Postgraduate Module Descriptor


PHLM006: Contemporary Ethics

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 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
302700

...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 Activities88 x 1-hour facilitated tutorial with student presentations.
Guided Independent Study40Analyse one course reading and write a succinct summary of the key arguments of the text.
Guided Independent Study88Reading of the module texts for each week
Guided Independent Study42Prepare a presentation on the topic for essay and the key arguments from the literature in a dedicated course session.
Guided Independent Study100Writing 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).