Units / ATS2871
ATS2871 · Environmental ethics
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 2Philosophy
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
The current global environmental crisis poses both philosophical and urgent political challenges. This unit examines the implications of environmental concerns for our moral concepts and our current way of life. Should non-human animals have rights? What about species or ecosystems? What is the value of wilderness? How might our values, institutions, and way of life have to change in order for humanity and other species to have a future?
Areas of study: Bioethics Human geography International studies Philosophy
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | First semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forum Post | Exercise | 20% | — |
| 2 | Analytic Exercise | Exercise | 15% | — |
| 3 | Research Planning Document | Written | 35% | — |
| 4 | Essay | Written | 30% | — |
Within semester assessment: 100%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
prohibitions
- AZA3871 — Environmentalism: A philosophical perspective
Learning outcomes
- On successfully completing this unit, you should have a good understanding of the ethical issues raised by environmentalism and by the ethical limits placed on human behaviour by our environment.
Workload
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.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 24 hours |
| Lectures | 12 hours |
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