PHIL2601 Ethics for Professionals

This topic examines a range of contemporary ethical issues in professional life. Particular issues to be discussed include: the concept of a profession, the client-professional relationship, problems of informed consent and confidentiality, privacy, deception, whistle-blowing, individual and collective responsibility and professional codes.

This topic aims to:

• Introduce students to a broad range of ethical issues across the professions and to various moral theories and philosophical ideas that will assist students in dealing with them
• Improve students' reasoning skills by helping them make careful distinctions between issues and pay close attention to arguments
• Improve students' written and oral communication skills

1. Demonstrate knowledge of central ethical issues in a range of professions such as law, medicine and other healthcare professions, journalism, advertising and accounting
2. Identify ways of dealing effectively with these issues
3. Demonstrate improved critical reading and reasoning skills, both in verbal form and in writing