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PHIL375 Social Philosophy: Issues in Applied Ethics

Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 2 Off Campus
Armidale Trimester 2 On Campus
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites 6cp in PHIL or PHIL102 or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions PHIL475 or PHIL575
Notes None
Combined Units PHIL575 - Social Philosophy: Issues in Applied Ethics
Coordinator(s) Adrian Walsh (awalsh@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

Contemporary public life is awash with contentious ethical debates regarding the justice of war, the justification of censorship, the proper limits of freedom of speech, the appropriate aims of punishment, how we might strike a balance between the right to privacy and the need for surveillance. In this unit we use the writings of a number of significant social philosophers to examine the controversies and provide normative solutions to these vexing issues. In our treatment of these topics emphasis is placed on problem solving.
Materials Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. possess a sound understanding of the main ethical frameworks that underpin the writings of major social philosophers;
  2. describe the relevance of these frameworks to everyday controversies in social philosophy and apply such frameworks to these controversies;
  3. engage directly with these controversies in social philosophy in a philosophical manner; and
  4. present a coherent and well-argued response to these controversial issues in an essay format.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Knowledge of the philosophy discipline will be taught through unit notes, readings and assignments. Knowledge is assessed in all assessment tasks. 		True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be taught communication skills through written feedback on the essay for the unit. Students will learn valuable communication skills through participation in tutorials and online discussion postings (this will include debates and small group work). Students will be assessed on the style of writing, clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practise their communication skills through completing the assessment tasks. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
This unit's emphasis on the broader philosophical underpinnings of our reasoning practices will present students with opportunities for developing a global perspective. 		True
4 Information Literacy
Students will be directed to relevant literature and taught how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed on their ability to identify and critically analyse the relevant literature. 		True True
5 Life-Long Learning
By completing the assessments, students will be provided with the necessary lifelong skills to be able to research, write and discuss social issues. These skills can be transferred to any discipline, and will be useful in any research positions. These attributes will be assessed in all of the assessments (written skills; analytical skills). 		True True
6 Problem Solving
Students will be assessed on their ability to deconstruct the questions and to integrate theory and literature into their answer. Students will need to work out how to address the question and where to find the most appropriate material to answer the question. 		True
7 Social Responsibility
Students will be taught about their professional responsibilities as a researcher to provide balanced and accurate research. In addition, students will be taught that they have a social responsibility to question and challenge some 'facts'. This will be assessed and taught through their responses to the essay, exam questions and discussions in tutorials or online postings. 		True True True
8 Team Work
Students will practise their teamwork skills through participating in tutorials, or online discussion postings. They will be required to discuss the weekly topics with their fellow students in a thoughtful and respectful manner. 		True
   

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