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PHIL2026 – The Ethics and Moral Psychology of Good and Evil

2026 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer, Tutor
Mianna Lotz
mianna.lotz@mq.edu.au
Please email for an appointment
Lecturer, tutor
Katrina Hutchison
katrina.hutchison@mq.edu.au
Please email for an appointment
Lecturer, tutor
Robert Sinnerbrink
robert.sinnerbrink@mq.edu.au
Please email for an appointment.
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

What is it that makes us good or evil, virtuous or vicious? What does it mean to be a competent agent who can be held responsible for moral as well as immoral action? And what does morality and moral theory require of us as agents? Thinking about what motivates morality raises important questions about the role played by reason, will, emotion and intuition in bringing about moral­ behaviour. It also offers a basis for critically examining prominent ethical theories to see how well they can accommodate the lived realities of human agency and motivation. And it invites further questions about the contribution of social context and psychopathic conditions in explaining ordinary and extreme forms of wrongdoing. This unit will critically examine the philosophical and psychological literature on moral agency, virtue, goodness, and evil, as well as exploring historical and contemporary philosophical accounts of the importance of such things as integrity, character, autonomy and respect for others in moral life and moral relations. 

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: draw on sources used in the unit to give clear accounts of the relevant philosophical moral concepts and theories
  • ULO2: demonstrate a good general understanding of how contemporary philosophical and psychological research contributes to our understanding of moral agency, judgement and motivation
  • ULO3: analyse and critically evaluate relevant competing philosophical theories and arguments. 
  • ULO4: apply the theoretical knowledge gained to analysis and evaluation of selected case studies in moral psychology
  • ULO5: construct sound arguments in support of your own ethical positions, judgements and values

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.

Late submission

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

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. 

GenAI/ChatGPT

In this unit, unless notified otherwise in writing by the Unit Convenor, it is expected that the work you submit demonstrates your own understanding, analysis, research, reflection, critical thinking, and writing, and you will be marked on the basis of your demonstrated understanding of and engagement with the unit content and activities. This applies to all assessments, including online forums. If your teachers have concerns about whether a submission is your own work in a meaningful sense, you may be required to attend an interview with the Unit Convenor or other academic staff to discuss your work and demonstrate your attainment of unit and task learning outcomes.  Further information and advice about policies and expectations around the use of Generative AI will be given in iLearn. 

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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Literature review 30% No 19/04/2026 Individual No Open
Viva voce 30% No To be scheduled in Weeks 12&13 Individual No Observed
Research essay 40% No 07/06/2026 Individual No Open

Literature review

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 19/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open

Students will devise a literature search strategy, and demonstrate judgment in their selection and justification of texts to be used as sources for the essay.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • draw on sources used in the unit to give clear accounts of the relevant philosophical moral concepts and theories
  • demonstrate a good general understanding of how contemporary philosophical and psychological research contributes to our understanding of moral agency, judgement and motivation

Viva voce

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: To be scheduled in Weeks 12&13
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Observed

Students will attend a 5-10 minute viva voce zoom meeting. They will be assessed on their verbal responses in a discussion about the content and learning activities in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • draw on sources used in the unit to give clear accounts of the relevant philosophical moral concepts and theories
  • demonstrate a good general understanding of how contemporary philosophical and psychological research contributes to our understanding of moral agency, judgement and motivation
  • analyse and critically evaluate relevant competing philosophical theories and arguments. 
  • apply the theoretical knowledge gained to analysis and evaluation of selected case studies in moral psychology
  • construct sound arguments in support of your own ethical positions, judgements and values

Research essay

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 07/06/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open

Students will write an essay on a topic from the unit, responding to a supplied essay question and offering an argument in support of a thesis. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • draw on sources used in the unit to give clear accounts of the relevant philosophical moral concepts and theories
  • demonstrate a good general understanding of how contemporary philosophical and psychological research contributes to our understanding of moral agency, judgement and motivation
  • analyse and critically evaluate relevant competing philosophical theories and arguments. 
  • apply the theoretical knowledge gained to analysis and evaluation of selected case studies in moral psychology
  • construct sound arguments in support of your own ethical positions, judgements and values

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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery and Resources

NOTE: It is an expectation that students will attend or listen to all lectures and complete all assessment components in this unit. You do not need to have passed each individual assessment to pass the unit, but it is expected that all assessments are attempted.  

General Submission Procedure: Written assessments must be submitted via TurnItIn at the correct link provided on the Unit iLearn site. You will not be able to view your TurnItIn match similarity report for your assessment before you submit it. You must ensure that you use the correct link for your assessment, and that you upload the correct final version of your assessment.  

DELIVERY:

Lectures in this unit will be in-person (on-campus) with recordings available online via Echo360 and the unit iLearn site.

Tutorials will be on campus.

READING: All required readings are available in Leganto on the unit iLearn site. Supplementary reading is required for Essays. Suggestions for Supplementary Reading will be provided in lectures and on iLearn.

Unit Schedule

PART 1: MORAL GOODNESS AND MORAL PSYCHOLOGY (Lecturer: A/Prof Mianna Lotz)

Week 1 (beginning 23 February):  Being Good I: The Utilitarian way

Week 2 (beginning 2 March): The Utilitarian agent – Moral agency we should aspire to?

Week 3 (beginning 9 March) – Being Good II: The Virtue Ethics way

Week 4 (beginning 16 March): The Virtuous agent – Moral agency we could achieve?

Week 5 (beginning 23 March): “It wasn’t me, it was my situation!” – Is there such a thing as ‘moral character’ at all?  

 

PART 2: MORAL EVIL (Lecturer: Dr Katrina Hutchison and Prof Robert Sinnerbrink)

Week 6 (beginning 30 March): Evil acts

 

Mid session break: Mon 6 April – Fri 17 April

*** Assessment 1 Literature Review: Due 11.55pm Sun 19 April ***

Week 7 (beginning 20 April): Evil people

Week 8 (beginning 27 April): Evil institutions

Week 9 (beginning 4 May): Documentary Ethics Case Study 1 - The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer/Anonymous, 2012) [Prof Sinnerbrink]

Week 10 (beginning 11 May): Documentary Ethics Case Study 2 - The Look of Silence (Oppenheimer/Anonymous 2014) [Prof Sinnerbrink]

 

PART 3: MORAL PSYCHOLOGY AND MORAL EMOTIONS (Lecturer: Dr Katrina Hutchison)

Week 11 (beginning 18 May): Forgiveness

Week 12 (beginning 25 May): Anger as a moral emotion

Week 13 (beginning 1 June): Ethics and empathy

 

*** Assessment 2 Viva Voce/Oral Interviews: Weeks 12 & 13 (to be scheduled) ***

*** Assessment 3 Research Essay: Due 11.55pm Sun 7 June (end of Week 13)

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
11/02/2026 Minor change to topic schedule

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook