Faculty of Arts & Science 2013-2014 Calendar

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Ethics (Centre for)

The Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto fosters research, teaching and public discussion of the moral dimensions of contemporary individual, social and political life. We are committed to the proposition that universities have a distinctive capacity and responsibility to shed light on questions of the moral life, as well as to educate students for reflective citizenship. Fulfilling this responsibility requires that we promote and engage in dialogue about the theory and practice of ethics across disciplinary, cultural, religious and social divides. For information or to make an appointment for consultation contact the Assistant to the Director, 416-978-6288 or e-mail: ethics@utoronto.ca.

Ethics (Centre for) Courses

An introductory course in applied ethics. A study of selected moral problems that arise in contemporary society, along with some of the theories that have been developed in order to clarify, and possibly resolve, these problems.

An introductory survey of attempts that have been made to develop a formal model of practical rationality, with particular emphasis on the way moral considerations enter into those deliberations. Topics may include: utility-maximization theory, introductory game theory, consequentialism, and deontic reasoning, as well as the limitations of rationality.

A study of issues that arise at the intersection of psychology and moral philosophy. Why do people act morally? What role do reason and emotion play? Can we know what is right, yet not be motivated to do it? What role can science play in advancing our understanding of morality?

Is morality universal, or does it vary by time and place? This course will examine cultural differences in moral codes from both empirical and philosophical perspectives.

Selected topics in value theory, broadly construed (ethics, political theory, law).

A senior seminar in ethics, interdisciplinary in content. Running for a full year for a half-course credit, the seminar will expose senior undergraduates to cutting edge research in ethics broadly conceived. Students will attend between six and eight presentations in the Centre for Ethics's Seminar Series, given by eminent ethics scholars from both outside and inside the university and meet with the instructor (who will be the Centre’s Director) to discuss these presentations. (Note that this is an "H1Y" course -- a half-credit course taught throughout both Fall and Winter terms.)