M.A. in Public Ethics

• ECS5304 - Ethical Dimensions of Conflict

  Conceptual and procedural ethical issues concerning norms of social justice and reconciliation. Relation of ethical issues to self-other dialectics, dynamics of discourse and power, gender and class, memory and agency.

• EPE5101 - Social Philosophy

  Study of the philosophical underpinnings of social life from the theoretical approaches of living together and of the common good, to problems of contemporary societies, such as solidarity and social citizenship rights.

• EPE6300 - Main Ethical Theories I

  Study of the classic and canonical works of Aristotelian or virtue ethics, deontology, contractualism, and consequentialism including utilitarianism. Initiation to the basic concepts grounding each theory and assessment of their strengths and weaknesses.

• EPE6301 - Military and Peacekeeping Ethics

  Examination of the thought on ethics by philosophers and military personnel. Readings from Cicero, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius before turning to renaissance and modern thinkers. Contemporary ethics of war, the nature of the soldier and the peacekeeper. Theoretical discussions and a detailed look at current policies and thinking at the Department of National Defence.

• EPE6302 - Environmental Ethics

  Ethical analysis of environmental policies. Nature of the relationship between humans and the environment.

• EPE6303 - Ethics and Human Rights

  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Problems of values and cultural relativism. Ethical foundation of human rights. Historical perspectives and contemporary debate.

• EPE6304 - Ethics and International Development

  Ethical components of development and underdevelopment theories. Rights and obligations of wealthy countries towards poor countries. Ethical critique of policies governing international aid.

• EPE6305 - Ethics and Health Care

  Nature and bases of ethics in health care policies. Disputed questions. Various orientations in the ethics of health care policies.

• EPE6306 - Ethics, Privacy and Information

  Analysis of the impact of the development of New Information and Communications Technologies (NTIC) on privacy and the confidentiality of personal information.

• EPE6307 - Main Ethical Theories II

  Study of the main 20th and 21st century versions of the classical ethical theories, and of how these theories are challenged by and attempt to respond to contemporary ethical issues.

  Prerequisite: EPE6300 Main Ethical Theories I

• EPE6308 - Secularism and Public Life

  Study of the relationship between secularism and public life in contemporary liberal democratic societies, focusing especially on institutions, government and the Canadian public sphere.

• EPE6309 - Ethics, Philosophy and Public Policy

  Study of the concrete and normative aspects of public policy and of their ethical and philosophical implications, both locally and globally. Study of the main public policy issues and challenges in Canada as well as in other countries.

• EPE6310 - Seminar in Public Ethics I

  Acquiring essential skills for developing a research question in public ethics. Methodologies include literature review, case-study approaches and critical analyses of texts. Preparation and approval of research plan.
  Prerequisite: EPE6307 Main Ethical Theories II.

• EPE6311 - Seminar in Public Ethics II

  Critical analyses of policies and philosophical and ethical texts that are relevant to the major research paper or the thesis.

  Prerequisite: EPE6310 Seminar in Public Ethics I

• EPE6312 - Ethics, Multiculturalism and Immigration

  Study of the relations between ethics, multiculturalism, and immigration; study of the possibility of a multicultural ethics, and issues and debates arising from cultural relativism and identity politics in the functioning of modern societies.

  *This course does not have a prerequisite.

• EPE6320 - Selected Topics in Ethics

  Study of a specialized area in ethics.

• EPE6901 - Directed Readings

  Advanced study of a question already analysed within the framework of the program, exploration of a theme in a particular area of ethics.

• EPE6902 - Research Internship

  Practical application of acquired theoretical knowledge in public ethics in a professional setting. A minimum of 130 hours professionally supervised in an environment that includes a public ethics component or involves analyses of public policies. The internship incorporates a cumulative reflexive practice that serves to encourage the critical integration of theory and practice. The internship culminates in the writing of a detailed practicum report. Graded S/NS (satisfactory/not satisfactory) by a professor in the program based on the written report and the evaluation of the internship supervisor.

  Prerequisites: Completion of 9 credits in the MA program with an average of at least B. Approval of the internship proposal by the program director.

• EPE6999 - Research Paper
• EPE7999 - Master's Thesis

Courses offered by par Ottawa University

• CMN5115 - Communication Ethics (UO)

  Emphasis on the significance of ethical principles and responsibilities of public communicators, as well as sanctions faced when communicators fail to uphold these principles. Critique of self-regulation of the media. Analysis of argumentation. Study of legal precedents with respect to defamation.

• PAP6102 - Democratic Governance (UO)

  This seminar provides an examination of how democratic governments structure their decision-making processes for effectiveness, representation and accountability. A particular focus of this seminar is a critical evaluation of the New Public Management reforms, and an in-depth review of different models of government intervention and policy-making from a comparative perspective.

• SOC7150 - Interethnic Relations: Critical Examination of Theories and Research (UO)

  Principal sociological theories in interethnic relations, and the use of these theories in the analysis of the social structure of a number of multiethnic societies, especially Canada.