Any society has to address the problem of how and what to produce for its material survival, and how the goods and services that are produced should be distributed among its population. Economists explore how people and institutions behave and function when producing, exchanging and using goods and services. Economists’ main motivation is to find mechanisms that encourage efficiency in the production and use of material goods and resources, while at the same time producing a pattern of income distribution that society finds acceptable.
Economics will appeal to students with a wide range of interests. If students are interested in current economic affairs or in understanding how public policies could lower unemployment or assist the developing world, then they will find studying economics both stimulating and rewarding. Economics is also a strong platform for careers in business and finance. Students who enjoy abstract thinking, and are evaluating courses such as engineering or physics, should also consider economics as a degree option.
Philosophy is an intellectually exciting discipline in which fundamental questions of human existence, value and society are examined, debated and challenged. Its methods are reason and argument and philosophy students are given the skills to reason and argue clearly, cogently and effectively.
This course offers the opportunity to engage in depth with questions of metaphysics (about the fundamental nature of reality), epistemology (the theory of knowledge), ethics (theories of right and wrong), political philosophy (the nature of the just state), philosophy of religion (reasoning about God), philosophy of mind (questions about thought, language and reason) and various other areas.
