1997 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

Objectives and Content
What does it mean to be rational? Whv be rational? These
questions are central to this subject, which critically
appraises recent accounts of rationality, and explores the
possibility of forging a new approach, more adequate to our
contemDorarv needs. Dicsusion will focus on such issues as:
A
d
the challenges to rationality posed by our status as situated
human agents; the treats to rationality posed by paradigm
disputes in science; the problem of relativism; the links
between western rationalitv and the rationalitv of other
cultures; and the relationship between rationality and
human well-being.
Recommended din^:
Please consult with lecturer before buying recommended
readings.
Brown, H. Rationality. London, Routledge, 1990
Rescher, N. Rationality. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1988
Bernstein, R. Beyond Objectitism and Relativism.
Philadelphia,University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983.
Ulin, R. Understanding Cultures. Austin, University of Texas
Press, 1984.
AH306 Practical Ethics
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: two of AA208,
AH201, AH202, AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206, or
approved equivalents Assessment: continuous
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Obiedives and Content
~ hsubject k attempts to develop an understanding of the
process of moral decision making, with a view to improving the
ability of participants to form ethical judgements and to be
tolerant of the judgements of others.
Presently, the two main areas of discussion are the moral
value of human beings and environmental ethics. Further
areas may be added in future years.
Recommended reading
Please consult with lecturer before buying recommended rabg.
De Marco, J. and F.R. New Directions in Ethics. New York,
Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986
Elliot, R. and Gare, A. Environmental Philosophy. BBrbane,
University of Queensland Press, 1983
Gare, A. Nihilism Incorporated. Canberra, Eco-Logical Press,1993.
Maclntyre, A. After Virtue. 2nd edn, Notre Dame, University of
Notre Dame Press, 1984
AH307
Australian Science and Society
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: two of AA208,
AH201, AH202, AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206 or
approved equivalents Assessment: continuous
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Obiedives and Content
T ~ subject I ~ will bring perspectives from the history,
philosophy and social studies of science to bear on the
theme of Australian science and societv. , To~ics covered will
i
range from Aboriginal conceptions of nature to colonial
science with its cultural dependence on metropolitan
centres, to the triumph of molecular biology and
immunology and the rise of scientific internationalism and
cultural independence. The subject will also examine current
issues in Australian science and technology, science policy
and the public image of science.
Recommended reading
Please consult with lecturer before buying recommended reading.
Home, R.W. (ed.), Australian Science in the Making. Melbourne,
Cambridge University Press, 1988
Schedvin, C.B. Shaping Science and Industry A Histoty of
Australia's Council for Scientific Research. Sydney, Allen &
Unwin, 1987
Charlesworth, Farrall, Stokes, and Turnbull. L$e Among the
Scientists. Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1989
*AH308 Social Studies of Science
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: two of AA208,
AH201, AH202, AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206 or an
approved equivalent Assessment: continuous
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Objed'ves and Content
This subject will examine the contemporary debate on the
social construction of scientific knowledge. The extent to
which science reflects the culture in which it is set has been
the subject of much recent writing about science. Some
authors make the claim that scientific knowledge is
autonomous, and the proper objects of sociological inquiry
are the various social and institutional relationships which
hold within the community of scientists, both in the
laboratory and in the wider world. More recently, the claim
has been made that social factors contribute in a crucial way
to the content of science itself, to the type of knowledge that
is produced. These claims will be investigated through case
studies on both historical and current issues.
Recommended reading
Please consult with lecturer before buying recommended reading.
Brannigan, A. Tbe Social Basis of Scientific Discoveries. Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press, 1981
Winner, L. Tbe Whale and the Reactor. Chicago, University of
Chicago Press, 1986
* Not available to students who have previously ~assed
AH302, Social Studies of Science A.
AH309 Special Topics in Philosophy
3 hoursper week Hawthorn Prerequisite: two of AA208,
AH201, AH202, AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206 or
approved equivalents Assessment: continuous
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Objectives and Content
A series of advanced seminars on contemporary topics in
philosophy or an intensive study of a particular topic.
Topics may be chosen from any of the major areas. The
topics chosen in any given year will depend upon the
expertise of the lecturer in charge.
Swinburne University of Technology 1997 Handbook 225