A ten week course covering the following:

  1. Philosophical treatments of morality and ethics: universal or conventional? Cultural and social factors in ethics.
  2. Key elements of professional ethics: consent and autonomy. Research ethics. Some great research scandals.
  3. Confidentiality non-maleficence
  4. Autonomy and power.  Capacity, and decision making. Advanced directives, powers of attorney
  5. Neo-Aristotelian approaches. Care, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Risks of exploitation and the role of an ethics code in protecting children and vulnerable adults. Parens patriae and safeguarding, Independent safeguarding agency.
  6. Social and political approaches.  Principles of justice and human rights.
  7. Society and culture.  Emic and etic approaches.  Big group and snall group sociology.
  8. Are there cultural and social universals, and therefore the possibility of a transcultural psychotherapy.
  9. Theorizing and practising between cultures.  Hegemony. Cultural competence
  10. Social institutions.  How to embed ethical awareness and cultural competence in professional practice.