Postgraduate Module Descriptor

PHLM006: Contemporary Ethics

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Practical and theoretical themes relating to current problems.  

The role of human nature arguments in current practical ethics such as interspecies ethics, violence, and responsibility in relation to oneself, others and global ethics on the one hand the importance of meaning, rules and normativity on the other. 

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
282720

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities2211 x 2 hour taught sessions: 30-minute lectures and 1.5 hour seminar discussion of readings for each 2-hour session
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities63 x 2-hour facilitated tutorial with student presentations
Guided Independent Study20Analyse one course reading and write a succinct summary of the key arguments of the text
Guided Independent Study92Reading of the module texts for each week
Guided Independent Study40Prepare an oral presentation with presentation slides on the topic for your final essay
Guided Independent Study120Writing independent research essay. Conduct guided and independent research on a theme from the course; write a scholarly essay to be submitted after the end of term

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).