Applied Ethics

Module overview

In both public and private life, we face difficult and pressing ethical questions every day. Should we give a proportion of our wealth to those in developing countries? Should we allow doctors to perform abortions or euthanasia and, if so, under what circumstances? How should we respond to the threat climate change poses to future generations? And so on. In many cases these questions are inescapable—we cannot sit around and hope that the issues they concern will go away. Our answers to them make a difference to our lives and to the lives of others. Unfortunately, the heated debates surrounding such questions can appear intractable. The aim of this module is to offer you the chance to reflect on certain real world ethical questions and the issues they raise, and to discuss those issues in a dispassionate and informed way.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

present ideas clearly and carefully.
interpret, synthesise and criticise complex texts and positions.
articulate and defend your own views regarding the issues the module concerns.
debate and criticise ideas and arguments in an even-handed fashion.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

undertake independent work, including identifying and using appropriate resources.
express views clearly and concisely.
take notes from talks and written materials.
work effectively to deadlines.
contribute to discussion in a critical but dispassionate way.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

of some influential answers to those questions and the problems facing them.
background assumptions lying behind those questions and answers.
concrete ethical questions and the issues surrounding them.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

Lectures
In-class discussion
One-on-one consultation with module co-ordinator

Learning activities include

Attending classes
Contributing to class discussion
Doing independent research for and writing assessed essays and exams

Study time
Type	Hours
Lecture	33
Completion of assessment task	22
Revision	23
Follow-up work	24
Wider reading or practice	24
Preparation for scheduled sessions	24
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Hugh LaFollette (2005). The Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

R. G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman (2005). A Companion to Applied Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay proposal

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback:
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No
Percentage contribution: 100%

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Group presentation	25%
Essay	75%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Timed Assignment	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Group presentation	25%
Essay	75%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External