GV254-6-SP-CO:
Ethics and Public Policy
2023/24
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
15
17 May 2022
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
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.
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.
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.
No additional information available.
This module will be taught over 2 hours per week
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Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971) ‘A Defense of Abortion’,
Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(1), pp. 47–66. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265091.
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Richard J. Arneson (1992) ‘Commodification and Commerical Surrogacy’,
Philosophy & Public Affairs, 21(2), pp. 132–164. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265230.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Online Quiz |
|
35% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
65% |
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
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr James Christensen, email: james.christensen@essex.ac.uk.
TBC
Module Supervisor: James Christensen james.christensen@essex.ac.uk /
Module Administrator: govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Katharine Dommett
The University of Sheffield
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
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.
Government
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