Moral Philosophy and Ethical Decisions Course

Course overview

Prior knowledge of philosophy is not required for this course; all you need is an enquiring mind. While moral codes help ensure our society functions well – that human suffering is kept to a minimum and that we as members of the society can flourish and live in harmony – throughout any lifetime a person is likely to be faced with any number of moral questions to resolve. A selection of moral dilemmas that we could all encounter will be examined within the course along with the different philosophical approaches to making moral decisions.

Understanding these processes will enable us to reflect on our own moral awareness and how our moral decision-making has shaped our lives thus far. This will also enable us to help others similarly reflect, with particular reference to the counselling process.

Syllabus

Lesson One
- Ethics and Morality / The Importance of Studying Ethics / Some Moral Dilemmas
  - Definitions
  - What Makes Something Moral?
  - Comparing Moral, Technical, Religious and Legal Issues and Etiquette
  - Descriptive, Normative, Meta-ethics and Applied Ethics
Lesson Two
- Terminology in Ethics / Some Deontological Ethical Theories
  - Divine Command Theory
  - Natural Law
  - Kantian Ethics
  - Evaluation of Deontological Moral Theories
Lesson Three
- Teleological Ethical Theories
  - Utilitarianism
  - Hedonic Utilitarianism
  - Positive versus Negative Utilitarianism
  - Act and Rule Utilitarianism
  - Preference Utilitarianism
  - Situation Ethics
  - Evaluation of Teleological Moral Theories
Lesson Four
- Theories of Virtue Ethics
  - Virtue Ethics According to Aristotle
  - Modern Virtue Ethics Philosophers
  - Overall Assessment of Virtue Ethics
Lesson Five
- The Nature of Free Will
  - Hard Determinism
  - Libertarianism
  - Compatibilism
  - Evaluation

Practical training

No practical training is required to complete this course.

Prerequisites

You do not need to have any additional qualifications before studying this course.

Level

On successful completion of this course, you have received training designed as either a foundation qualification leading to further studies to attain a practitioner level, or professional development to gain additional skills and knowledge to expand the practice of the existing therapist. It has also been endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme and graduates will receive the QLS Certificate of Achievement as above. This course has been designed by BSY to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. The Quality Licence Scheme, endorses high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes.

Certification

On successful completion students will receive dual awards: Award 1- The BSY Professional Certificate of Merit in Moral Philosophy and Ethical Decisions.

Award 2- Certificate of achievement at QLS Level 3 from Quality Licence Scheme. Registration through BSY is essential with this course.

How the course works

Upon enrolment you receive your first course lessons.

You can study in your own time, at your own pace and from the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, or would like feedback or encouragement about your course or your studies then you can contact our friendly tutors by phone, email or post.

At the end of each lesson are a set of questions. Completing these can aid your learning and help you master each step before moving on to the next. Your next lesson will then arrive for you to continue when it suits you. This allows us to continually assess understanding and competence of the subject.

Having progressed through each lesson you can take your final examination at home, and at a date and time that suits you. Then, on successful completion you will be awarded your BSY certificate.

Support

Your tutor will mark your lessons, giving valuable, constructive feedback - helping you to master each step before moving on to the next. You can contact them for support or advice throughout your studies.

You can also contact the support team who are here to help you Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

We are proud of our friendly, caring ethos and aim to do all we can to help you succeed.