Universität Wien

010103 SE Virtue Ethics and Conscience. Intercultural perspectives (2026S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 1 - Theologien und Religionswiss.
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Th 14.05. 15:00-18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

The lecture scheduled for Thursday, 28 May 2026, will be replaced by an alternative task available on the Moodle platform. This change is due to an unavoidable academic conference attended by the Institute together with doctoral students in Malta.

  • Thursday 05.03. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 19.03. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 16.04. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 30.04. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 28.05. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 11.06. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG
  • Thursday 25.06. 15:00 - 18:15 Seminarraum 3 (Kath) Schenkenstraße EG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This seminar examines virtue ethics and human conscience from Christian and intercultural perspectives, with particular attention to dialogue between Western philosophical–theological traditions and African moral worldviews. The course introduces classical foundations of virtue ethics, beginning with Aristotle’s account of moral habituation and practical reason (phronēsis), and continuing with Thomas Aquinas’s treatment of virtue and conscience (conscientia) in the Summa Theologiae. These frameworks are placed in conversation with modern debates on human flourishing, with Aquinas’s account of flourishing through the cultivation of virtue under natural and divine law serving as a central reference.
A core focus is conscience as both personal and communal moral capacity. Students critically assess conscience as subjective judgment, rational moral reasoning, and culturally embedded discernment, bringing African communitarian ethics into dialogue with Western individual-centered approaches to moral agency and responsibility.
The seminar emphasizes dialogical and comparative learning through guided readings, discussions, and short reflective presentations. By the end of the course, students will be able to compare classical and contemporary ethical theories, articulate intercultural perspectives on virtue and conscience, and apply ethical-theological reasoning to contemporary questions of human flourishing. Assessment is based on continuous participation, written reflections, and a final reflective paper.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular active attendance with a reflective paper to be written at the end of the semester with approximately 30,000 characters (min. 10– max. 15 pages). Active participation includes mandatory attendance of at least 80% of the sessions, class presentation and regular reflective statements of the required readings to be uplaoded on Moodle. For the assessment of exam components, see “Type of performance assessment and permitted aids” and “Minimum requirements and assessment criteria”.
• Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät, KI in der Lehre. URL: https://ssc-kaththeologie.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/s_ktf/2019/Im_Studium/Leitlinien_KI_der_KTF_Endfassung.pdf [Accessed 10.01.2026].
• Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät, Leitlinien für wissenschaftliche Arbeiten. URL: https://ssc-kaththeologie.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/s_ktf/2019/Studienabschluss_HP_neu/Zitierrichtlinien.pdf [Accessed 10.01.2026].

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Student learning and retention will be evaluated primarily through one presentation and 5 reflective assignments on moodle (40% of the final grade) and a final seminar paper (60% of the final grade). The final grade will be based on the student’s overall and active sustained engagement throughout the course.
Written work must demonstrate a clear grasp of core ethical concepts and the ability to apply them critically. The seminar paper requires reflective engagement with a central course theme, developed in consultation with the instructor and situated within contemporary ethical debates. Students must competently interpret and assess classical and modern texts. Successful completion requires a positive overall assessment.
Grading follows the Austrian five-point scale: Sehr gut (1), Gut (2), Befriedigend (3), Genügend (4), Nicht genügend (5).

Examination topics

Assignments engage the required literature and course material, with a focus on contemporary debates in animal ethics. The final paper must offer a personal, reflective, and critical analysis.
Any use of AI tools must be fully disclosed in an appendix, including purpose and prompts. AI-generated content may not exceed 5% of the submission. Undisclosed AI use may be treated as plagiarism

Reading list

The course literature is regularly updated, with specific page ranges indicated. All required texts are easily accessible; students are expected to purchase personal copies only in exceptional cases. Each unit includes three required readings, and students must submit concise summaries of the main arguments via Moodle at least three days before each session. In addition to the original works of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas on virtue and conscience, the following texts form the core required literature:
Required Readings:
• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, II, III, IV and V.
• BUDZISZEWSKI, J., Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s virtue ethics (1st ed.), Cambridge 2017.
• BUYONDO, Jude Thaddaeus, The Critique of Bioethical Principlism in Contrast to an African Approach to Bioethics, Eugene [Oregon] 2024.
• GOTTLIEB, Paula, The virtue of Aristotle’s ethics, 1st ed., Cambridge 2009.
• KEENAN, James, A History of Catholic Theological Ethics, 1st ed., New York 2022.
• METZ Thaddeus, A Relational Moral Theory, Oxford 2022.
• NABANEH, Satang, Choice and conscience: Lessons from South Africa for a global debate, Pretoria 2023.
• Šimʿônî, Gidʿôn, Community and conscience: the Jews in apartheid South Africa, Hanover – London 2003.
• SMITH, Robert J., Conscience and Catholicism: the nature and function of conscience in contemporary Roman Catholic moral theology, Lanham, Md. 1998.
• Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae.
• THERON, Stephen, Thomas Aquinas on virtue and human flourishing, Cambridge 2018.
• YU, Jiyuan, The ethics of Confucius and Aristotle: mirrors of virtue, New York 2007.

Association in the course directory

für 011 (15W) FTH 17 oder FTH 25 oder FTH 26, 198 418 BA UF RK 16, 199 518 MA UF RK 02 oder RK 05, 033 195 (17W) BRP 18krp, BRP 18ktb, 795 [2] M3, M4, M5

Last modified: We 18.03.2026 14:05