VCE Philosophy
A Student Text for VCE Units 1 & 2
Second Edition

Anna Symes & Lenny Robinson-McCarthy

$75 inc GST
590 pages, 275x195mm, softcover

ISBN 9781921333-552

Available in Now

Sample pages are available for viewing here.

With its lively and stimulating approach, this book is an essential classroom companion and the perfect student introduction to the exciting world of philosophical inquiry.

The Book
Building on the success of the first book ever written exclusively for students of VCE Philosophy, is VCE Philosophy: A Student Text for VCE Units 1 & 2. This second edition is fully updated to meet the demands of the new VCE Philosophy Study Design and includes studies of recommended texts, activities, discussion questions and ideas for assessment – everything you need to teach the new Unit 1 and 2 course successfully.

Drawing on decades of teaching and assessing experience, the authors invite students to actually do philosophy, while at the same time providing comprehensive grounding in all the Key Knowledge and Key Skills outlined in the latest VCE Philosophy Study Design.

Through a variety of engaging classroom tasks and discussion activities, students are encouraged to critically reflect on arguments and ideas, and develop skills of reasoning, analysis and evaluation. Close examination of primary texts is a strong feature, reflecting the new emphasis on this aspect of Philosophy across all Units.

Teachers will appreciate the wealth of suggestions for lesson content, assessment tasks, further resources, and advice on course design and unit planning.

Contents
Chapter 1 – Introduction to philosophy

• What is Philosophy? Why might we study it?
• Approaches to philosophical discussion

Chapter 2- Reasoning and logic
• Identifying arguments
• Standard form representation
• Other tools for argument
• Evaluating arguments: logical and factual assessment
• Thinking about judgments: cognitive bias
• Further tools for evaluating arguments: rhetorical ploys and fallacies

Chapter 3 – Metaphysics
• Materialism and idealism
• The material mind
• Free will and determinism
• The existence and nature of God
• Time

Chapter 4 – Epistemology
• Knowledge
• The possibility of a priori knowledge
• Science
• Objectivity

Chapter 5 – Ethics and moral philosophy
• The foundations of morality
• Moral psychology
• Right and wrong

Chapter 6 – Further problems in value theory/other forms of value
• Rights and justice
• Liberty and anarchy
• Aesthetic value
• Interpretation of art works

Chapter 7 – Advice for teaching and learning with this book
• Designing your Units 1 and 2 course
• Suggestions for student assessment

The Authors
Dr. Lenny Robinson-McCarthy (BA [hons], Dip. Ed, PhD) has taught VCE Philosophy at Preshil in Melbourne since 2001. She has also worked for the VCAA in areas relating to VCE Philosophy curriculum development and assessment and as a private tutor for students of VCE and IB Philosophy. In 2008 Lenny qualified as a Philosophy for Children educator and, under the auspices of VAPS, has designed and run workshops in Community of Inquiry for both primary and secondary school teachers. Lenny is also a published author of academic and creative works.

Anna Symes (B.A., B.Mus., Dip.Ed, Grad. Cert.Gifted Ed.) has more than 20 years of teaching experience in primary, secondary and tertiary settings. Over a decade of teaching at St Leonard’s College, Melbourne, she established the school’s Philosophy program and presented inservice sessions to teachers around Victoria. Anna has been a consultant to the VCAA in the development of VCE Philosophy Curriculum since 2006 and has worked on state and international examination panels since 2001. She is currently tutoring on Educational Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Melbourne.

Gallery
Click thumbnails for a larger image.