Last modified: 18 Aug 2026 14:16
This is a course on Normative Ethics, introducing students to contemporary research work on Consequentialism, Deontology, Virtue Ethics and Feminist Ethics. Students will be supported in working on peer-reviewed research material and developing and defending an informed view about the strengths and weakness of these standard positions in contemporary Ethics. This course will be of interest to any student who wants to work on moral, social and political issues in Philosophy.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This is a course on Normative Ethics. It builds on material covered in our level 1 course ‘How Should One Live?’ and serves as an excellent foundation for anyone interested in contemporary research topics in Moral and Political Philosophy.
This course will focus on three core Normative Ethical Theories in the Western tradition – Consequentialism, Deontology and Virtue Ethics. We will explore various contemporary versions of these theories and the challenges they face. We will also explore contemporary approaches to ethics which are critical of these theories, with a particular focus on Feminist Ethical Theorists.
The contemporary focus of this course means we will move away from the well-known historical sources of these theories and delve more recent research literature in Normative Ethics. We will read a variety of contemporary ethicists, including Derek Parfit, Christine Korsgaard, Rosalind Hursthouse and Virginia Held.
In order to support students in engaging with contemporary research material we will also work on a variety of core research skills in Philosophy, including literature reviewing, note-taking and organising research material, and academic writing techniques.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,500-word essay worth 50% of the overall grade. Feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Summarise standard challenges facing each Normative Ethical Theory covered in the course. |
| Factual | Remember | Recall key aspects of contemporary versions of the Normative Ethical Theories covered in the course. |
| Procedural | Apply | Use knowledge of Normative Ethical Theories to organise and map out the contours of a specific area of contemporary research literature. |
| Procedural | Create | Plan and produce academic writing which develops and defends informed claims about specific areas of research in Normative Ethics. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Use understanding of research literature to develop good research questions or identify gaps in the research to be explored in research project. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Take-home exam (2,500 words overall) worth 50% of the course grade. Feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Summarise standard challenges facing each Normative Ethical Theory covered in the course. |
| Factual | Remember | Recall key aspects of contemporary versions of the Normative Ethical Theories covered in the course. |
| Procedural | Apply | Use knowledge of Normative Ethical Theories to organise and map out the contours of a specific area of contemporary research literature. |
| Procedural | Create | Plan and produce academic writing which develops and defends informed claims about specific areas of research in Normative Ethics. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Use understanding of research literature to develop good research questions or identify gaps in the research to be explored in research project. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Resit take-home exam (2,500 words overall). Feedback will be provided via MyAberdeen. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | Use knowledge of Normative Ethical Theories to organise and map out the contours of a specific area of contemporary research literature. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Use understanding of research literature to develop good research questions or identify gaps in the research to be explored in research project. |
| Procedural | Create | Plan and produce academic writing which develops and defends informed claims about specific areas of research in Normative Ethics. |
| Factual | Remember | Recall key aspects of contemporary versions of the Normative Ethical Theories covered in the course. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Summarise standard challenges facing each Normative Ethical Theory covered in the course. |
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