Existentialism and Ethics



Overview

When Sartre gave his lecture 'Existentialism is a Humanism', he was responding to the charge that the existentialist's denial of a pre-determined human nature meant that he or she could do as they pleased. Not so, he argued, as, if human nature is defined by what we do, we are all the more responsible for it.

This course examines Sartre's claim and looks at the manner in which existentialists and personalists for well over a hundred years addressed the issue of morality within their philosophies of existence. From Kierkegaard's notion of 'ethical subjectivity' through to Camus's 'judge-penitent', this course illuminates the rich approaches to morality from these thinkers.

Programme details

Term Starts: 22 Apr 2025

Week 1:          Kierkegaard's 'single individual'

Week 2:          Kierkegaard and 'ethical subjectivity'

Week 3:          Schopenhauer on human nature

Week 4:          Nietzsche's critique of Kant

Week 5:          'Master' and 'slave' moralities

Week 6:          Heidegger on 'being-with-others'

Week 7:          Levinas: ethics as 'first' philosophy

Week 8:          Ontology and ethics

Week 9:          Sartre and prescriptivist ethics

Week 10:        Camus's 'judge penitent'

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Magnus Moar

Magnus Moar is a graduate of Oxford and Sussex Universities with a doctoral thesis focussing on the work of Kierkegaard.  Magnus has a published article on Kierkegaard and Levinas and has been teaching undergraduates for fifteen years.

Course aims

To teach students the key elements of existentialism and its engagement with ethics through the work of its foremost thinkers.

Course Objectives

1. To examine the key features of works written by existentialist philosophers where they have engaged with morality.

2. To situate subjectivist approaches to ethics in the context of ethical theory as a whole.

3. To demonstrate the significance of these approaches to ethical responsibility and decision-making.

Teaching methods

The sessions will be in a seminar format including both presentation of the key ideas and open discussion based around short extracts and articles.  Students will have the opportunity, if they wish, to give a short presentation as a part of their portfolio assessment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. Have a good understanding of the relationship between existentialism and ethics.

2. Develop their critical and analytical skills through the reading, the portfolio and the sessions.

3. Enable a keener sense of inter-communication through group discussion.

Assessment methods

Students may either complete a portfolio (max. 3 elements) or 1,500 word essay.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support