PV24TK014 Ethics

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
10/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Petr Slováček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Institute of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Contact Person: PhDr. Edita Ondřejová, Ph.D.
Prerequisites (in Czech)
FAKULTA(FVP) && TYP_STUDIA(B) && FORMA(K)
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the basic problem of ethics, i.e. what ethics is, what are its main problems, what are its basic strategies, what specific forms these strategies have and what practical consequences it can have.
Learning outcomes
Students will understand the basic concepts that are related to ethical issues. They will also be able to identify basic ethical strategies we can encounter in ethical discourse. Students will also know the basic normative documents of their practice.
Syllabus
  • 1. Ethics  basic definition of ethics, origin of ethical thinking, relationship of ethics to philosophy and tradition; nature of ethical norms; division of ethics
  • 2. Basic concepts of ethics and their relationships  ethical (moral) pre-understanding and its category (good/evil), moral evaluation, conscience, volunteering, responsibility, justice, human value, autonomy, values, virtues, dilemmas, etc.
  • 3. Ethics and religious studies  Judaism and Christianity as the indispensable sources of European ethical thought
  • 4. Basic ethical concepts I  ancient and medieval concepts: ethics of virtue, hedonism, natural law
  • 5. Basic Ethical Concepts II  modern age and current concepts: social contract, utilitarism, ethics of justice, ethics of duty
  • 6. Basic Ethical Concepts III  theory of intuitiveism, emotivism; deontological, positively legal and eudaimonistic concepts
  • 7. Ethics in social work  specifics of ethics in social work in the space given by the client, environment and social worker, ethics of care
  • 8. Codes of ethics in social work  the importance and development of codes of ethics in history. Code of Conduct for social workers in the Czech Republic
  • 9. Values in social work  value definition, value types, relevance of the concept values in social work
  • 10. The individual, their autonomy and dignity,  the dimension of partnership in social work
  • 11. Social work and religious thinking  ethical relevance of meeting with others, religion and culture, multiculturalism
  • 12. The human-right context of social work  concept of human rights as the most general basis for ethical codes in social worker
Literature
    required literature
  • FISCHER, O., MILFAIT, R. Etika pro sociální práci. Praha: JABOK, 2008. ISBN 978-80-904137-3-3. info
  • THOMPSON, M. Přehled etiky. Praha: Portál, 2004. ISBN 80-7178-606-6. info
  • Haidt, J., Morálka lidské mysli. Dybbuk 2013. 978-80-7438-090-7.
  • Slováček, P., Etika. 2024.
    recommended literature
  • ANZENBACHER, A. Úvod do etiky. Praha: Academia, 2001. ISBN 80-200-0917-5. info
  • FISCHER, O., MILFAIT, R. Etika pro sociální práci. Praha: JABOK, 2008. ISBN 978-80-904137-3-3. info
Teaching methods
Lecture and seminar.
Assessment methods
The prerequisites for enrolment in the exam are: compulsory attendance at seminars (excused max. 2 absences due to illness that does not need to be documented); Preparation of assigned tasks (reading texts, preparing presentations). Students must actively participate in the topics discussed, passivity in seminars may be a reason for not completing the course. Exam: The course will be completed by an examination verifying the knowledge of the topics discussed.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: Přednáška 10 HOD/SEM.
Teacher's information
Students will be able to use the usual consultation hours of the instructor and their e-mail contact.


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