Christian Ethics as an area of study straddles modern questions and ancient traditions, in what is often a creative and dynamic synthesis. This module offers students an opportunity to explore the discipline through in-depth study of a single thinker or topic particularly in light of modern development and synthesis of early and medieval contexts in philosophical theology. Students will engage in close study of the historical background and several works by a contemporary thinker, or on a contemporary theme in order to develop advanced analytical and critical thinking skills.
An indicative list of thinkers includes Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Søren Kierkegaard, Reinhold Niebuhr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr.; an indicative list of possible themes includes: ethics, justice, creation, technology, design.
One of these or similar will be studied in any given iteration of the module
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
demonstrate a clear understanding of the way that ethical reasoning is worked out within a specific historical context
apply this understanding of context towards primary-text oriented knowledge of a particular thinker
demonstrate an ability critically to interrogate the logic, arguments and evidence marshalled by the thinker and in the texts studied.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment: Essay (3,000 words) (75%) and Handout (1,000 words) (25%)
Reassessment: Resubmitted essay and/or handout (failed component only). Only if extenuating circumstances apply