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Course and Unit Catalogue 2013

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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2007200820092010201120122013

PHIL542 Ethical Theory

Updated: 09 August 2012

Unit Information
Additional Information

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2013
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	candidature in postgraduate award
Co-requisites	None
Restrictions	PHIL342 or PHIL442
Notes	None
Combined Units	PHIL342 - Ethical Theory
Coordinator(s)	Adrian Walsh (awalsh@une.edu.au)
Unit Description	What is it for an action to be right or wrong? What is goodness? Are the answers objective? This unit is a critical enquiry into some of the most influential ethical theories, such as Consequentialism, Kantianism and Virtue Ethics. In addition there will be a discussion of issues in moral psychology such as emotions and moral motivation, and the relation between reason, moral obligation and motivation.
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:

demonstrate an advanced understanding of the central debates in contemporary meta-ethics;
engage critically with these debates at an advanced level; and
demonstrate a high level ability to express difficult philosophical positions and the arguments for them in a clear and coherent manner.

Graduate Attributes (GA)

	Attribute	Taught	Assessed	Practised
1	Knowledge of a Discipline Students will deepen their knowledge of the philosophy discipline through unit notes, readings and assignments. Knowledge is assessed in all assessment tasks.
2	Communication Skills Students will practise communication skills through written feedback on the essays for the unit. Students will learn valuable communication skills through participation in tutorials and online discussion postings. 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.
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.
4	Information Literacy Students will develop research skills in collecting and evaluating data, including the skills to assess the utility of information, identify the most useful sources of information and critically examine those sources.
5	Life-Long Learning By completing the assessments, students will be provided with the necessary life-long 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.
6	Problem Solving Students will be assessed on their ability to conceptualise problems and formulate a range of solutions to both research and presentation. They will be able to collect, collate and analyse relevant information to assist problem solving.
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.
8	Team Work Students will practise working collaboratively and network effectively to solve problems on the online discussion board taking initiative and leading others in this environment. They will also negotiate and assert their own values and respect the values and contributions of others on the discussion board.