Undergraduate Course: Moral Psychology (PHIL10023)
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 | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Moral psychology investigates human functioning in moral contexts, and asks how this may impact debate in ethical theory. This kind of investigation can take place from different disciplinary perspectives. This course focuses on the philosophical perspective. |
| Course description |
This course will cover central issues in moral psychology. Moral psychology, broadly construed, is the study of issues relating to being moral. For example, it can concern how we see or fail to see moral issues, why we act or fail to act morally, and whether and to what extent we are responsible for our actions. It is focussed on the kind of beings we are and the kinds of beings we ought to ought to be, morally speaking, and the relation between those two things.
The course will focus on philosophical and ethical dimensions of this study and its implications for debates in ethical theory. Some of those implications may concern debates in normative ethics (e.g. is utilitarianism a psychologically plausible view?) and some meta ethics (e.g. do considerations from moral psychology undermine objectivism or realism about ethics?).
Example topics include attention and seeing morally, the role of reason and emotion in moral thinking, moral emotions, virtues and vices, integrity and practical wisdom. Precise topics will vary year on year and will be advertised during the course selection process.
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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 Student Adviser and the Course Organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that honours Philosophy courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| 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
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Participation (5%)
Midterm Essay (1,500 words) - 35%
Exam (2 hours) - 60% |
| Feedback |
Participation will be specified according to a rubric which will be available on Learn in advance of the start of the course, and grade descriptors will be provided. Students will have opportunities to obtain feedback on mid-term essay plans from the course organiser. Students will be provided with example exam questions and a session will be devoted to exam preparation. The mid-term essay and the exam will be marked and feedback given in accordance with the Philosophy Specific marking criteria. The course organiser will be available during office hours for further feedback. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Moral Psychology | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand central concepts in debates in moral psychology.
- Critically engage with arguments for and against philosophical positions in debates in moral psychology.
- Distinguish specific claims and arguments in discussions of moral psychology.
- Express their own understanding of key concepts.
- Express their own understanding of key concepts in discussion with others.
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Reading List
- Iris Murdoch (1970) The Sovereignty of Good London: Routledge
- Owen J. Flanagan and Amelie Oksenberg Rorty (eds.) (1993) Identity, Character, and Morality: Essays in Moral Psychology, MIT University Press
- Valerie Tiberius (2014) Moral Psychology: A Contemporary Introduction London: Routledge |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course embeds critical thinking, curiosity and problem-solving and develops skills in collaboration, reflection and communication.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Deborah Roberts
Tel: (0131 6)51 5171
Email: D.Roberts@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Claudia Kenyon
Tel:
Email: ckenyon3@ed.ac.uk |
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