds culture. Topics include the rise of fundamentalism, the relationship between gender and religion, religion and violence, religion and ethics, the relationship between science and religion, the rise of new forms of spirituality including New Age, and the role of religion in popular culture.

In this unit some of the main sociological approaches to the study of religion will be considered. The unit will be orientated particularly to the tension between religion and social theory in the evolution of sociological thought. It addresses the impact of religion and religious bodies on Australian society and politics. The unit will focus on the relation of theory and practice, on the research of contemporary religious practice, and on the contemporary relevance of major theorists in the sociology of religion. It will address issues such as Buddhism, Fundamentalism(s), gender in religion, globalisation, Islam, modernity/post modernity, neo-paganism, networks in spiritualities, New Age, popular culture, and new religious movements.

Why do humans kill? What is the nature of war? This course is a selection of different established theories offering explanations of human violence and social conflict. Both theories of individual violence and aggression, and collective conflict are studied to give students a perspective on the forces behind these phenomena. Theories from politics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, sociobiology, sociology, and cultural studies are introduced to exemplify the classic positions and lines of reasoning. These are used to question and explain current forms of violence and conflict, and to give students better understanding of the issues behind attempts to forestall, manage or end conflict.

This unit considers philosophies of writing by 'drilling down' through the work of one philosopher or through a survey of philosophers. Philosophies of writing are found in the thinking of the Sophists, Classical Greek philosophy, Continental philosophy, as well as in the work of philosophers of new media. The focus upon philosophies of writing is to develop student's understanding of the pragmatic and performative nature of writing and with that the question of ethics in relation to creative writing. These are important concepts to advanced literary theory inquiry and will be tackled in this unit in depth.

"Understanding Freedom" consists of a close analysis of major theories of freedom from ancient times to the contemporary world. It explores the relation between freedom and imprisonment, freedom and politics, freedom and the everyday, as well as the way that freedom informs the production of culture.

This unit examines theories of human nature from a variety of historical and disciplinary perspectives. It engages with, and encourages the student to evaluate, conceptions of the human - some of which have had wide currency in the broader culture and some which have not. The unit also engages the idea of whether a unified conception of human nature is tenable at all.

Beginning with Nisa — the chapter of the holy Quran dedicated to women— and a collection of pertinent aĥadiţh, this unit focuses on the impact that Islam’s philosophy has had on various Muslim and Arab cultures by examining literature from throughout the Arabo-Islamic civilization. Students are introduced to a variety of interpretations of the role of women in Islam and how these interpretations are reflected in literary and non-literary texts. Students learn to detect the tremendous influence that Islam has had on Arabic texts and cultures, even those which at first appear to be of a secular nature.