ABSTRACT
A part of moral philosophy, ethics may be understood as 'the attempt to formulate codes and principles of moral behaviour'. The rise of medical ethics and bio-ethics, which address ethical questions in the biological sciences, medical research and health care, has reinvigorated the broader discipline and had profound effects on practice among the medical professions. Questions raised therein have influenced analogous debates in education and other human sciences. The penetration of ethics into routine educational practice is particularly formalised in relation to research. Ethics permeates education in multiple ways, from its very concept, through its functions, curriculum and methods, to its politics. All involve controversial topics. Given the dominance of normative approaches in education, two ethical initiatives may be noted: the widespread use of student behaviour contracts and analogous codes of conduct for staff.
