Students

PHIX1032 – Happiness, Goodness and Justice

2024 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer, Convenor
Katrina Hutchison
katrina.hutchison@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Mianna Lotz
mianna.lotz@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Richard Menary
richard.menary@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Paul-Mikhail Catapang Podosky
paul.podosky@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit provides an introduction to major topics in ethics, moral theory and contemporary political philosophy. The first section focuses on the nature of happiness. Is pleasure essential to happiness? Or does the pursuit of pleasure harm our chances of lasting fulfilment? Must we be virtuous in order to be happy? What is the relationship between happiness and duty? The second section explores the nature of moral goodness. Is morality based ultimately in self-interest? What is the relationship between morality and religion? Are there moral principles that everyone is bound by reason to recognise? Or is the validity of moral standards relative to specific societies and cultures? In the third section we turn to questions of applied political philosophy, focusing on questions such as: What principles should govern the distribution of economic and social resources within a society? What are the obligations of wealthy nations to those less fortunate, including immigrants and refugees? And what issues of justice are raised by climate change? All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate elementary understanding of key moral and political theories.
  • ULO2: Evaluate, in an elementary way, contemporary social issues that concern happiness, goodness, and justice, using philosophical ideas and methods.
  • ULO3: Summarise and explain a philosophical text and its key features at an elementary level.
  • ULO4: Reflect critically on philosophical theories and arguments at an elementary level.
  • ULO5: Formulate and defend your own ideas with clarity and rigour, in a logical, structured argument, at an elementary level.
  • ULO6: Engage constructively and respectfully with the views of others, even if you disagree with them.

General Assessment Information

Detailed assessment information and rubrics

Detailed information about each of the assessments, including rubrics and submission instructions will be available in the Assessment block in iLearn. Please make sure you read the assessment information carefully. Assessment forums for each assessment will be available on the unit iLearn – if you have an assessment question please check the assessment information and the relevant assessment forum to see if your question has already been answered. If not, please post your question on the assessment forum where it will be answered within 1-2 days (weekdays). Please do not email your tutor unless you have tried all the above sources and cannot find an answer to your question.

Special Consideration

Requests for extensions must be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the http://ask.mq.edu.au portal. Your request should be submitted no later than five days after the due date and will need to be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. Please see the Special Consideration policy in the list of policies at the end of this document for further details. Read the policy closely as your request may be turned down if you have not followed procedure, or if you have not submitted a request in a timely manner.

Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Academic Integrity

In Philosophy, academic honesty is taken very seriously, and a range of methods, including but not restricted to the use of Turnitin, are used to detect plagiarism. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own may be grounds for referral to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee. If you have questions about how to properly cite work or how to credit sources, please ask the convenor for help and see also the  Academic Integrity Policy https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity

Note: All assignments in this unit are individual assignments. Collusion (unauthorised collaboration on individual assignments) is a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy. If in doubt, contact a member of teaching staff. 

A helpful resource if you would like to know more about referencing and avoiding plagiarism is  Macquarie's Academic Integrity Module, available here: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills-development. You will need to complete this Module before accessing the unit content, if you have not already done so. More information is available in iLearn. 

What about using ChatGPT, Bing CoPilot or other Artifical Intelligence (AI) platforms to assist with assessment tasks?

Philosophy is a discipline that encourages independent critical thinking and the development of arguments. In order to develop these skills you must do the work yourself without support from AI. As such, the use of AI in assessment tasks for this unit (including essay outline, essay, participation or reflective task) is not permitted. 

If teaching staff suspect the use of AI in an assessment task, you may be called to a meeting to discuss the contents of your submitted work and the process by which you researched and wrote it.

Additional information about this unit's policy on the use of AI will be made available in the Assessment block in iLearn. Please check that information and contact the convenor if you have any questions.

Academic Writing and Study Support

Macquarie University offers a number of services to help with academic writing, referencing and study skills. For details, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills/assignments

For information about policies related to Assessment, see Policies and Procedures section below.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Essay outline 25% No 2024-09-01
Essay 40% No 2024-09-29
Online forum Participation 15% No Continuous / weekly
Reflective task 20% No 2024-10-31

Essay outline

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2024-09-01
Weighting: 25%

 

Essay planning task

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate elementary understanding of key moral and political theories.
  • Evaluate, in an elementary way, contemporary social issues that concern happiness, goodness, and justice, using philosophical ideas and methods.
  • Summarise and explain a philosophical text and its key features at an elementary level.
  • Reflect critically on philosophical theories and arguments at an elementary level.

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 2024-09-29
Weighting: 40%

 

A critical discussion of a set question where you demonstrate the critical questioning and philosophical knowledge that you have learned over the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate elementary understanding of key moral and political theories.
  • Evaluate, in an elementary way, contemporary social issues that concern happiness, goodness, and justice, using philosophical ideas and methods.
  • Summarise and explain a philosophical text and its key features at an elementary level.
  • Reflect critically on philosophical theories and arguments at an elementary level.
  • Formulate and defend your own ideas with clarity and rigour, in a logical, structured argument, at an elementary level.
  • Engage constructively and respectfully with the views of others, even if you disagree with them.

Online forum Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Continuous / weekly
Weighting: 15%

 

Demonstrate engagement with course materials by contributing to discussions and completing associated activities.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate elementary understanding of key moral and political theories.
  • Evaluate, in an elementary way, contemporary social issues that concern happiness, goodness, and justice, using philosophical ideas and methods.
  • Summarise and explain a philosophical text and its key features at an elementary level.
  • Reflect critically on philosophical theories and arguments at an elementary level.
  • Engage constructively and respectfully with the views of others, even if you disagree with them.

Reflective task

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 2024-10-31
Weighting: 20%

 

A short reflective exercise.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate, in an elementary way, contemporary social issues that concern happiness, goodness, and justice, using philosophical ideas and methods.
  • Reflect critically on philosophical theories and arguments at an elementary level.
  • Engage constructively and respectfully with the views of others, even if you disagree with them.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required and recommended texts and/or materials

All required readings are available in Leganto on the unit iLearn site. Supplementary reading is required for Essays and assessment tasks. Some suggestions for Supplementary Reading will be provided in lectures and on iLearn. Students are also encouraged to search for additional literature using the library's multisearch system and/or other scholarly databases such as PhilPapers and Philosophers Index.

Lectures 

Lectures will be available online (live and/or on-demand) at the Echo360 block on the unit iLearn site. Students are strongly encouraged to attend lecture streams live, so that you can be well prepared for your tutorial discussions.

Tutorials or Forums - Online students will participate and interract in weekly online forum discussions. Online forums commence in Week 2.

Unit Webpages and E-Resources

Much of this unit (lectures, assessment instructions, additional reading material, etc.) is delivered online through iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. 

Unit Schedule

Part 1 - Happiness and the Good Life - Views of the Ancient Greeks

week 1: Intro... What is moral philosophy? What is practical philosophy?

week 2: Ancient Greek Philosophy I - Aristotelian Ethics

week 3: Ancient Greek Philosophy II – Stoic Ethics

 

Part 2 - Goodness and Morality - Modern Moral Theories

week 4: Morality, God and Religion

week 5: The Challenge of Moral Relativism

week 6: Egoism, Self-Interest, and Social Contract Foundations for Morality

week 7: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number! Utilitarian Ethics

week 8: Morality is Universal! Kantian Ethics

 

Mid-Semester Break - (September 16-29)

 

Part 3 - Morality, Justice and Contemporary Ethical Problems

week 9: Gender, Morality, Justice and Feminist Ethics of Care

week 10: Justice and inequality: Who gets how much, and is it fair?

week 11: Immigration and refugees: Who gets to come? Who gets to stay?

week 12: Climate justice

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.04 of the Handbook