Undergraduate Course: The Nature of Moral Understanding (PHIL10099)

Course Outline
School	School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	The central question we will address is: what is the nature of the understanding someone has when he or she engages with moral challenges? These challenges arise in relatively ordinary situations of the kinds presented in life, literature and film. These situations include decisions about what to do, wondering how to live, questions of whether one is under a moral obligation, contemplation of shame or guilt. We will consider, for example, what makes something a moral matter, whether I have a duty to myself, whether others can oblige me and whether morality is principally about what to do. The course is in three sections. First we will compare the predominant approach to morality with an alternative. Second we will consider specific moral phenomena like forgiveness, individuality and remorse. Third we will consider the interpersonal dimension of morality as seen in argument, persuasion and absurdity.
Course description	This course begins with the very idea of morality and where it comes from, moves onto distinctively moral phenomena like remorse and forgiveness, before addressing the social practices and ideas that make morality something individual and collective.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	Visiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: 28
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback	One or more formative essays with feedback may be submitted.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	The Nature of Moral Understanding		2:00

Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)		Quota: 6
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback	One or more formative essays with feedback may be submitted.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	The Nature of Moral Understanding		2:00

Learning Outcomes
To develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the knowledge, acquired in previous philosophy courses.

Reading List
None

Additional Information
Course URL	http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/ug_study/ug_honours/ug_hons_index.html
Graduate Attributes and Skills	Not entered
Keywords	Not entered

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr David Levy Tel: (0131 6)50 9943 Email: Jenni.Brown@ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Miss Samantha Bell Tel: (0131 6)50 3602 Email: