This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This module aims to provide a broad introduction to social ethics. It will give students moral frameworks with which to address contemporary issues affecting social and professional practices and relationships. The module explores how everyday encounters and practices have ethical dimensions, which are often neglected in sociological accounts. A range of topics will be examined, including euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment, prostitution, cannibalism, lying, charity and fair wage. It will draw upon several ethical perspectives, such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, feminist ethics and theories of justice, to understand these topics.
Total contact hours: 44
Private study hours: 256
Total study hours: 300
Runs every year
BSc Social Sciences; Criminal Justice & Criminology BA – optional module
Main assessment methods
Coursework - Essay 1 - Analytical Essay (2500 words) - 40%
Coursework - Essay 2 - Argumentative Essay (2500 words) - 40%
Coursework - Debate and Commentary (approx. 400 words) - 20% - PASS COMPULSORY
Reassessment methods
100% coursework
James Rachels and Stuart Rachels (2012), The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston
Christopher Bennett (2010), What is This Thing Called Ethics?, Routledge, London
Sandel, Michael (2009), Justice: What's the right thing to do?. London: Penguin Books
Tom Beauchamp (2001), Philosophical Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy, McGraw-Hill, Boston
See the library reading list for this module (Medway)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Demonstrate detailed knowledge of key concepts and theories in moral philosophy particularly where they are relevant to contemporary ethical issues and social problems.
8.2 Effectively articulate knowledge of how competing ethical perspectives offer different solutions to ethical and social problems.
8.3 Demonstrate advanced scholarship in terms of accounting for the varying ways in which individuals and groups engage with ethical issues.
8.4 Critically evaluate the relevance of ethical theory to understanding contemporary public life.
8.5 Draw upon social science theories to describe and explain how social relationships and structures (including power) affect people's moral deliberations and actions.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Demonstrate enhanced communication skills.
9.2 Find and using library and internet resources.
9.3 Working collaboratively in teams.
9.4 Synthesize theories and arguments in a coherent manner.
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