Undergraduate Course: The Nature of Moral Understanding (PHIL10099)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The central question we will address is: what is the nature of the understanding someone has when he or she engages with moral challenges? These challenges arise in relatively ordinary situations of the kinds presented in life, literature and film. These situations include decisions about what to do, wondering how to live, questions of whether one is under a moral obligation, contemplation of shame or guilt. We will consider, for example, what makes something a moral matter, whether I have a duty to myself, whether others can oblige me and whether morality is principally about what to do. The course is in three sections. First we will compare the predominant approach to morality with an alternative. Second we will consider specific moral phenomena like forgiveness, individuality and remorse. Third we will consider the interpersonal dimension of morality as seen in argument, persuasion and absurdity. |
| Course description |
This course begins with the very idea of morality and where it comes from, moves onto distinctively moral phenomena like remorse and forgiveness, before addressing the social practices and ideas that make morality something individual and collective.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organiser before enrolling. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Exam (100%) |
| Feedback |
One or more formative essays with feedback may be submitted. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | The Nature of Moral Understanding Exam | :120 | |
Learning Outcomes
| To develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the knowledge, acquired in previous philosophy courses.
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/ug_study/ug_honours/ug_hons_index.html |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The transferable skills from this course are analysis, synthesis, precision, and argument. Students will be obliged to survey, select and summarise ideas from a several required readings. Students will need to refine these ideas into their essential forms, that is, to analyse the material to find its logical structure. On the basis of common logical structures, students will develop consolidated answers regarding questions raised by the materials and by the course itself. Students will be taught care and precision in the expression of distinctions between inter-related ideas or concepts. Using these, students will have to marshal considerations in favour of their answers to relevant questions.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Ethics and research ethics; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Independence; Preparation, planning and organisation; Academic reading skills; Self-reflection; Time management; Workload management; Writing clearly and concisely; Taking notes |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Levy
Tel: (0131 6)50 9943
Email: david.levy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Joan MacKenzie
Tel:
Email: jmacken8@ed.ac.uk |
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