The aim of this programme is to apply the skills and insights derived from philosophical ethics to major contemporary moral and social problems; these include such problems as new developments in medicine and biotechnology; issues of crime and punishment; freedom of speech and action; the ethics of research; standards of morality in the conduct of the professions, commerce and politics; warfare; the challenges to democracy posed by terrorism and nationalism; environmental ethics; and the moral values relevant to policy making; all students take core modules which involve seminars covering ethical theory and the broad areas of applied ethics, along with 2 optional modules.