Module PHIL43130: Current Issues in Ethics and Aesthetics

Department: Philosophy

PHIL43130: Current Issues in Ethics and Aesthetics

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to a range of topics, debates and concepts prominent in contemporary philosophical research in ethics, through structured group discussion of influential journal articles, chapters and books. To introduce students to a growing body of research that seeks to unite themes in the philosophy of aesthetic experience and art with recent work in art history and art criticism, in order to encourage an in-depth understanding of the central concerns debated in these two neighbouring academic disciplines.
• To enable students to critically reflect upon different views as to how research in philosophical aesthetics and theory of art should be pursued.
• To enable students to reflect critically on different views as to how research in normative and meta-ethics should be pursued.
• To introduce topics, debates and concepts that are central to these fields of academic research through structured group discussion of relevant and influential literature on the topics.
• To promote an advanced critical understanding of different theories, approaches and opinions relating to the topics under discussion.
• To provide students with the knowledge and skills required to pursue self-directed research on a specific topic, under the direction of a member of staff.
• To introduce students to debates at the cutting edge of philosophical research, where there is much work to be done and considerable scope for original contributions.

Content

• The seminars will provide students with an overview of recent work in ethics and philosophical aesthetics. Questions and debates central to the field of ethics and philosophical aesthetics will be addressed, focusing on topics that have been of considerable interest. Topics will vary depending on staff expertise. A list of indicative topics is as follows:
• Consequentialism and deontology
• Consequentialism and rationality
• The idea of virtue
• Ethics and emotion: love
• Love in a consequentialist perspective
• Ethics and emotion: death
• Axiology
• Moral reasoning
• Moral naturalism
• Moral perception
• Aesthetics, Art and the Art World.
• The Boundaries of the Aesthetic: Art & Nature
• Kantian Aesthetics
• Criticism and Taste: Interpretation, Intention, and Sensibility.
• Adorno and Modernism
• Art and Emotion
• The Modern System of the Arts
• Artistic Tradition
• Aesthetics of Kierkegaard/Nietzsche/Adorno/Merleau-Ponty

Learning Outcomes

• Students will:
• Acquire an appreciation of how research in normative and meta-ethics ought to be pursued;
• Become acquainted with a range of important issues raised by some of the most notable recent contributions to philosophical research on normative ethics and metaethics;
• Acquire an appreciation of contrasting views regarding how research in aesthetics and theory of art ought to be pursued
• Understand several broad issues that comprise a context for all recent research on aesthetics and theory of art.
• Relate some of these issues to a more specific research question.
• Acquire an advanced, in-depth knowledge of recent research.
• Recognise both the importance of philosophical research and some of the difficulties it involves.

• Students will be able to:
• Identify key issues, questions and debates in the areas of normative and meta-ethics;
• Understand more thoroughly the mutual bearing of normative ethics and meta-ethics;
• Critically review some recent work on philosophical aesthetics and theory of art in a clear, structured fashion.
• Review critically some recent work on ethics in a clear and structured fashion;
• Identify key issues, questions and debates examined in the relevant academic fields.
• Identify and make use of relevant literature.
• Identify a philosophical problem, formulate a philosophical position and employ advanced critical skills and conceptual knowledge to address the problem and defend the position.
• Write an essay with an appropriately focused research question, a clear, knowledgeable discussion of the topic area, and a structured argument. Essays will display evidence of critical understanding and innovative philosophical thought.

• Students will be able to:
• Identify and locate research materials.
• Write in a clear, rigorous, argumentative style.
• Manage their time effectively.
• Pursue interdisciplinary research.
• Use their own initiative to choose a research topic.
• Exercise self-discipline, responsibility and autonomy in pursuing a research project.

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

• Seminars provide structured group teaching, addressing issues that are central to recent research in ethics and philosophical aesthetics and art theory. Seminars also provide the opportunity for group discussion, allowing students to clarify points and refine their views through interaction with the seminar leader and their peers. Through seminars, students will develop further their argumentative abilities and learn to put forward their views in a clear and well-organised manner.
• One-to-one supervisions are tailored specifically to the research projects of individual students, providing a valuable opportunity for them to clarify and discuss ideas. One-to-one supervisions will also assist students in locating relevant library resources, formulating appropriate and concise essay topics, and working out argument structures. Supervision sessions are also used to offer critical feedback on draft work, prior to submission. Please note that supervisions will not be centrally timetabled and should be organised directly between students and tutors as schedules permit.
• Feedback on the formative work will assist students in preparing the summative assignment.
• For the summative essay, students will be required to focus on a specific research question, demonstrate advanced knowledge of the relevant literature, develop a critical understanding of relevant ideas and arguments and put forward a philosophical position in the form of a clear, structured philosophical argument.
• Students are encouraged to attend relevant EIDOS (postgraduate philosophy society) talks and departmental Research Seminars.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative work is not assessed but, as described above, is used as draft work for consultation with supervisors in preparation for the summative assignment.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.