Media Release
October 26 2007
SA unis collaborate on ethics education
SA’s
three local universities are working together through the
Ethics Centre of South Australia (ECSA) to offer a suite of new
degrees in ethics.
In 2008 a new Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics will be available
to students from UniSA, Adelaide and Flinders Universities, coordinated
through ECSA.
Director of the Centre and the new program, Emeritus Professor Robert
Crotty says the certificate will tap into a resurgence in interest in
the study of ethics.
“People are generally interested in the principles and issues of ethics
and we see that reflected in columns such as The Weekend Australian
magazine which covers a modern dilemma each week giving the opinions of
an ethicist, among others,” Prof Crotty says.
“Why humans should do one thing rather than another, why they should
think, behave and value things this way and not another, even words like
‘should’, ‘ought’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are all part of the language and
concerns of ethics.
“And each day there are issues to tackle with the application of ethical
consideration - should cartoonists depict Muhammad or Jesus in a
disparaging fashion, who should have first rights to limited water
resources – the cotton planters or home gardeners?
“From abortion, and drug manufacture, to immigration and climate change
– ethics can contribute to social. Political and policy debate.”
Professor Crotty says the new program is quite innovative.
“It is the first of a nest of awards, since it will be followed by a
Graduate Diploma in Applied Ethics and a Masters of Applied Ethics,” he
says.
“Each of these awards will ‘nest’ in the next, so a student successful
in the Graduate Certificate can enrol in the Graduate Diploma and from
there into the Masters.
“Under certain conditions, the Masters graduates would be able to enrol
in a doctorate in the ethical field.”
In 2005, the three universities and the State Government cooperated to
form ECSA in order to promote knowledge about and informed debate on
ethical issues in the public arena. All three universities, Government
Departments, particularly the Department of Health, and professional
areas contribute to the membership and management.
ECSA will coordinate the research and teaching expertise of academics
from the three South Australian universities and other academics in
professional practice to provide the award with first rate teachers.,
Students from a wide range of backgrounds will come together to gain
knowledge, skills and understanding in ethical theory and ethical
issues.
While the University of South Australia will house the new award,
courses in ethics can be taken from the other two universities and ECSA
will coordinate the entire program.
The core course in the Graduate Certificate is Applied Ethics dealing
with the major approaches to ethical principles.
Prof Crotty says students will look at ethical debates in the real
world, working out what is at stake, which issues need to be resolved,
and should the person making ethical decisions focus on the consequences
of human actions or on people’s rights and duties or on good, moral
character.
Students will also be able to begin to specialise in elective courses
offered in the Graduate Certificate - bioethics, ethics in journalism,
public health ethics, international ethics, ethics in education.
The Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics will be available from the
start of the academic year in 2008.
Further information on the Graduate Certificate in Applied Ethics is
available from
Emeritus Professor Robert Crotty, Director of ECSA and Program
Director of the Graduate Certificate.
Contact for interview
-
Professor Robert Crotty office (08) 8302 6436 mobile 0417 866 564 email robert.crotty@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
-
Michèle Nardelli office (08) 8302 0966 mobile 0418 823 673
email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au