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 | This course critically investigates rival approaches to normative ethics. Normative ethics systematically investigates right action, moral virtue and moral value. The course will consider a variety of approaches which may include some or all of consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contractualism, and will draw from both historical and contemporary texts.
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| Course description |
The course examines in detail particular approaches to normative ethics with a view towards answering questions concerning how we ought to act and live. Students will engage in an extended study of one or more topics in normative ethics by reading a book or a series of interrelated articles. Particular topics may vary from year to year. A representative sample of possible topics: Mill¿s Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Aristotelian Virtue Ethics, Scanlon¿s Contractualism, Emerging Issues in Normative Ethics.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2026 |
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
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% Final summative essay - 3000 word count |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay. |
| 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
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Reading List
Representative Reading List
1. J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism
2. Williams, ¿A Critique of Utilitarianism¿
3. Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
4. Wolf, ¿Moral Saints¿
5. Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics
6. Scanlon, What We Owe to Each Other |
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 Matthew Kinakin
Tel:
Email: mkinakin@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Olivia Coltman
Tel:
Email: ocoltman@ed.ac.uk |
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