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Core modules and Options at Level 10

PHI9PG Environmental Ethics

The module will cover all the main approaches in contemporary philosophy to environmental ethics. Students will study theories on what the right moral attitude to the environment should be, and on what we all as individuals are morally obliged to do to conserve the environment; as well as on global environmental issues, such as population pressure.

The module will be a valuable addition to the Philosophy undergraduate programme, as it covers a highly topical and popular set of issues in applied ethics. The course is designed to dovetail with a new Philosophy of Biology module, providing the undergraduate programme with a real depth of coverage with respect to environmental issues.

Outcome

The module is intended to demonstrate how philosophical thinking can be applied to real world problems – in the case of the environment, problems widely recognised as serious and pressing. In addition, the theories covered reveal more abstract philosophical concerns about the nature of morality.

In taking the module, students will

• develop the skills necessary to apply ethical theories to real world problems,
• learn to reflect philosophically on their intuitions and beliefs concerning the environment and conservation, so that they can better justify their own views,
• gain a better understanding of the main approaches in moral philosophy, and of how to defend whichever theory (if any) they prefer,
• gain an appreciation of the moral complexity of environmental issues,
• continue to hone their academic skills in essay writing, discussion, and examination.

 

Reading

The core text will be: The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book (2nd ed), edited by Christine Pierce and Donald Vandeveer (Wadsworth, London, 1994). There is a more recent 3rd edition, which is also fine.

Note: the EEPB is unfortunately not the cheapest book in the world to buy, but cheap second-hand copies can be found online at Amazon and whatnot.

 

Availability:	Honours semester 5/7, BA in Philosophy or the General degree
Prerequisite:	PHI9CA or PHI9CB
Assessment:	Coursework (one required essay) 50%; examination (3 questions in 3 hours) 50%. Students may choose to submit a second essay to improve their coursework grade.
Teaching Pattern:	Each week there will be one two-hour lecture and one one-hour seminar
Regulation:	For the purposes of the University’s attendance regulation 14, lectures and seminars are prescribed classes. The rationale for prescribing these classes may be found in the Philosophy Student Handbook, section F. This section also contains regulations relating to the submission of essays, and other matters.

 

If you would like to know more about this module please contact Simon Hope.