Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

General Ethics

• code 10303
• course 2
• term Semester 1
• type OB
• credits 3

Main language of instruction: Catalan

Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish

If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.

Head instructor

Dra. Magdalena BOSCH - mbosch@uic.es

Office hours

 Please make an appointment by e-mail

Professional activity, like our personal life, involves morality and personal responsibility. Ethics seeks to reflect on this by providing concepts and a framework for moral behaviour. Formally, ethics is the branch of philosophy that considers what is good and bad in human life and which actions are right or wrong. In a more general sense, ethics tries to determine how we ought to live.

In this course we will firstly explore the history of ethical thought. Secondly, we will discuss some key ethical concepts and issues that can help to shape sound moral reasoning and correct behaviour in professional life. Thirdly, we will study a branch of ethics termed “areteology”, in which the central claim is that certain traits of character (virtues) are essential for good behaviour. We also discuss how character has an influence on business leadership.

There are no previous requirements.

1) To provide students with theoretical tools for analysing human behaviour.
2) To introduce students to the use of the basic elements of moral thought and the main concepts in ethics.

• 51 - To develop decision making skills.
• 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
• 54 - To be able to express one’s ideas and formulate arguments in a logical and coherent way, both verbally and in writing.
• 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
• 57 - To acquire skills which favour reading comprehension.
• 60 - To acquire knowledge that promotes respect for other cultures and habits.
• 62 - To acquire mechanisms that facilitate the adoption of ethical commitments.
• 63 - To be able to analyse business related behaviour and decisions and evaluate them from an economic, social and ethical point of view.
• 50 - To acquire the ability to relate concepts, analyse and synthesise.

Students who take this course will learn ethical concepts, increase their sensitivity to the role of moral character in professional activity, and develop their capacity to identify values and ethical issues, and to exercise ethical judgements in particular situations.

Programme:

Theme 1. Introduction. What is ethics?

Theme 2. Kinds of ethics. Historical refences

Theme 3. The meaning of life (ultimate end)

Theme 4. What is happiness. Is it up to us?

Theme 5. What are virtues useful for? (Audi 2006 and 2012) 

Theme 6. Freedom. Voluntary actions. Choice

Theme 7. Cardinal virtues

Theme 8. Justice

Theme 9. Intellectual virtues

Theme 10. Self-governance and compulsive behaviour 

Theme 11. Friendship: conditions and qualities I

Theme 12. Best kind of life. Advantages and disadvantages of each kind of life.

Chapter 2 History of Ethics
      2. orientations

Chapter 5 happiness
      Material
            article proyecto vital proyectovital.pdf 
            secret happiness thesecrettohappiness.pdf 

The following methodological resources are used in this course: 

1. Interactive class, raising the previous knowledge of students
2. Theoretical class, explaining key concepts
3. Discussion of articles
4. Analysis of practical case studies

50% Practical work: discussion during the lectures, exercises within the class and at home

Practical work must be submitted via e-mail, 24h before the next lesson. In must be sent in a WORD document, identified with the GROUP, THEME and the name of the student. Thouse that don't acomplished these requisites, will be considered invalid. It must be delivered, at least, the 80% of the toal practical work and tha mark average must be 5 or higher, to pass the subject.

50% final examination: The three scores must be over 5         

To pass the subject both, the exam and the practical work, must be over 5. When not, the final mark would be never over 4.75

Note on academic honesty: All work you submit for this course must be entirely your own. The words or ideas of others must not in your written work without giving proper acknowledgement. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form.

Resit: the evaluation criteria for the second sitting is the same as for the first sitting. The same applies the part corresponding to practical adding an oral exam. It is compulsory to deliver the printed exercises, but the mark depends more on the oral exam. Exercises that cannot be repeated will be replaced by others.

ARENDT, H., The human condition, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1998
ARISTÓTELES, Ética a Nicómaco. Ed. bilingüe, Instituto de Estudios Políticos, Madrid, 1970.

BASTONS, M.; La toma de decisiones en la organización, Ariel, Barcelona 2000

BOSCH, M.; La ética amable, EUNSA, Pamplona 2015

CICERO, On Dities; On friendship; On old age

GRISEZ, G., y SHAW, R., Ser persona. Curso de Ética, Rialp, Madrid, 1993.

LLANO, A.; La vida lograda, Ariel, Barcelona 2006
MACINTYRE, A., After Virtue. A study in moral theory. Notre Dame University Press, Nostre Dame (Indiana) 3rd edition 2007

MARÍAS, J. La felicidad humana, Alianza, Madrid, 1989.

MENSCH, J., Ethics and Selfhood. Alterity and the Phenomenology of Obligation, State University of New York Press, NY, 2003.

PIEPER, J. The four cardinal virtues, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, 2014
RODRÍGUEZ LUÑO, A. Ética, Eunsa, Pamplona, 1986.

SENECA, Sobre la felicidad, Alianza, Madrid 1997
SPAEMANN, R., Happines and benevolence, University of Notre Dame Press, Nostre Dame 2000

TAYLOR, Ch.; La ética de la autenticidad, Paidós, Barcelona 1994

TRIGO, T.; En busca de una ética universal: un nuevo modo de ver la ley natural. Eunsa. Pamplona 2011 
YEPES STORK, R. Fundamentos de antropología. Un ideal de la existencia humana. Eunsa. Pamplona. 1996.

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:

• E1 15/01/2019 12:00h b502
• E1 15/01/2019 12:00h b501
• E2 17/06/2019 10:00h b501