Master's Thesis

Aim

On completion of the course the students should be able to

• analyse a problem in applied ethics in a scholarly manner,
• identify, describe and critically examine ethical problems and arguments in the discussion about the chosen topic for thesis,
• argue for a position in the discussion about the chosen topic for thesis,
• write and defend a scientific written report,
• demonstrate an open and critical attitude,
• demonstrate the ability to handle ethical issues in practice.

Content

The students write a thesis that deals with a problem in applied ethics. The students conduct supervised research leading to the completion of a thesis. At the beginning of the course the choice of subject, methods and literature is discussed at a seminar. The thesis should be completed over a period of ten weeks and presented and defended at a seminar by the end of the semester. Both the process and the result – the thesis – should be characterized by a high degree of insight in theory and method.

The students also investigate how ethical issues are handled in society. The method is to visit a social institution (political authority, company, organization etc.) and interview persons who has a responsible position relating to ethics. Students report the result at the end of the semester.