PHIL1001, titled "Philosophy: Big Questions," is a first-year, 6-unit elective at Adelaide University offered in both Semester 1 and Semester 2 of 2026. It sits in the School of Humanities and carries no prerequisites.
The course counts toward the Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy and the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. It is also open as a standalone elective.
What is Philosophy: Big Questions?
PHIL1001 (some mistyped it as PHLD1001) is an overview of how philosophy approaches four guiding questions: what is there, what are we, what is a good life, and why are we here. It introduces method, not just content.
The course is designed for students with no prior philosophy. It is one of the Level 1 entry points into the discipline within the Adelaide course catalogue, alongside courses in ethics, logic, and the theory of knowledge.
Because it assumes no background, the syllabus prioritises argument structure over jargon. Students learn to read a philosophical claim, identify its premises, and test whether the conclusion follows.
What topics does PHIL1001 cover?
The course is organised around three strands. Each takes a question most people have asked informally and rebuilds it as a formal philosophical problem with competing answers.
The strands are sequenced so that earlier ideas feed later ones. The account of the self you build in the identity strand resurfaces when the religion strand asks what could survive death.
Run the three strands through AskSia's Concept Map to see how an assumption in one branch carries into another. It surfaces the dependencies that a flat reading list hides.
How is PHIL1001 assessed?
The published learning outcomes center on writing. Students are expected to create and revise extended written arguments, and to analyse and evaluate the arguments of others.
That makes PHIL1001 a writing-heavy course in practice. The skill being graded is argument construction, not recall of who said what.
The specific assessment breakdown, including essay weightings and any exam, is not listed on the public course page. It appears in the full course outline through MyAdelaide once you enrol, so treat that document as the source of truth for due dates and marking.
For the reading load behind each essay, AskSia AI note taking feature compresses a dense primary text into one card carrying the core concept, the common misreading, and a worked example. It turns a 30-page chapter into something reviewable in minutes.
Is PHIL1001 hard?
PHIL1001 is a Level 1 course with no prerequisites and no assumed knowledge, so the barrier to entry is low. The difficulty is in the writing, not the prerequisites.
Students who struggle usually do so for one reason. They summarise positions instead of arguing for one.
An essay that explains what Locke thought about identity earns far less than one that defends or attacks his view with a clear premise-conclusion structure. The grading rewards a position you can defend against an objection.
AskSia's AI tutor explains the same argument three different ways until one lands, then plays devil's advocate so you can pressure-test a thesis before submission. That rehearsal is what separates a description from an argument.
Can you take it as an elective?
Yes. PHIL1001 is listed as a university-wide elective and is available for single-course enrolment, so students outside philosophy can add it. It is also open to inbound study abroad and exchange students under Discipline group A.
As a 6-unit course, it fills one of the four course slots in a standard 24-unit full-time semester. It slots cleanly into a transition study plan.
If you are fitting it around a structured degree, see how Adelaide's study plan maps every course across a degree before locking in your enrolment, since elective timing affects later prerequisites.
When are the key dates?
The enrolment and withdrawal deadlines differ by semester. The census date is the one that matters financially: drop after it and you incur the fee plus a grade.
W means a withdrawal without academic penalty. WF means a withdrawal recorded as a fail. After the WF date you cannot drop the course at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who teaches PHIL1001?
The course coordinator is Stephanie Sheintul in the School of Humanities. In 2026 the teaching team includes Jonathan Opie and Jorge Fernández, with additional tutors such as Antony Eagle and Simon Roberts-Thomson listed across sections. Teaching runs through tutorials, each capped at 30 students, with multiple groups per week at Adelaide City Campus East and Magill. Coordinators and tutors can change between offerings, so the staff named on the live course entry are the ones to trust for the semester you enrol in. Check the current PHIL1001 listing on the Adelaide University course page before each semester, since the teaching team and class times are updated per offering.
How many units is PHIL1001 worth?
PHIL1001 carries 6 units. A standard full-time semester at Adelaide University is 24 units, so the course represents one quarter of a full load, or one of four courses in a typical semester plan. The 6-unit value is standard for Level 1 courses and counts toward the totals required by your degree's program rules. If you are an international student, that load also affects your student visa full-time study requirement, so dropping below it has consequences beyond your transcript. Map the 6 units against your program using AskSia's Concept Map so the elective lands in a semester where it does not collide with a core course.
Does PHIL1001 have prerequisites?
No. The course page lists prerequisites, corequisites, antirequisites, and assumed knowledge all as not applicable, which means any student can enrol regardless of background. That open access is deliberate: PHIL1001 is built as a first contact with the discipline, introducing argument analysis from zero. The one practical requirement is comfort with reading and writing in English, since the assessment centers on extended written arguments rather than calculation or memorisation. There is no maths and no lab component. Before enrolling, confirm the course still shows no prerequisites on its live Adelaide University entry, as program rules occasionally change between calendar years.
What degrees include PHIL1001?
Two named programs list PHIL1001 in their structure: the Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy, and the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Both run over three years full-time. Beyond those, the course is available as a university-wide elective, meaning students in unrelated degrees, from science to business, can take it to fill an elective slot. It also accepts single-course enrolment for non-award students. To check whether it fits your specific program, open the Adelaide course catalogue and cross-reference PHIL1001 against your degree's elective rules before adding it.
Can study abroad students take PHIL1001?
Yes. The course is open to inbound study abroad and exchange students under Discipline group A, and the fee depends on the number and type of courses studied. As a 6-unit, Level 1 course with no prerequisites, it is a common pick for exchange students wanting an accessible humanities credit. Tutorials cap at 30 and run in both Semester 1 and Semester 2, giving two intake windows per year. Study abroad applicants should start with the pre-application form linked on the course page and confirm credit transfer with their home institution before committing, since approval rules vary by university.
One caveat on this guide: the assessment breakdown and any prescribed textbook are not published on the public course page, so confirm those in the course outline once you have MyAdelaide access.
