2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
PHIL1002 Introduction to Ethics
10 creditsClass Size: 800
Module manager: Nicholas Jones
Email: N.O.Jones@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2008/09
Module replaces
PHIL1200 Introduction to EthicsThis module is approved as an Elective
Module summary
This module provides students with an introduction to some important issues in philosophical ethics (also known as 'moral philosophy'). After a brief introduction featuring the egoist, who denies that anyone ever has a good reason to behave morally, we will consider central questions in the three main divisions in moral philosophy: 1) Meta-ethics: E.g. Are there certain kinds of act that are always and everywhere morally wrong, or is morality entirely relative to widely accepted cultural practices? 2) Normative ethics: What kinds of act are right, and what makes right acts right? Are there certain qualities of character we should aim to develop in order to live a flourishing human life, and if so, which ones? 3) Practical ethics: E.g. do the wealthy have a moral responsibility to meet the needs of the poor? The main aims of this, as with all Level 1 modules in the School of Philosophy, are to give students a basic understanding of the issues in question, as well as to enable students to acquire basic critical, oral, writing and analytical skills, and in addition a degree of intellectual autonomy, developing their own views and discussing them both in tutor-led and student-led groups.Objectives
Understand some of the main concepts, principles, and positions in moral philosophy; read elementary writings in moral philosophy with understanding; interpret and analyse arguments in moral philosophy, and express this understanding in an essay.Syllabus
Topics to be covered typically include:-
An introduction to the distinction between meta-ethics, normative theory and applied ethics; moral scepticism, moral relativism and moral objectivity; an introduction to the major theories in moral philosophy via the writings of some central figures in the history of moral philosophy, typically including consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics; an issue in applied ethics.
Teaching methods
Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
Proctorial | 5 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
Lecture | 11 | 1.00 | 11.00 |
Tutorial | 6 | 1.00 | 6.00 |
Private study hours | 78.00 | ||
Total Contact hours | 22.00 | ||
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100.00 |
Private study
Proctorial and tutorial preparation 20Essay preparation 40
Associated reading 18
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
Tutorial performance, first assessmentReading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 06/05/2009
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