Please note - Swinburne University of Technology

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.
References
Home, R.W. Australian Science in the Making. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press: Melbourne, 1988
Schedvin, C.B. Shaping Science and Industry: A History of Australia's
Council for Scientific Research. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1987
Charlesworth, Farrall, Stokes. and Turnbull. Life Among the Scientists.
Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1989
*AH308 Social Studies of Science
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two of AHZOO, AH201, AH202,
AH203, AH204, AH205. AH206 or an approved
equivalent
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
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 instituitional 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,
References
Brannigan, A. The Social Basis of Scientific Discoveries. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1981
Winner, L. The Whale and the Reactor. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1986
* Not available to students who have previously passed
AH302, Social Studies of Science A.
~ ~ 3 0 Special 9 Topics in Philosophy
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two of AHZOO, AH201, AH202,
AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206 or approved
equivalents
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
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 ledurer in charge.
AH310 Approaches to Culture
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two of AHZOO, AH201, AH202,
AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206, or approved
equivalents
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
contemporary approaches to the study of culture draw on
the Eurowan ~hiloso~hical traditions of phenomenology,
hermenkutio ind str"dualism. In this subject, we explore
some key themes in these traditions. Themes include the
notions of meaning and interpretation in relation to
consciousness, signs and texts; different ways of
understanding the contrasting methodologies of the natural
and human sciences; different models that are proposed for
the purpose of interpreting cultural phenomena; the
interconnections between disciplines and the problematic
nature of discipline boundaries.
Textbook
Consult with the lecturer before buying textbook
References
Dreyfus. H.L. Being-in-the-World: A Commentary on Heidegger's
'Being and Time: Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1991
Hammond, M. Understanding Phenomenology. Oxford: Blackwell,
1991
*AH311
Environmental Philosophy
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two of AHZOO, AH201, AH202,
AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206 or approved
equivalents
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
The global destruction of the environment is perhaps the
most serious crisis humanity has ever had to confront. This
course examines the cultural, social and economic roots of
this crisis, with spPcific reference to Australia, and considers
what courses of action are open to us. While ethics and
political philosophy are considered, the major focus of the
course is on economic theory and policy formation. The
assumptions of prevailing economic thought and prevailing
forms of policy analysis are critically examined, and then the
new approaches to economics and policy formation
designed to take into account energetic and ecological
processes and to provide the basis for an environmentally
sustainable society are investigated.
References
Boyden, 5.. Dovers, S. and Shirlw, M. Our Biosphe~ Under Threat:
Ecological Realities and Australia's Opportunities. Melbourne: Oxford
University Press, 1990
Daly, H. and Cobb, J. fbr the Common Good: Redirecring the
Economy Toward Community, the Environmental, and a Sustainable
Future. Boston: Beacon Press, 1989
Naess. A. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1989
* Not available to students who have previously passed
AH309 Special Topics in Philosophy
*AH312 Natural Philosophy and the Sciences
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two of AHZOO, AH201, AH202,
AH203, AH204, AH205, AH206, or approved
equivalent
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
Science in the twentieth century is inaugurating one of the
most radical revolutions in thought in the history of
humanity. This subject examines this revolution and its
implications. It begins with a critical study of theories of
scientific knowledge to reveal the inextricable link between
science and natural philosophy - the quest to characterise
the nature of physical existence. It is then shown how the
'new physics' and the 'new biology' have abandoned the
philosophy of nature on which science has been based for
the last three hundred years, creating a new conception of
physical existence which is transforming our view of the
cosmos, of life, and what it means to be human. It is shown
how these transformations are enabling us to understand
how we, as both natural and cultural beings, are able to
create science and achieve this understanding of the world
and ourselves. The subject concludes by looking at science