PHI-20019 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

N/A

Barred Combinations

N/A

Description for 2022/23

This module discusses some of the most important and influential moral theories in the history of philosophy. The module would be of interest to all students who would like to acquire a more detailed knowledge of moral philosophical reflection through the history of philosophy.
The module presents the ethical views of these philosophers by focusing on the fundamental question of normative ethics: How can we judge in a certain situation what the right thing to do is? The module will examine key issues of our moral experience and will explore philosophical answers to them. Possible topics include: the difficulty of moral choice, the role of circumstances and luck in our moral lives, emotions and the development of moral dispositions, how to lead a good life, the role of philosophical reflection in our moral lives, the actual performance of moral actions, the possibility of freedom or how to reconcile virtue and happiness.
The 15 one-hour lectures focus on the topics mentioned above. Lectures are accompanied by 5 one-hour fortnightly seminars, where tutor-led (small-group combine with group) discussion focuses on specific questions.

The module aims:
(a) to provide a solid grounding in some of the most important moral theories in the history of philosophical thought;
(b) to offer students a clear presentation of the specific problems addressed by these philosophers and a good grasp of the differences between their philosophical methods;
(c) to enable students to approach their own moral questions through different ethical conceptual frameworks.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Know and critically understand the development of significant moral theories in the history of philosophy in their specific intellectual contexts: 1,2
Apply different ethical conceptual frameworks and principles to their own problems by using the standard philosophical techniques of critical analysis and moral evaluation: 1,2
Apply the moral theories studied to identify, present and interpret arguments formulated in the literature and beyond the context of specialised literature in order to evaluate them and conclude on their persuasiveness: 1,2
Communicate information, problems, solutions and critical ideas effectively in writing in a variety of forms: 1,2
Use texts of primary literature in order to identify key concepts, questions, ideas and arguments, and to evaluate on their basis arguments in the secondary literature: 1,2
Conduct independent research in order to identify, locate, and retrieve appropriate paper and electronic materials to supplement module reading lists, as well as to develop existing hermeneutic and evaluative skills: 1,2
Know and critically understand the principles of significant moral theories in the history of philosophy by comparing and contrasting their responses to key questions and by assessing their methods of enquiry: 1,2

Study hours

15 hours attendance at lectures
5 hours attendance at seminars
85 hours preparation for the seminars, including work on critical text analysis
45 hours preparation for the essay

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment