All programmes > Ethics: Advanced Course

Ethics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W0Q25A)

6 ECTSEnglish39 Second termCannot be taken as part of an examination contract
Rummens Stefan
This course is not taught this academic year, but will be taught next year. This course is not taught this academic year, but will be taught next year.
POC Philosophy (internationaal)

Aims

The aim of this course is to deepen the students’ understanding of moral philosophy by means of a thorough investigation of a specific debate in the field, using both primary and secondary literature.

At the end of the course, the students should be able:

- to identify the main positions and issues at stake;
- to understand and explain the key arguments used in the debate;
- to critically confront different positions and arguments;
- to read and understand additional literature in this debate on their own;
- to take up a position of their own and defend it against possible criticisms both orally and in writing.

Previous knowledge

Students entering this course should have a basic knowledge of ethics. This means that they should have followed at least one thorough introductory course in (fundamental) ethics at the BA level.

Is included in these courses of study

Activities

6 ects. Ethics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W0Q25a)

6 ECTSEnglishFormat: Lecture39 Second term
Rummens Stefan
POC Philosophy (internationaal)

Content

The content of this course changes every year. 

In the year 2023-2024 the course will deal with the work of Jürgen Habermas (°1929) and his many contributions to moral and political philosophy on the basis of primary readings of part of his work as well as through readings of some (critical) commentaries. We will first acquaint ourselves with his theory of communicative action before proceeding to his discourse ethics and his deliberative model of democracy. After a more general overview of his theoretical contributions, a series of more specific topics will be discussed. These include, amongst others, the role of social media in the public sphere, the impact of technocracy as an ideology, the role of religion in a postsecular society, the idea of moral progress, the democratization of the EU, and the colonization of the lifeworld by the economic system.

A more detailed program will be made available on Toledo before the beginning of the course.

Course material

The mandatory readings will be made available in the form of a reader distributed by NFK (the student’s organization of the Institute of Philosophy).

The PowerPoint presentations used in class (if any) will be made available through Toledo.

Format: more information

The lectures are interactive. This means that the students have to read in advance the texts that will be discussed and have to actively participate in the discussions.

 

 

Evaluation

Evaluation: Ethics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W2Q25a)

Type : Partial or continuous assessment with (final) exam during the examination period
Description of evaluation : Oral, Paper/Project, Participation during contact hours
Learning material : None

Explanation


Students have to attend the lectures and actively participate.

The students have to write a small mid-term paper dealing with the content of the first few lectures. The oral exam is a traditional oral exam (with written preparation) about the texts that were discussed in class. Further information regarding the paper (deadline for submission, word count and specific requirements) as well as about the oral exam will be provided at the beginning of the course.

The different dimensions of the evaluation are weighed as follows:

  • participation during classes: 10%
  • mid-term paper: 30%
  • oral exam: 60%

Failure to hand in the midterm paper will lead to an NA result (= "not taken the exam"). This NA result also holds for the third examination period. 

Students should inform themselves about the faculty guidelines with regard to plagiarism and bibliographical referencing.

Information about retaking exams

The second examination attempt is limited to (re)taking the oral exam. The mid-term paper cannot be retaken but its mark will be taken into account in the same proportion as during the first attempt when calculating the final mark for the second examination attempt. The student who during the academic year did not hand in the mid-term paper on time will again receive the NA result (‘not taken the exam’). The partial grade for participation stays the same as for the the first attempt and will also be taken into account in the same proportion as during the first attempt.