We will begin, in Part I, by wondering how it might be possible to improve the way we try to solve concrete ethical problems through developing moral arguments, challenging inconsistencies in our beliefs, developing the appropriate attitudes to moral disagreements, and by making good use of moral theories and the impartial moral principles such theories provide us with.

In Part II of the course we will cover a range of ethical issues that arise within the professional sphere, in particular. These include autonomy, confidentiality, life and death.

As you progress through this course, and consider how to best go about completing your writing tasks, it is a good idea to bear in mind that we are reading philosophical material, and developing thinking skills that have a long history of development and application within the subject field of Philosophy (of which Ethics is a part). An emphasis on thinking for yourself, an emphasis on seeking clarity when analysing any topic, and an emphasis on the usefulness of constructive disagreement where interlocutors appeal to well-structured arguments are all essential to this field of inquiry.

When successfully completed, students will have developed a good grounding in critical and contemporary issues in applied ethics, and developed the tools to aid them in understanding specific applied ethical issues.

Enrolment in the MA(PAE) or with the permission of the coordinator.