Module overview
We all, in many contexts, face ethical questions: whether to tell the truth or lie, whether to keep a promise or break it, whether to refrain from intervening in some dispute or instead step in. Questions like these are at once tremendously important, but also often tremendously difficult to resolve. This module looks in detail at philosophical attempts to systematically study ethics and ethical decision making, at key theories and arguments on these difficult topics. Perhaps some systematic theory can answer all our ethical questions for us, and even if not, attempts to generate such theories might still teach us valuable lessons about what it is to act ethically. This module will explore these questions at an advanced level.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- take notes from talks and written materials.
- undertake, with adequate supervision, independent research, including identifying and using appropriate resources.
- work effectively to deadlines.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- present and debate advanced philosophical ideas in an open minded and rigorous way.
- interpret, synthesise and critically evaluate philosophically advanced texts and ideas.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- some of the philosophical challenges for finding systematic answers in ethics, and possible resolutions
- some key theories about how to resolve ethical disagreement
- advanced theories of ethical behaviour
Syllabus
The syllabus may vary from year to year, but may include topics such as:
- The relationship between fundamental ethical concepts such as good, bad, right, and wrong.
- Questions about the existence and contents of general principles that might be used to determine the answer to more specific ethical questions.
- The nature, and potential attractions and drawbacks to some main ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, intuitionism, Kantianism, and virtue ethics.
- Some foundational questions about how we determine the right answers in ethics, if there is such a thing at all.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- In-class discussion
- Lectures
Learning activities include
- Attending lectures
- Contributing to discussion in lectures
- Doing research for and writing assessed essays
- Applying techniques and skills learnt to your reading and writing inside and outside the module
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 |
| Independent Study | 130 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
"Moral Theory" at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Textbooks
Russ Shafer-Landau. The Fundamentals of Ethics.
James Rachels. The Elements of Moral Philosophy.
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.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Short essay /assignment | 25% |
| Essay | 50% |
| Short essay /assignment | 25% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| 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.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Short essay /assignment | 25% |
| Essay | 50% |
| Short essay /assignment | 25% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External