ATS2875 The moral psychology of evil
Faculty of Arts
ATS2875 The moral psychology of evil is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2023 in Semester 2 at Caulfield and Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 2
- Caulfield, Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS2875
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS2875
No unit lists ATS2875 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisite: Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units. It is highly recommended that students only take this unit after they have completed two first-year level units in Philosophy or Bioethics.
Prohibition: ATS3875
Overview
This unit investigates the nature of evil, in light of psychological and other factors that enable people to commit acts of great evil. Questions discussed include: If an evildoer suffered serious childhood abuse, should this influence our moral judgements of them? Does the role that situational factors often seem to play in explaining evildoing undermine the plausibility of character-based accounts of evildoing? Are we all capable of evildoing, if placed in certain circumstances? Can moral judgements be justifiably made of those with evil thoughts and desires that they never act on? How should we determine the appropriateness of medical treatment of evildoers? How do different accounts of evil bear on contemporary ethical theories? Current empirical research will also be used in addressing these questions.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Caulfield | On campus |
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Essay20%
- Essay40%
- Other40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
demonstrate an understanding of leading contemporary philosophical theories of evil;
- 2
demonstrate a familiarity with key psychological explanations of evildoing;
- 3
critically analyse these theories and explanations;
- 4
make informed judgements about what sorts of responses to evildoing are morally appropriate.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages students in actively applying their knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Where it fits
ATS2875 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Justin Oakley
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Justin Oakley
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2875?
ATS2875 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS2875 offered?
In 2023, ATS2875 runs in Semester 2 at Caulfield and Clayton.
How much work is ATS2875?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2875 have an exam?
No. ATS2875 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS2875?
ATS2875 is part of Bioethics; and Holocaust and genocide studies.