UVSRPCK030 Ethics

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
9/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Petr Slováček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Petr Slováček, Ph.D.
Institute of Public Administration and Social Policy – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Contact Person: JUDr. Marie Sciskalová, 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 ethics as a way of questioning the possible stereotypes in the civil society. This approach assumes a threefold teaching method: a) to analyse the basic outlines of the development of ethical issues in order to show that in ethics, the enlightenment presupposition of automatic progress does not apply. In other words, the first task of the course is to acquaint the students with the fact that the requisites of good life, as articulated already in ancient philosophy (ethics), is still valid and modern philosophy (ethics) always returns to it (1 2). At the same time, the good life momentum is the central concept of public administration and it is to this fact that students will be gradually introduced; b) to present to the students contact points between ethics and other fields, such as law, economics, and sociology to comprise ethically relevant changes which have occurred especially in the modern thought, i.e. primarily the separation of legality from legitimacy, the establishment of performance as the supreme criterion or subjecting social institutions as instruments to criteria other than good life (3 6); (c)) to present to the students some of the specific application spheres of ethics (7 12). Study Outcomes: The students will know the basic definition of ethics in relation to philosophy, sciences which are not ethically irrelevant, and to economic practice. Moreover, students will be able to define the areas where overlaps and overhangs with ethics occur, they can clearly articulate ethically relevant questions potentially associated with the specific economic, legal or sociological issues. In this context, then, they will be able to analyse potential ethical dilemmas and to bring them into broader contexts. In addition, students will be familiarized with possible current approaches at the intersection of philosophy and ethics to some of the fundamental issues of civic society. Professional Knowledge: Students can especially identify the ethically relevant dimensions in the fields of human knowledge and activity which are intrinsically controlled by other than ethical criteria. They will also be able to view the identified ethical dilemmas from perspectives offered by the Western philosophical tradition, which will enable them to face challenges with the necessary degree of expertise and competence. Professional Skills: Students will be able to define the position of ethics in relation to philosophy and other more specific sciences. They can also identify the ethically relevant aspects of the main issues of the contemporary world. In this broader context, then, they will be able to classify dilemmas and issues from the field of social work, giving their decisions of the necessary degree of competence and responsibility. Competences: After finishing the course, students will understand and comprehend the position of ethics in the present general, not only philosophical discourse. Ethics will be shown as a relevant topic of modern thought. The basic competences will then also include the ability to navigate ethical codes and human rights documents.
Learning outcomes
Students will understand the basic concepts that are related to ethical issues. They will also be able to identify basic ethical strategies as well as their weaknesses. Students will also know the basic normative documents of their practice.
Syllabus
  • 1. Ethics and the philosophy position of ethics in the philosophical framework, its relationship to philosophy, basic ethical terms and the changes in their foundation (explanation);
    2. Ethics and its forms normative and descriptive ethics, meta-ethics, applied ethics, ethics and religion;
    3. Ethics and law from natural law to spontaneous order, positive law, and procedural legitimation, the relation between legality and legitimacy;
    4. Ethics and economics possible consequences of utilitarian and positivist paradigm for the evaluation of the course of society; the original and still the modern concept of good life; the question of the relevance of social justice, performance as evaluation criterion in a market economy.
    5. Ethics and social institutions, social institutions (formalized social units) and their ethical relevance; justice and its forms, justice as an ethical criterion of institutions;
    6. Democracy and its crisis ethical relevance of civic engagement, the return of the traditional concept of good life into the political-philosophical discussions;
    7. Ethics in social work position of social work and its core values, goals of social work and their ethical relevance, resources of social work and their ethical relevance (see 8-12);
    8. Multiculturalism the limits of cultural relativism and Eurocentric tendencies, institutional and cultural values as a counterbalance to the excessive demands of multiculturalism;
    9. Feminist Ethics the status of women in society and its changes;
    10. Environmental ethics utilitarian and non-utilitarian approach to nature and the environment as ethically relevant spaces;
    11. Professional ethics professional self-regulation, professional values, professional codes of ethics.
    12. Ethical issues of information and media age, media globalization and the objectivity of the information.
Literature
    required literature
  • RICH, A. Etika hospodářství I. Praha: OIKOYMENH. ISBN 80-85241-61-7. info
  • Haidt, J., Morálka lidské mysli. Dybbuk 2013. 978-80-7438-090-7.
  • THOMPSON, M. Přehled etiky. Praha: Portál, 2004. ISBN 80-7178-606-6. info
    recommended literature
  • FISCHER, O., MILFAIT, R. Etika pro sociální práci. Praha: JABOK, 2008. ISBN 978-80-904137-3-3. info
  • ANZENBACHER, A. Úvod do etiky. Praha: Academia, 2001. ISBN 80-200-0917-5. info
Teaching methods
Přednáška, seminář.
Assessment methods
Active participation in seminars, fulfillment of written verification of knowledge; attendance at seminars ( on condition, that seminars are part of sylabus, 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.
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 9 HOD/SEM.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018, Winter 2019, Winter 2020, Winter 2021, Winter 2022, Summer 2023, Winter 2023, Summer 2024, Winter 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fvp/summer2025/UVSRPCK030