Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

• describe the main problems and concepts in metaethics
• describe the main theories in metaethics
• analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those theories
• describe how similar problems arise with regard to values in other areas, and how metaethical concepts, arguments, and theories can be applied in those areas

Content

Metaethics concerns questions about the nature of moral and evaluative judgments. Examples include: Can moral judgments be true or false? Can they be objectively true or false? Can they be supported by rational arguments? What does it mean to hold a moral judgment?

There are also value judgments in other areas. Some of those concern aesthetic matters, others concern what it means to act rationally, and still others concern the evaluation of scientific theories.

The course focuses on metaethics, but it will also explore how metaethical questions relate to similar questions concerning other kinds of value judgments.

Instruction

Instruction is provided through lectures and mandatory seminars.

Assessment

Assessment is based on participation in the mandatory seminars and a written hall examination.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.