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Great Ideas is a course reflecting on some of the most exciting, important and revolutionary ideas that have shaped society and culture as it is today. It also considers how those ideas have an ongoing influence. It’s an interdisciplinary course look...

This course is an introduction to philosophical questions about the nature of minds and how they relate to brains and persons. Topics may include: What is consciousness? What can science tell us about the mind? What is a person? In virtue of what do ...

Sometimes, in a reflective mood, you might sit back and wonder about really “big questions.” What is the meaning of life? Does anything really matter? Can I know anything with 100% certainty? Would it be good to live forever? What is happiness? Does ...

What kind of life should I live? What kind of person should I be? Which actions are right and which are wrong? Answering questions of this sort is the task of ethics, and this course is an introduction to the subject. We will discuss and critically a...

We’re surrounded by art – not just in art galleries, but in the movies and TV shows that we watch, the videogames we play, the photos we post, and the bands we listen to. Why do we love art so much? In this course we’ll look at the ways that art infl...

How can we know the difference between what is real and what is not real? In this course we explore this most fundamental question, which is at the heart of the branch of philosophy known as epistemology. What is knowledge? How are beliefs justified?...

What is time? What is causation? What is it for an object to have a property? Do abstract entities exist? Do humans have free will? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that searches for answers to such fundamental questions, exploring some of the...

We’re all familiar with moral judgements like “You should keep your promises” or “Violence is wrong.” But what exactly are we doing when making such moral judgements? What’s distinctive about moral language? Can moral judgements be true or false (lik...

Logic is the branch of philosophy that studies and analyses arguments in general symbolic form. This course is an introduction to the field, requiring no prior background in studying philosophy or logic. You will be introduced to the use of technique...

Is waging war ever morally justified, and, if so, when? Do affluent states and individuals harm the global poor? How should New Zealand deal with historic injustice and the legacy of colonialism? What is the fairest and most effective way of addressi...

Where is your mind? What is your mind? Do other people have minds like yours? What about other types of entities? In this course you will explore complex questions like these concerning the nature of minds and how they work. You’ll consider the relat...

This course will closely and critically examine the views of some of the most important thinkers in the history of philosophy. A number of leading philosophers will be selected from a variety of traditions, ranging from ancient times to the present d...

This course presents a series of contemporary philosophical controversies and questions raised by art and culture.

We’re all familiar with moral judgements like “You should keep your promises” or “Violence is wrong.” But what exactly are we doing when making such moral judgements? What’s distinctive about moral language? Can moral judgements be true or false (lik...

This course examines major positions and issues in contemporary political philosophy, including questions about rights, equality, justice, freedom, and democracy. This course is also able to be taken towards a major in POLS. See major requirements fo...

Existentialism and Phenomenology are closely related philosophical approaches that emphasise the meaning and value of human existence and experience. These intellectual movements were driven in particular by Continental philosophers of the 19th and 2...

If you’ve ever been in an art gallery and found yourself wondering “Why is that art?!” then this course is for you. We’ll explore some of the big questions raised by great art. Are there objective standards of beauty or must we “agree to disagree”? W...

What is time? What is causation? What is it for an object to have a property? Do abstract entities exist? Do humans have free will? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that searches for answers to such fundamental questions, exploring some of the...

There are many philosophical puzzles about the nature of language and its relation to reality. How does a word come to refer to a thing? What does it mean for someone to understand a word? Does our language determine the way that we see the world? Ho...

Revealing that a theory has paradoxical implications is assumed to spell trouble for that theory, and yet it is often difficult to identify where our reasoning has gone wrong. In this course you will study a variety of paradoxes and critically evalua...

Philosophers have argued for a dizzying array of claims about the world and our place in it. But what justifies these claims, and what serves as evidence for the assumptions that they make? The emerging field of experimental philosophy (or “x-phi”) e...

Students will undertake an approved, supervised course of study relating to philosophy and complementing their work in the Honours Degree within the Philosophy programme.

This course considers questions about the fundamental nature of reality and what we can know and justifiably believe about it.

This course considers questions about how our thoughts and language can represent the world.

This course will consider closely some topics in moral philosophy, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, and the philosophy of religion.

This course examines topics that continue to shape and influence contemporary western analytic philosophy.

This course will involve students closely reading and critically evaluating two recently published monographs in philosophy.

This course is an in-depth survey of central and fundamental questions in political philosophy. It will consider concepts such as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and authority. It will ask what these concepts mean and why they are ...

This course gives students the opportunity to pursue an individual research project with guidance and support from a supervisor. Regular supervision is arranged with the supervisor, and signed off by Philosophy's Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

MA thesis in Philosophy.

PhD course.

This course examines topics at the intersection of philosophy, politics and economics. Topics may include: social choice theory, rational choice theory, economic history, value theory, the politics of global finance, global governance, and comparativ...

This course gives students an in depth knowledge of the principles of microeconomics and their application.

This course gives students an in depth knowledge of the principles of macroeconomics and their application.

This course gives students the opportunity to pursue an individual research project relating to an aspect of the PPE programme. Students will be given guidance and support from a supervisor. Regular supervision is arranged with the supervisor, and si...

This course builds on the skills and knowledge gained through Part 1 of the PPE programme. It provides students with the opportunity of gaining direct insights into the workings of government, ministries or related workplaces. Placements will be orga...

This course gives students the opportunity to pursue an individual research project relating to an aspect of the PPE programme. Students will be given guidance and support from a supervisor. Regular supervision is arranged with the supervisor and sig...

This course enables students to engage deeply with a broad range of feminist thought. We will first focus on feminist critiques of social/political institutions, then on feminist prescriptions, and finally look at the means feminists have suggested f...