| CODE | PHI1039 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | On the Question of the Ethical and the Political | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit offers an introduction to some of the most pressing contemporary ethical and political issues. The second half of the twentieth century generated animated ethical and political debates concerning issues broadly related to the nature and value of human life as well as that of our surrounding environment. Such discussions in turn carved up a new space in which general philosophical concepts, principles, and theories could be applied to more specific practical areas of ethical and political concern. This study-unit offers an introductory analysis and assessment of a broad selection of themes which are of special interest to current practical ethical and political philosophy. In each lecture, the issues raised by the treatment of animals, the environment, discrimination, multiculturalism, equality, liberty, immigration, multiculturalism, privacy, and racism shall be explored, discussed, and assessed. This shall in turn provide students with the basic yet essential intellectual resources needed to properly contemplate and evaluate new phenomena and issues arising in our present time. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit seeks to: - allow students to form a basic assessment of contemporary ethico-political issues - encourage students to critically evaluate different issues in contemporary ethics and politics; - systematically and philosophically think through some of the most pressing ethical and political issues of our time; - encourage students to engage with these issues in order to develop a clear and cogent argument in order to justify their specific position; Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - enhance their knowledge of and analyse the current debates and issues in the field of practical ethics and politics; - evaluate the main thoughts shaping contemporary ethical and political discussions; - think through different ethico-political dilemmas in a clear and systematic manner; - apply ethical theory to political issues, action, and practice. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - evaluate the merits and deficiencies of different philosophical views; - meaningfully engage in discussions pertaining to pressing contemporary ethico-political issues such as environmental degradation, racism, privacy, and freedom of speech; - identify and reflect upon fundamental concepts in ethics and bring them to bear on political action; - construct and present cogent arguments and interpret ethical concepts in a written assignment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Gaus, Gerald, and D'Agostino, Fred (2017) The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy. Oxon: Routledge. - Tuckness, Alex and Wolf, Clark (2017) This is Political Philosophy: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell. - LaFollette, Hugh ed. (2010) The Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press. - Smith, Paul (2008) Moral and Political Philosophy: Key Issues, Concepts, and Theories. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. - White, James E. (2012) Contemporary Moral Problems. 10th ed. Boston: Cengage. - A selection of readings will be made available on the University of Malta’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Supplementary Readings: - Holmes, Robert (2019) An Introduction to Applied Ethics. London: Bloomsbury. - A selection of other readings will be made available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). - Goodin, Robert, Pettit, Philip, and Pogge Thomas (2017) A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Niki Young |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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