Module PHL1013 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL1013: Philosophy of Morality
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Aims
The course introduces students to basic principles of the main contending moral theories and seeks to show how these are involved in assessing moral justifiability and obligation. It will also draw attention to the complex relation between moral theory and moral judgment on the one hand, and the factual status of the phenomena and situations to which moral reasoning and principles are applied on the other.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. competently understand some of the main ethical theories; 2. evaluate practical areas of ethical controversy in the light of these theories |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. reflect on and identify issues of fundamental ethical significance; 4. relate these issues to social, historical and material features of the cultural environment |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. reflect on, and examine critically, taken-for-granted beliefs and values; 6. analyze and communicate, clearly and directly, arguments and positions (both one's own and well-established ones. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module is divided into three parts. In the first part (weeks 1 and 2) we will look at the nature of morality and the objects and methods of moral philosophy: what counts as moral, what we need moral philosophy for, and similar questions. The second part (weeks 3-5) will introduce a variety of moral theories with particular emphasis on Utilitarianism, Kantianism, and Virtue Ethics. The third part (6-10) is dedicated to the study of particular moral problems which we will try to solve with the help of the ethical theories discussed in part two. Possible topics for discussion will be the moral status of animals, of human embryos, and the dead; torture and the death penalty; world poverty; euthanasia and assisted suicide; and sexual morality.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 27.5 | 122.5 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 11 | Weekly 60 minute lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 16.5 | Weekly seminars 90 minute |
| Guided Independent study | 122.5 | A variety of private study activities guided by your module leader. |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| One 400 word written report on seminar reading to be presented orally in class | 400 words / 5 minutes | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 40 | 1,500 words max | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Written |
| Examination | 60 | 90 minutes | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (1,500 words) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | August/September assessment period |
| Examination | Examination (90 minutes) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | August/September assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
The reassessed essay will count for 40 % of the final mark, and the exam for 60 %.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Bennett, Christopher: What is this Thing Called Ethics?, London/ New York: Routledge 2010.
Rachels, James: The Right Thing to Do, 5th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill 2010.
Rachels, James & Stuart: The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 6th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill 2010.
Mill, John Stuart: Utilitarianism, ed. Roger Crisp, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2007.
