PHIL3131: ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY ETHICS

• Moral Theory PHIL2041.

• At least one other 'Year 3' module in Philosophy.

• None.

• To explore in detail some issues of interest and importance in contemporary ethics.

• The list of topics will vary depending on the research interest and expertise of the lecturer(s) in any given year. Representative topics include:
• Human extinction and the far future.
• The place of value in the scientific world view.
• Philosophical issues of love, sex and consent.
• Moral philosophy in the time of climate change.
• The ethics of war and violence.
• Moral psychology and responsibility.
• Issues in moral methodology.
• Issues in contemporary metaethics.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module, students will have knowledge and understanding of some issues of interest and importance in contemporary ethics.

Subject-specific Skills:

• correctly utilise specialist vocabulary
• grasp, analyse, evaluate and deploy subject-specific concepts and arguments
• locate, understand, assess and utilise pertinent philosophical (and, where appropriate, historical) sources

Key Skills:

• express themselves clearly and succinctly in writing
• comprehend complex ideas, propositions and theories
• defend their opinions by reasoned argument
• seek out and identify appropriate sources of evidence and information
• tackle problems in a clear-sighted and logical fashion.

• Lectures deliver basic module-specific information, and provide a framework for further study.
• Discussion periods enable students to voice their views and debate with others.
• Guided reading provides a structure within which students exercise and extend their abilities to make use of available learning resources.
• The Formative essays provide the opportunity for students to test their knowledge and understanding of the module content, and their ability to present and defend relevant arguments and theories, uninhibited by the need for summative assessment.
• The unseen examination tests students' overall knowledge and understanding of the module content at the end of the module, and their ability to bring it to bear on new problems under pressure of time.

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