Courses 2026-27

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If you would like to learn more about why you should study philosophy, you can read this page first.
Introductory courses – The department offers two general introductory courses in philosophy (PHIL1012 and PHIL1034). There are no prerequisites. These courses will normally be offered every year in different semesters. This is a requirement for all philosophy majors and minors. Normally they should be taken in either the first or second year of study. These two courses are also strongly recommended for students who do not intend to major or minor in philosophy.
PHIL1068 is an introduction to formal logic. It is suitable for students of all levels.
All senior-level courses (except the capstone courses) fall into one of four groups according to their main focus. Philosophy majors are strongly encouraged (but not required) to take courses from each of these groups to ensure that they are exposed to a wide range of philosophical ideas.
- Group 1: Knowledge and reality
- Group 2: Mind and language
- Group 3: Moral and political philosophy
- Group 4: History of philosophy
Philosophy majors are also required to take a capstone course. See this page.
Some courses listed below are marked with [*]. These are intermediate-level “survey” courses which are particularly suitable for second and third-year students, or students with very little background in philosophy.
For course descriptions, see the official syllabus on the Arts Faculty website.

Students wishing to major in Philosophy must complete 72 credits of courses, including:
- Either PHIL1012 or PHIL1034 (6 credits);
- 12 credits of introductory courses taken from any Arts programme(s), which may include additional credits in 1000-level Philosophy courses;
- 54 credits of Philosophy courses from among those at the 2000-, 3000-, and 4000-levels, including PHIL3920 or PHIL4810 or PHIL4920 (capstone experience).

Students wishing to minor in Philosophy must complete 36 credits of courses, including:
- Either PHIL1012 or PHIL1034 (6 credits);
- 30 credits of Philosophy courses from among those at the 2000- and 3000-levels

All courses are one-semester courses worth 6 credit units unless stated otherwise.
Timetable 2026-27

PHIL1012 Mind and Knowledge: An Introduction to Philosophy – Dr. Lam
PHIL2001 The Beginnings of Philosophy – Dr. Lam
PHIL2002 Early Modern Philosophy – Dr. Johnson
PHIL2027 Political Philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Dr. Chin
PHIL2115 Skepticism and Relativism – Dr. Johnson
PHIL2220 The Mind – Dr. Kwok
PHIL2230 Philosophy and Cognitive Science – Dr. Kwok
PHIL2245 Philosophy and Emotions – Prof. Lau
PHIL2355 Theories of Justice – Dr. Chin
PHIL2362 Liberal Democracy – Dr. Chin
PHIL2430 Chinese Philosophy: Ethics – Prof. Tiwald
PHIL2511 Paradoxes – Prof. Lau
PHIL2610 Philosophy of Language – Dr. Johnson
PHIL2657 Colour and Sound – Dr. Kwok
PHIL2800 Buddhist Philosophy – Prof. Chaturvedi
PHIL2801 Neo-Confucianism – Prof. Tiwald
PHIL2802 Philosophy of Economics – Dr. Feng
Common core: CCHU9051 Mysteries of the Human Mind – Prof. Chaturvedi
Common core: CCAI9003 AI Safety: Catastrophe, Alignment, and Governance – Dr. Elkin
Common core: CCAI9004 AI, Achievement and Flourishing – Prof. Sharadin

PHIL1034 Ethics and Politics, East and West – Prof. Chaturvedi and Prof. Deutsch
PHIL1068 Elementary Logic – Prof. Nado
PHIL2000 Tools for Philosophers – Dr. Johnson
PHIL2110 Knowledge – Dr. Kwok
PHIL2130 Philosophy of Science – Dr. Lam
PHIL2217 Issues in Contemporary Metaphysics – Dr. Lam
PHIL2260 Seminar in Mind and Language – Prof. Sterken
PHIL2319 Moral Psychology – Prof. Goldstein
PHIL2320 Happiness – Dr. Johnson
PHIL2340 Moral Problems – Prof. Wong
PHIL2360 Political Philosophy – Dr. Chin
PHIL2481 Philosophy of Music – Dr. Kwok
PHIL2530 Metaphilosophy – Prof. Deutsch
Common core: CCHU9021 Critical thinking in Contemporary Society – Dr. Chin
Common core: CCHU9005 Food and Values – Dr. Lam
Common core: CCAI9002 Thinking Machines – Prof. Cappelen & Dr. Ye