Environmental Philosophy
36 hours Face to Face + Blended
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
To provide a comprehensive understanding of environmental problems, including the threat of destruction of the current regime of the global ecosystem, of the forces driving this destruction, and what is required to address and overcome these problems.
Requisites
Prerequisites
50 credit points
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-2026
01-November-2026
01-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-August-2026
Census date
01-September-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-September-2026
Results released date
08-December-2026
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-August-2027
31-October-2027
31-October-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-August-2027
Census date
31-August-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
21-September-2027
Results released date
07-December-2027
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Analyse the state of our environment and the causes driving its destruction
- Critically review the debate between prevailing economic theories and the alternative provided by institutionalist forms of ecological economics and human ecology
- Evaluate the use of cost-benefit or risk-benefit analyses to assess policies, and defend the alternative provided by retrospective path analysis.
- Systematically articulate the main changes required to create an environmentally sustainable society and civilization
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On Campus Class |
2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Readings |
5.00 | 12 weeks | 60 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
4.50 | 12 weeks | 54 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Essay 2 | Individual | 50% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Essay proposal/presentation | Individual | 10% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- The environmental crisis as a global phenomenon, and the implications of the crisis for Australians;
- Ethics, cultural analysis, political philosophy and policy formation and their relationship;
- The assumptions of prevailing economic theory and alternative ways of conceiving our relations to each other and to nature;
- A framework of ideas as the basis for formulating environmentally sound political and economic policies to replace those dominating Australian society;
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.
