The Certificate in Professional Ethics is based in the Atkinson Philosophy Program (SAL). It is a direct entry program that it is available to any students admitted to Atkinson or the University.
Ethical issues are becoming increasingly central to almost all areas of professional and public life. As work becomes faster, more technologically and bureaucratically complex, and evermore economically efficient, ethical issues increase in difficulty and seriousness. As a result, the demand for people with qualifications in professional ethics is growing in all sectors. Atkinson is perhaps unique in developing courses in the area of professional ethics and concentrate on real situations and case studies. Almost all of these courses are cross-listed and have been co-developed with the relevant professional school and program and concentrate on real situations and case studies. By taking a number of these courses, students encounter many different concrete ethical situations and issues and learn a variety of perspectives and methodologies for dealing with them.
Our style of professional ethics recognizes the diversity of values, traditions and points of view that are brought to bear today on actual current ethical problems. Nonetheless, these courses constantly attempt to integrate this situational approach by means of a search for generally applicable methodologies and ways of theorizing such issues. The certificate therefore gives students a wide range of experience and methodologies for understanding institutional practices that deal with ethical issues in the public and private sectors. They develop capacities to flexibly adapt this knowledge to different institutions and unforeseen ethical problems in such areas as education, business, health, media, government, law, social work, public service, politics, and personal life. Because the resolution of concrete ethical issues needs a creative response to the particularities of unforeseen situations, practice on cases in a number of different institutions and professions is the best way to learn how to prepare for problems in one's own areas.
The Graduate Program in Philosophy now offers a Graduate Diploma in Value Theory & Applied Ethics. It gives graduates from our undergraduate Certificate in Professional Ethics an option to pursue a graduate level education and specialization in this area as well. The combination of these programs puts York at the forefront of education in this area. A similar co-op program (or practicum) that has been developed for the Graduate Diploma and that is administered by Atkinson may soon be created as an option for the undergraduate Certificate in Professional Ethics.
Note that almost all courses for this certificate can be taken through the Internet.
Students wishing to enrol or make inquiries should contact the Atkinson Philosophy Program, Room 504, Atkinson Building. Tel 416-736-5232, fax 416-736-5188, e-mail aksal@yorku.ca.
