Postgraduate Course: Normative Ethics (Online) (PHIL11241)
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 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Our focus in this course is on Normative ethics. Normative ethical theory aims to answer the questions 'How should I act?' and 'How should I live?'. This course provides a systematic comparison of some of the major normative traditions. The organizing theme will be the debate between theory and anti- theory in normative ethics. To that end we will spend some time on Bernard Williams' seminal work in this area: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy.
Please note auditing is not allowed on this course. Students must only take for credit. |
| Course description |
Syllabus:
1: Introduction to Normative Ethics: Socrates' Question (Synchronous seminar)
Theory
2: Consequentialism (Synchronous seminar)
3: Kant's Ethics (Asynchronous forum seminar)
4: Contractualism (Synchronous seminar)
5: Virtue Ethics (Asynchronous forum seminar)
Anti-Theory
6: Williams against Utilitarianism (Synchronous seminar)
7: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (Asynchronous forum seminar)
8: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (Synchronous seminar)
9: Moral Particularism (Asynchronous forum seminar)
10: Moral Particularism (Synchronous seminar)
11: Review (Asynchronous forum seminar)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
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 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% Final summative essay |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay. The essay cannot be draft of the summative essay but it can be on the same topic. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- have a grasp of fundamental issues and views in normative theory and anti- theory
- critically analyse and engage with literature by key philosophers in this field.
- present arguments clearly and concisely both within a classroom context and in a summative essay.
- gain transferable skills in research, analysis and argumentation
|
Reading List
Representative Reading List
1: Bernard Williams 'Socrates' Question' Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, Chapter one.
2: J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (chapter 3 optional)
3: Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, (Chapter one and chapter two)
4: T. Scanlon 'The Structure of Contractualism' in What We Owe To Each Other.
5: John McDowell 'Virtue and Reason' The Monist 62 (3):331-350 (1979)
6: Bernard Williams 'A Critique of Utilitarianism' in Smart and Williams
Utilitarianism For and Against
7: Bernard Williams, Chapters two and three of his Ethics and the Limits and Philosophy
8: Bernard Williams, Chapters four and five of his Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy
9: Jonathan Dancy 'What are the Options' Chapter one of his Ethics without Principles
10: Jonathan Dancy 'Holism and its Consequences' Chapter five of his Ethics without Principles |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research, critical analysis, argumentation skills (both written and oral). Critical reading skills |
| Keywords | Normative theory,Normative anti-theory,Consequentialism,Utilitarianism,Kantianism,Virtue ethics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Deborah Roberts
Tel: (0131 6)51 5171
Email: D.Roberts@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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