TRS4202 - Ethical Foundations

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Define and identify key ethical theories and approaches eg virtue ethics, utilitarianism, deontological ethics.
Give examples of how key theories can be used to analyse ethical cases and situations.
Show awareness of key debates concerning how we approach questions of truth eg from a religious perspective, a biblical perspective or using natural law.
Discriminate between ethical decisions that are based on preference or dictated by a religious tradition.
Show an awareness of how differing religious traditions understand or approach ethics and morality eg African ethics, Buddhist ethics.

Content:

The module will introduce students to the major ethical theories that underpin the quest for truth. Students will examine the strengths and limitations of approaching ethics from perspectives such as utilitarianism, consequentialism, emotivism, virtue, deontology and cultural relativism.

Students will engage with questions concerning the use of the Bible in ethics and question whether faith contributes specific norms or values to the moral life. Students will learn to compare and contrast seemingly differing approaches to ethics and to assess their suitability when applied to particular topics or cases.

The module will also introduce students to the concept of moral conscience and encourage them to reflect on whether a religious authority can/should inform individual conscience.

Later sections of the module will reflect on how some non-Christian religious traditions approach ethical questions and encourage debate on how religious traditions should/can inform ethical decisions and choices.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The module will be taught in plenary sessions which will make use of a blend of teaching and learning methods. These will normally include: lecture-style presentations by the tutor or visiting lecturers; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion and group work. The main pedagogical approach will be student-led enquiry. Guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity will be given and learning will be supported where appropriate by VLE and other electronic resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing will be embedded in the learning and teaching process throughout the module and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans and feedback on submitted work.

Lecture
Contact hours: 20
Intended Group size: Cohort

Workshops / Seminars
Contact hours: 20

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Further details relating to assessment
Directed activities: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Students will also be given the opportunity to submit a plan of their first essay for this module and to receive formative feedback on it.

Students may also negotiate their assessment topic with the lecturer.

Assessment:

001 Directed activities; throughout semester 1 10%
002 Essay; 1500 words; mid-semester 1 45%
003 Group Presentation; 15 mins; end of semester 1 45%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Ann Marie Mealey
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S1

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