Introduction to Ethics (HUM322) Course Detail

Course Name Course Code Season Lecture Hours Application Hours Lab Hours Credit ECTS
Introduction to Ethics HUM322 General Elective 3 0 0 3 4
Pre-requisite Course(s)
none
Course Language English
Course Type Elective Courses
Course Level Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery Face To Face
Learning and Teaching Strategies Lecture, Discussion, Question and Answer.
Course Coordinator
Course Lecturer(s)
  • Staff
Course Assistants
Course Objectives This course aims at introducing the central topics of ethics to the students, examining the works of the important philosophers in this field and showing the development of thinking on ethics.
Course Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • The students who succeeded in this course; - Recognise the need for ethical thinking. - Analyse the pros and cons of a course of action. - Learn the different types of ethical principles, values and virtues. - Articulate philosophically an ethical judgment. - Learn the historical development of ethical thinking. - Detect the upsides and downsides of each type of ethical theory.
Course Content Analysing and discussing the central topics of ethics, such as egoism, eudaimonism, utilitarianism, the moral law and the ethics of self-determinism; also, examining the ethical thinking of Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, Bentham and Sartre.

Weekly Subjects and Releated Preparation Studies

Week Subjects Preparation
1 (I. Introduction: What is Ethics?) The Problems of Ethics: An Example. Socrates and Thrasymachus. The Subject of Ethics. An Alternative Conception of Morality. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 1-14. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 31-40. Living Philosophy, pp. 19-45.
2 (I. Introduction: What is Ethics?, cont’d) Two Types of Ethical Theory. The Problem of Deontology. The Idea of a Moral Community. Ethical Theories and Moral Ideals. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 14-24. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 41-62. Living Philosophy, pp. 46-95.
3 (II. Egoism) The Wise Pursuit of Happiness. The Concept of Happiness. The Primary Argument for Egoism. Psychological Egoism. An Alternative Argument for Egoism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 25-39. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 111-121. Living Philosophy, pp. 26-41.
4 (II. Egoism, cont’d) The Hobbesian Program. Troubles with the Hobbesian Program’s Derivations. Troubles with the Hobbesian Program’s Scope. Thrasymachus’ Challenge Again. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 39-55. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 88-98. Living Philosophy, pp. 27-29, 170-177.
5 (III. Eudaimonism) Egoism v. Eudaimonism. The Platonic Form of Eudaimonism. Perfectionist Objections to Hedonism. Epicurus’ Answer. Mill’s Defense of Hedonism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 56-70. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 52-62. Living Philosophy, pp. 26-41.
6 (III. Eudaimonism, cont’d) Plato’s Ethics. Rationalism v. Naturalism. Aristotle’s Naturalism. A Problem in Aristotle’s Program. Prospects for Contemporary Eudaimonism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 71-92. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 478-489. Living Philosophy, pp. 30-33, 227-236.
7 Midterm The questions prepared by the course instructor.
8 (IV. Utilitarianism) Impartiality. Two Problems. Consequentialism. Mill’s Restatement of Utilitarianism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 93-107. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 144-155. Living Philosophy, pp. 118-127.
9 (IV. Utilitarianism, cont’d) An Inconsistency in Mill’s Restatement. Rule Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism Revisited. Is Act Utilitarianism Self-Refuting? When Act Utilitarianism Ceases to Be an Ethical Theory. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 107-122. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 181-191. Living Philosophy, pp. 127-136.
10 (V. The Moral Law) Two Theories of Moral Law. Divine Command Theory. Rational Intuitionism. Ethics and Mathematics. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 123-140. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 99-110. Living Philosophy, pp. 99-117.
11 (V. The Moral Law, cont’d) Kant’s Way. Formalism in Ethics. The Problem with Kant’s Formalism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 140-156. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 156-167. Living Philosophy, pp. 63-95.
12 (VI. The Ethics of Self-Determination) Kant’s Step Into Metaphysics. The Formula of Humanity. Is the Formula of Humanity an Independent Principle? The Formula of Autonomy and the Kingdom of Ends. Answering the Charge of Excessive Formalism. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 157-173. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 456-466. Living Philosophy, pp. 99-117.
13 (VI. The Ethics of Self-Determination, cont’d) Rationalism Revisited. Personal Autonomy. Existentialist Ethics. The Excesses of Existentialism. Existentialist Ethics Pruned of Excess. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 174-195. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 230-240. Living Philosophy, pp. 137-160.
14 (VII. Practical Reason) Meta-Ethics. Meta-Ethical Disputes: An Illustration. Aristotle’s Answer and an Existentialist Response. Can There Be Motives That Aim at Doing Evil for Its Own Sake? The Obsolescence of Aristotle’s Answer. The Eliminability of Teleological Explanations. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 196-216. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 253-320. Living Philosophy, pp. 301-315.
15 (VII. Practical Reason, cont’d) Modern Skepticism about Practical Reason. Hume’s Meta-Ethics. Practical Reason in Modern Philosophy. Kant’s Notion of Practical Reason. Freedom and Reason. An Introduction to Ethics, pp. 216-232. Routledge Companion to Ethics, pp. 320-365. Living Philosophy, pp. 206-224.
16 Final Exam The questions prepared by the course instructor.

Sources

Course Book 1. John Deigh, An Introduction to Ethics [Etiğe Giriş], Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
2. John Skorupski (ed.), Routledge Companion to Ethics [Routledge Etik El Kitabı], London: Routledge, 2010.
3. Ray Billington, Living Philosophy: An Introduction to Moral Thought [Yaşayan Felsefe: Ahlak Düşüncesine Bir Giriş], London: Routledge, 2003.

Evaluation System

Requirements Number Percentage of Grade
Attendance/Participation - -
Laboratory - -
Application - -
Field Work - -
Special Course Internship - -
Quizzes/Studio Critics - -
Homework Assignments - -
Presentation - -
Project - -
Report - -
Seminar - -
Midterms Exams/Midterms Jury 1 40
Final Exam/Final Jury 1 60
Toplam 2 100
Percentage of Semester Work
Percentage of Final Work 100
Total 100

Course Category

Core Courses X
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

The Relation Between Course Learning Competencies and Program Qualifications

# Program Qualifications / Competencies Level of Contribution
1 2 3 4 5
1 Critical Thinking: Questioning and expressing abstract thoughts, evaluating opposing views, and gaining the ability to analyze the results achieved with similar criteria.
2 Communication: Reading, writing, expressing ideas in accordance with the purpose; gaining the ability to use different representation media to convey design thinking.
3 Research: Comparatively evaluating the information obtained regarding the design process and gaining the ability to document and practice it.
4 Design: In the process of creative thinking and reproduction of design knowledge; Gaining the ability to achieve new and original results in the context of universal design principles such as sustainability and accessibility.
5 World Architecture: Understanding world architecture in the context of historical, geographical and global relations.
6 Vernacular Architecture / Cultural Diversity: Understanding the architectural creations and examples of geography in the context of historical and cultural relations. Understanding the differences in value judgments, behavioral patterns, and social and spatial patterns that define different cultures.
7 Cultural Heritage and Conservation: Understanding cultural heritage, conservation awareness, environmental awarenes and ethical responsibility, conservation theories and methods.
8 Sustainability: Gaining the ability to design sustainably by using information about the natural and built environment, using various tools to minimize undesirable environmental impacts on future generations.
9 Social Responsibility: Understanding the architect's responsibility to protect the public interest, to be respectful of historical/cultural and natural resources, and to improve the quality of life.
10 Nature and Human: Understanding all aspects of the interaction between natural systems and the design of the built environment and humans.
11 Geographical Conditions: Understanding the relationships between site selection, settlement and building design taking into account cultural, economic and social characteristics as well as natural features such as soil conditions, topography, vegetation, natural disaster risk, etc.
12 Safety: Understanding the basic principles of security and emergency systems in natural disasters, fire, etc. at the building and environmental scale.
13 Structural Systems: Understands the principles of behaviour, development and implementation of static and dynamic structural systems sustained by vertical and lateral forces.
14 Building Physics and Environmental Systems: Understanding the basic principles of building physics and energy use in design of physical environmental systems such as lighting, acoustics, air conditioning, etc. and the importance of using appropriate performance assessment tools.
15 Building Facade Systems: Understanding the basic principles, implementation methods and importance of building facade materials and systems design.
16 Building Service Systems: Understanding the basic principles of design of service systems such as plumbing, electrical, circulation, communication, security and fire protection.
17 Building Materials and implementations : Understanding the principles and standards related to the production, utilization and implementations, environmental impacts and reusability of building materials in the context of technological developments.
18 Integration of Building Systems: Evaluating structural, environmental, security, facades, building service systems in design also selecting and integrating them.
19 Programme Preparation and Evaluation: Preparation of the architectural project programme in accordance with the requirements of the employer and user, appropriate examples, spatial and equipment requirements, financial limitations, site conditions, relevant laws, regulations and design criteria by considering the public interest.
20 Comprehensive Project Development: Gaining the ability to develop and integrate an architectural project at different scales, by considering environmental and building systems and building technologies.
21 Consideration of Building Cost: Understanding the basic factors related to the cost of building construction and utilisation.
22 Architect-Employer Relationship: Determining the needs of the employer, the owner and the user and understanding the responsibility to resolve them in a way that not conflict with the public interest.
23 Teamwork and Co-operation: Gaining the ability to work in co-operation with project teams and multidisciplinary teams in order to successfully complete design and implementation projects.
24 Project Management: Understanding architectural project procurement methods, selection of consultants, formation of project teams, project delivery methods, service contracts, etc.
25 Implementation Management: Understanding the basic principles of architectural implementation process such as financial management, business planning, quality management, risk management, discussion, compromise, etc.

ECTS/Workload Table

Activities Number Duration (Hours) Total Workload
Course Hours (Including Exam Week: 16 x Total Hours) 16 3 48
Laboratory
Application
Special Course Internship
Field Work
Study Hours Out of Class 14 3 42
Presentation/Seminar Prepration
Project
Report
Homework Assignments
Quizzes/Studio Critics
Prepration of Midterm Exams/Midterm Jury 1 4 4
Prepration of Final Exams/Final Jury 1 6 6
Total Workload 100