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Last modified: 28 Apr 2026 14:16
We are living through an environmental crisis. This is well recognised and widely discussed. Most of this discussion focuses on what we should do to deal with the crisis, and rightly so. But it is also well recognised that the current crisis is deeply rooted in how we think of nature and the natural world and why we value it. Environmental Ethics helps us think about these foundational issues and get clear on why - and not just how - we should save the planet.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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We are living through an environmental crisis. This is well recognised and regularly discussed by individuals, communities, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and businesses. Most of this discussion focuses on what we should do to deal with the crisis. And rightly so—there are problems to be solved, and it is important to discuss the best ways to solve them. But it is also well recognised that the current crisis is deeply rooted in how we think of nature and the natural world and why we value it. Environmental Ethics helps us think about these foundational issues and get clear on why - and not just how - we should save the planet.
Academic work in this area has grown exponentially since the 1970s and covers a wide range of issues. These issues include everything from animal rights to critiques of the colonial biases of western ethical theories. In this course we will dip our toe into the debate, focusing on two questions. First, whether we should extend moral status to entities other than human beings. And second, whether traditional Western Ethical Theories are destructively anthropocentric and thus part of the problem.
In addressing these questions, we will engage with contemporary research in a variety of ethical traditions - e.g., Utilitarianism, Deontology and Virtue Ethics. We will also focus in on specific arguments from the research literature on animal rights, the moral status of ecosystems, critiques of Western Ethical Theories from an environmental point of view, and perspectives on environmental issues from a feminist, social justice and ‘deep ecology’ point of view.
The key goal of this course is to allow students to reflect not only on what we should do about the state of the natural world, but on why we should do these things. Reflecting on the question of why will raise deeper questions about our relationship with the natural world and our place in it.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 15 | Feedback Weeks | 18 | |
| Feedback |
Each student will receive individual feedback on essay via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Create | Construct and defend well-informed arguments that engage critically with key theses in Environmental Ethics, showing awareness of alternative perspectives & methodological limitations |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To evaluate major theories and paradigms in Environmental Ethics, demonstrating advanced understanding of their philosophical foundations and implications for contemporary environmental discourse. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20 | Feedback Weeks | 25 | |
| Feedback |
Each student will receive individual feedback on essay via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Create | Construct and defend well-informed arguments that engage critically with key theses in Environmental Ethics, showing awareness of alternative perspectives & methodological limitations |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To evaluate major theories and paradigms in Environmental Ethics, demonstrating advanced understanding of their philosophical foundations and implications for contemporary environmental discourse. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To demonstrate critical self-awareness by reflecting systematically on personal and disciplinary assumptions, integrating these reflections into scholarly debate and the formulation of ethical positi |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 50 | Feedback Weeks | 52 | |
| Feedback |
Each student will receive individual feedback on essay via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 50 | Feedback Weeks | 52 | |
| Feedback |
Each student will receive individual feedback on essay via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | To evaluate major theories and paradigms in Environmental Ethics, demonstrating advanced understanding of their philosophical foundations and implications for contemporary environmental discourse. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | To demonstrate critical self-awareness by reflecting systematically on personal and disciplinary assumptions, integrating these reflections into scholarly debate and the formulation of ethical positi |
| Conceptual | Create | Construct and defend well-informed arguments that engage critically with key theses in Environmental Ethics, showing awareness of alternative perspectives & methodological limitations |
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