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Ethics

Code: 100282 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Philosophy OB 2

Contact

Name:
Irene Gomez Franco
Email:
irene.gomez.franco@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

None


Objectives and Contextualisation

1. To learn to distinguish ethics as philosophical reflection, that is, as reflection in a specific discursive medium: that of a form of knowledge that cannot be equated with either science or common sense.
2. To come to understand and practise this type of discourse correctly.
3. To learn to recognise the major ethical issues and problems that have been raised up to now.
4. Integrate what has been learnt in the philosophical training acquired during the first year of the Degree.
5. Learn to relate ethical problems to philosophical problems in general, analysing identities and differences between them.
 

Competences

  • Analysing and summarising the main arguments of fundamental texts of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Applying the knowledge of ethics to the moral problems of society, and assessing the implications about the human condition of changes in the world of contemporary techniques.
  • Recognising and interpreting topics and problems of philosophy in its various disciplines.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately drawing up normative texts.
  2. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  3. Correctly, accurately and clearly communicating the acquired philosophical knowledge in oral and written form.
  4. Establishing relationships between science, philosophy, art, religion, politics, etc.
  5. Expressing both orally and in written form, the issues and basic problems of the philosophical tradition.
  6. Reading basic philosophical text thoroughly.
  7. Relating the characteristic elements and factors of the philosophical tradition.
  8. Rigorously building ethical arguments, and defending and distinguishing them from the incorrect ones.
  9. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  10. Summarising the topics and arguments exposed in a classical philosophical debate.

Content

Programme

Concepts:
  1. What is ethics?
  2. Objectivity and subjectivity in ethics
  3. Relativism and universalism in ethics
  4. The foundations of ethics
  5. Ethical dilemmas and moral argumentation 
  6. Psychology and biology in ethics. Altruism and egoism
 
History:
  1. Aristotle and virtue ethics
  2. David Hume and moral sentiments
  3. Immanuel Kant and moral duty 
  4. Utilitarianism
  5. Feminist ethical thinking

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 35 1.4 4, 7, 10
Orientation reading of texts and debate 10 0.4 3, 8, 5, 6, 9, 10
Type: Supervised      
Supervised 20 0.8 3, 5
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous 27.5 1.1 2, 8, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7
Autonomous 50 2 2, 8, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7

The course comprises theoretical lessons (lectures), classes with practical activities and tutorials.
 
The methodology consists of:
 
  • Study of the main theoretical frameworks and currents of ethics
  • Commentary on texts and audiovisual material
  • Group critical debate on practical cases
  • Personal work by the student
  • Group work
  • Supervision of individual work and discussion material
 
In the theoretical classes, the teacher will explain the topics that students should know in order to achieve the objectives and competences of the subject. The development of the contents will be followed by clarification of questions and discussion with the students. At the beginning of each session, the teacher will offer a brief summary of the main ideas examined in the previous class, asking for the students' cooperation. In the practical sessions, activities will be carried out with a strong emphasis on active learning.
 
 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
1.Test 50% final mark 1.5 0.06 3, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7
2.Debate 30% final mark 4 0.16 2, 3, 8, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10
3.Individual essay debate 20% final mark 2 0.08 2, 3, 8, 1, 5, 6, 9, 7

Continuous assessment
 
In order to include the different skills and knowledge that students have acquired throughout the course, as well as their different abilities, three assessment activities will be carried out.
 
  1. Exam (50%): the exam will assess the contents of the theoretical and practical classes, as well as the lectures and material discussed in class.
  2. Debate (30%) - may not be retaken: team participation in a debate on some of the ethical problems addressed in the course. The professor will provide a list of topics to be discussed and groups will be formed during the first weeks of the course. A tutorial will be held beforehand to explain to the professor the approach and defence of the thesis.
  3. Two-page personal critical reflection on the subject of the debate (20%) - may not be retaken.
 
The Department of Philosophy agreed that the first-semester students would have two periods dedicated to assessment activities and one week during which students could specifically prepare for the exams, in the format that each instructor will specify at the beginning of the course. The dates for the review week and the assessment periods are:
 
• October 27 – October 31: review or tutorial week
• November 3 – November 7: assessment week
• January 8, 9, 12, 13, 14: assessment week
 
The teaching modality used in the week before the exams will take the form of individual and/or group tutorials.
 

Note: This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

If the activities cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (without altering their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. The lecturer will ensure that students have access to these resources or will offer them alternative resources that are within their reach.

In the event that the student carries out any type of irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of agiven evaluation act, this will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may result from it. In the event that several irregularities are verified in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.

 

Single assessment (evaluación única):

 The single assessment will be a written test consisting of three parts:

(a) Theoretical questions on the first part (40%)

b) Commentary on texts of the second part (40%)

c) Questions on specific readings for the single assessment (20%).

 

Retaken of the single assessment: the characteristics will be the same as those of the single assessment test.


Bibliography

Bibliography (a more extensive and specific bibliography will be provided for each subject as the course progresses).
 
Manuals:
Camps, Victoria. (2022). Breve historia de la ética. RBA.
Camps, Victoria. (Ed.). (2008).  Historia de la ética (3 vol.). Crítica. 
Gómez, Carlos y Muguerza, Javier. (2010). La aventura de la moralidad: paradigmas, fronteras y problemas de la ética. Alianza Editorial.
MacIntyre, Alasdair. (2024). Historia de la ética. Paidós.
Rachels, James. (2013). Introducción a la Filosofía Moral. F.C.E.
Shafer-Landau, Russ. (2012). The fundamentals of ethics. OUP.
Singer, Peter. (2023). Ética práctica. Akal. 
 
Fundamental literature on Ethics:
Aristóteles. Ética a Nicómaco. Gredos (2019).
Kant, Immanuel. (1785). Fundamentación para una metafísica de las costumbres. Alianza Editorial (2002).
Mill, John Stuart. (1861). Utilitarismo. Alianza Editorial (2014).
de Beauvoir, Simone. (1949). El segundo sexo. Cátedra (2021).
Tronto, Joan C., (1952). Caring democracy. [Castellà. Democracia y cuidado: mercados, igualdad y justicia. Català. Democràcia i cura: mercats, igualtat i justícia. Rayo verde, editorial.]
 
Some literature on Applied Ethics:
Bostrom, Nick y Savulescu, Julian. (2017). Mejoramiento humano. TEELL.
Coeckelbergh, Mark. (2021). Ética de la inteligencia artificial. Cátedra.
Diéguez, Antonio. (2016). Transhumanismo. La búsqueda tecnológica del mejoramiento humano. Herder.
Fundación Grifols i Lucas: https://www.fundaciogrifols.org/es/monographs (cuadernos monográficos sobre temas de bioética como la eutanasia).
Gardiner, Stephen, y Thompson, Allen. (Eds). (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics. OUP.
Gómez Franco, Irene. (2020). Deudas pendientes. La justicia entre generaciones. Plaza y Valdés.
Nussbaum, Martha. (2007). Las fronteras de la justicia. Paidós.
Savulescu, Julian (2012). ¿Decisiones peligrosas? Una bioética desafiante. Tecnos.
Singer, Peter. (2018). Liberación animal. Taurus.
Singer, Peter. (2012). Salvar una vida. Cómo terminar con la pobreza. Katz.
Thomas Nagel. (2005). The Problem of Global Justice. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 33, 113-147.
 
Links:
Asociación Española de Ética y Filosofía Política: https://aeefp.site123.me/
The International Association of Women Philosophers: http://www.women-philosophy.org/about-us/
European Society for Moral Philosophy: http://www.moralphilosophy.eu/
Red Española de Filosofía: http://redfilosofia.es/
The Equality Trust: http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/
Basic Income Earth: http://basicincome.org
Red GENET de Estudios de Género: https://www.redgenet.org/
Dirección de la enciclopedia Stanford: https://plato.stanford.edu/
Pódcast de Peter Singer y Kasia de Lazari Radek: “Lives Well Lived”, Spotify.
 

Software

None.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed