Module PHIL3131: Issues in Contemporary Ethics

Department: Philosophy

PHIL3131: Issues in Contemporary Ethics

Prerequisites

• PHIL2041 Moral Theory

Corequisites

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To explore in detail some issues of interest and importance in contemporary ethics.

Content

• The list of topics will vary depending on the research interest and expertise of the lecturer(s) in any given year. Representative topics include:
• Human extinction and the far future.
• The place of value in the scientific world view.
• Philosophical issues of love, sex and consent.
• Moral philosophy in the time of climate change.
• The ethics of war and violence.
• Moral psychology and responsibility.
• Issues in moral methodology.
• Issues in contemporary metaethics.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module, students will have knowledge and understanding of some issues of interest and importance in contemporary ethics.

• correctly utilise specialist vocabulary
• grasp, analyse, evaluate and deploy subject-specific concepts and arguments
• locate, understand, assess and utilise pertinent philosophical (and, where appropriate, historical) sources

• express themselves clearly and succinctly in writing
• comprehend complex ideas, propositions and theories
• defend their opinions by reasoned argument
• seek out and identify appropriate sources of evidence and information
• tackle problems in a clear-sighted and logical fashion.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures deliver basic module-specific information, and provide a framework for further study.
• Discussion periods enable students to voice their views and debate with others.
• Guided reading provides a structure within which students exercise and extend their abilities to make use of available learning resources.
• The Formative essays provide the opportunity for students to test their knowledge and understanding of the module content, and their ability to present and defend relevant arguments and theories, uninhibited by the need for summative assessment.
• The unseen examination tests students' overall knowledge and understanding of the module content at the end of the module, and their ability to bring it to bear on new problems under pressure of time.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One essay in Michaelmas term of approximately 2000 words.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University