Overview of the program
The M.A. in Public Ethics is designed to help graduates develop the following competencies:
This program is based upon course and seminar work, reflection on practical experience, optional internship, and supervised research in public ethics. The program is designed for students who wish to specialize in public ethics at the graduate level as well as professionals who are seeking to advance their careers, make career changes, or prepare for doctoral studies.
Admission details
Registration: full-time
Program length: 4 terms
Program delivery: some courses are also offered online.
Language: this program is also offered in French.
For information about admission deadlines, please click here.
Scholarships
Students registered in this program may be eligible for a number of scholarships. For more information, please click here.
This degree is conferred jointly by the Senates of Saint Paul University and the University of Ottawa.
To be admitted to the master’s program, candidates must:
In exceptional cases, candidates who do not meet the first two criteria as defined above may be admitted to the master’s program, provided they can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Admissions Committee, that they possess adequate knowledge and professional experience (for example, experience as a policy analyst in the public sector). Depending on the case, such candidates may be required to complete qualifying courses in pertinent disciplines prior to admission.
Qualifying Program
Some additional documents, and in some cases specific forms, are required. For more information, please see the page Step 4: Gather the documents needed for the assessment of your application.
The MA program provides two options:
Compulsory Courses (18 units)
EPE5101 Social Philosophy (3u)
EPE6300 Main Ethical Theories I (3u)
EPE6307 Main Ethical Theories II (3u)
EPE6309 Ethics, Philosophy and Public Policy (3u)
EPE6310 Seminar in Public Ethics I (3u)
EPE6311 Seminar in Public Ethics II (3u)
Optional Courses (12 or 6 units)
12 units (Research Paper option) or 6 units (Thesis option) from:
ECS5304 Ethical Dimensions of Conflict (3u)
EPE6301 Military and Peacekeeping Ethics (3u)
EPE6302 Environmental Ethics (3u)
EPE6303 Ethics and Human Rights (3u)
EPE6304 Ethics and International Development (3u)
EPE6305 Ethics and Health Care (3u)
EPE6306 Ethics, Privacy and Information (3u)
EPE6308 Secularism and Public Life (3u)
EPE6320 Selected Topics in Ethics (3u)
EPE6901 Directed Readings / Lectures dirigées (3u)
EPE6902 Research Internship / Stage de recherche (3u)
CMN5115 Communication Ethics (3u) (UO)
PAP6102 Democratic Governance (3u) (UO)
SOC7150 Interethnic Relations: Critical Examination of Theories and Research(3u) (UO)
Research
EPE6999 Research Paper / Mémoire (Research Paper option)
or
EPE7999 Master's Thesis / Thèse de maîtrise (Thesis option)
Before being allowed to register for the thesis, students must have had their detailed research plan accepted by a potential supervisor and by the director of the School.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ethical analysis of environmental policies. Nature of the relationship between humans and the environment.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Problems of values and cultural relativism. Ethical foundation of human rights. Historical perspectives and contemporary debate.
Ethical components of development and underdevelopment theories. Rights and obligations of wealthy countries towards poor countries. Ethical critique of policies governing international aid.
Nature and bases of ethics in health care policies. Disputed questions. Various orientations in the ethics of health care policies.
Analysis of the impact of the development of New Information and Communications Technologies (NTIC) on privacy and the confidentiality of personal information.
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.
Study of the relationship between secularism and public life in contemporary liberal democratic societies, focusing especially on institutions, government and the Canadian public sphere.
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.
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.
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.
Study of a specialized area in ethics.
Advanced study of a question already analysed within the framework of the program, exploration of a theme in a particular area of ethics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Contact Us
Office of the Associate Vice-Rector, Strategic Enrolment Management
Room 148
Saint Paul University
223 Main Street
Ottawa, ON
K1S 1C4
CANADA
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Telephone: 613-236-1393
Fax: 613-782-3014
admission@ustpaul.ca
Hours of Operation
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Please leave your documents in the mailbox in front of room 148 when our offices are closed.
223 Main Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1S 1C4
Toll free
1.800.637.6859
613-236-1393
613-782-3005
info@ustpaul.ca