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Working Ethically (PADM90009)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2024
Overview
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This subject provides students with an advanced understanding of ethics as they apply to the individual in their managerial role, but also in the design and implementation of public outcomes more broadly. This subject situates these challenges in their social, theoretical, historical and disciplinary contexts to provide participants with a strong foundation for their application in practice. The subject draws in particular on key ideas from philosophy to guide participants in working ethically as individual managers and leaders, but also more broadly facing the ethical dilemmas that managers confront in complex policy and governing environments. It will place a particular emphasis on the complex relationship between scientific advancement and the challenges this poses to policy makers and public managers.
Working Ethically is one of the core subjects in the Melbourne School of Government's Public Administration program. It is one of three professionally-oriented subjects and it builds on The World of Public Administration and the core discipline subjects to develop the professional skills of participants with a particular focus on ethics.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this subject should:
- Understand key ethical challenges facing managers in practice and develop an appreciation of how to address them;
- Acquire knowledge of the social, theoretical, historical and disciplinary factors that underpin ethics in practice;
- Learn to recognise the distinction between ethically designed institutions and the ethics of action made within given institutional realities; and
- Appreciate how to make decisions and provide advice in complex policy and governing environments.
Generic skills
On successful completion of this subject students should have:
- A sound understanding of moral theory and applied ethics and their implications for public management processes and decisions;
- A high-level ability to combine moral and political theory and professional practice in a meaningful way in order to generate responses to both ethical and managerial challenges;
- The skills and capabilities to reflect upon professional practice in order to meet ethical challenges at the individual and institutional level; and
- The ability to draw upon an extensive repertoire of advanced professional skills and to apply these skills with an awareness of the ethical implications of strategies and decisions.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Admission into one of the following:
- MC-PA Master of Public Administration
- MC-PAENH Master of Public Administration (Enhanced)
- GCA-PA Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (Advanced)
- SC-PA Specialist Certificate in Public Administration
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Previous study in public policy, political science, management, law, business, economics, international relations, non-profit management or cognate area.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Practice application paper where students write up a practical issue related to key themes in the subject
| TBC | 10% |
Assessment Task 2: Group presentation | During the teaching period | 20% |
Assessment Task 3: Professional reflection paper where students apply key concepts from the subject to the practical issue from assessment task 1
| 4 Weeks after the end of teaching | 70% |
| Hurdle requirement: Students are required to attend 100% of classes in order to pass this subject, and regular class participation is expected. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
Not available in 2024
Time commitment details
Total 170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Participants are required to read the following prior to commencement of the subject: Jonathan Wolff (2011) Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry, Routledge, New York.
All other readings will be provided via the LMS.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Public Administration (Enhanced) - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
Subject coordinator approval required.
Last updated: 31 January 2024