University of Essex

GV254-5-SP-CO:
Ethics and Public Policy

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Government

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Spring

Level: Undergraduate: Level 5

Status: Current

Start date: Monday 15 January 2024

End date: Friday 22 March 2024

Credits: 15

Last updated: 19 May 2022

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BA LV25 Philosophy and Politics,
BA LV26 Philosophy and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LV2H Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA LV2M Philosophy and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LV8M Philosophy and Politics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L219 Politics with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L2M8 Politics with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA L2M9 Politics with Human Rights,
BA LFM9 Politics with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL23 Sociology and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL24 Sociology and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA LL32 Sociology and Politics,
BA P580 Journalism and Politics,
BA P581 Journalism and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA P582 Journalism and Politics (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

Should murderers be executed? Should cocaine and heroin be legalized? Is torture ever morally justified? Is abortion morally wrong? Should pornography be banned? Should prostitution be legal? Are laws permitting the slaughter of animals unjust? This module assesses these and other questions in an intellectual search for the moral principles that ought to govern public policy.

Module aims

1. To introduce you to, and to stimulate your interest in, the study of ethics and public policy.

2. To equip you with an understanding of the relevance of theoretical debates about ethicsto public policy controversies.

3. To encourage you to question your own beliefs about what ethical public policy requires.

Module learning outcomes

1. To understand the nature of ethical argumentation and its value to the study of politics.

2. To engage in clear verbal and written normative argumentation. You will acquire a greater confidence and ability to express your ethical beliefs.

3. To scrutinise arguments made by politicians and other prominent figures in the media about ethics and public policy.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be taught over 2 hours per week

Bibliography

Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971) ‘A Defense of Abortion’, Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(1), pp. 47–66. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265091.
Richard J. Arneson (1992) ‘Commodification and Commerical Surrogacy’, Philosophy & Public Affairs, 21(2), pp. 132–164. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265230.
Martha C. Nussbaum (1998) ‘"Whether From Reason Or Prejudice”: Taking Money For Bodily Services’, The Journal of Legal Studies, 27, pp. 693–723. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/468040.
Altman, A. (2014) ‘The Right to get turned on: pornography, autonomy, equality’, in A.I. Cohen and C.H. Wellman (eds) Contemporary debates in applied ethics. 2nd edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 307–318. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/36666.
Husak, D.N. and De Marneffe, P. (2005a) The legalization of drugs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/17537.
Nathanson, S. (2014) ‘Why we should put the death penalty to rest’, in A.I. Cohen and C.H. Wellman (eds) Contemporary debates in applied ethics. 2nd edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 175–187. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/36666.
Jeff McMahan (2008) ‘Torture in Principle and in Practice’, Public Affairs Quarterly, 22(2), pp. 91–108. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40441484.
Velleman, D. (1992) ‘Against the Right to Die’, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 17(6), pp. 665–681. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/17.6.665.
Singer, P. (1995) Animal liberation. 2nd ed., with a new preface by the author. London: Pimlico. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/2345672.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Essay	65%
Coursework	Online Quiz	35%
Coursework	Reassessment without attendance 2022-23 ONLY IF REQUIRED BY EXAM BOARD

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr James Christensen, email: james.christensen@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Dr James Christensen

Contact details: Module Supervisor: Dr James Christensen - james.christensen@essex.ac.uk / Module Administrator: Jasini Hobbs - govquery@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: Yes

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Katharine Dommett

Institution: The University of Sheffield

Academic role: Senior Lecturer

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 59 hours, 59 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Government

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The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

GV254-5-SP-CO:Ethics and Public Policy