Environmental Ethics Logo

Description

The field of environmental ethics emerged during the later-part of the 20th century and initiated a revolution in moral thinking by inquiring into the moral status of the natural world and non-human entities. This innovation in moral philosophy not only challenged the anthropocentric privilege that had persisted in ethics for over 2000 years but opened moral and legal consideration to other forms of "otherness." This seminar engages students in a critical examination of the opportunities and challenges of environmental ethics. The course is primarily organized around the reading of seminal texts in the field in order to provide students with a survey of the relevant literature on this subject, knowledge of the fundamental debates and controversies that shape its configuration, and familiarity with of state-of-the-art innovations in this relatively new field of philosophical inquiry.

Instructor

Name: Dr. David J. Gunkel
Position: Distinguished Teaching Professor
Institution: Northern Illinois University (USA)
Email: dgunkel@niu.edu
Website: gunkelweb.com

Pre-Requisites

Because the course is taught in English and utilizes original source material written in the English language, it has the pre-requisite of English level B1 or above.

Method of Teaching

Course Objectives

Content - Students will acquire critical understanding of: Skills - Students will learn:

Learning Outcomes

Student evaluation will take place by way of one of two assessment options: 1) a written comprehensive examination or 2) an individual research paper of approximately 15 pages. Students will have the ability to select which assessment option works best for them and their program of study.