Ethical Problems and Public Issues (262-0-20)
Instructors
Lendell Chad Horne
Meeting Info
Fisk Hall 217: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
This course is a study of ethical problems arising in public policy, as well as philosophical approaches to addressing these problems. In this course we will think within, and critically examine, contemporary philosophical theories of morality such as utilitarianism, contractualism, virtue ethics, and care ethics. We will examine these moral theories through the lens of disputed moral issues such as punishment, immigration, racial integration, climate change, and freedom of speech, paying special attention to these issues as they figure in the contemporary social and political landscape of the United States. We will explore historical and contemporary structures of inequality in the US, particularly related to race, gender, and class, and we will critically reflect on our own positions within these structures.
Learning Objectives
(1) Recognize moral issues and distinguish them from descriptive ones. (2) Understand major contemporary moral theories and the values they presuppose. (3) Explore the complexity of ethical problems related to public policy and consider alternative resolutions and the reasons supporting them. (4) Analyze historical and contemporary structures of inequality and injustice, with a focus on the United States. (5) Reflect upon your own answers to important ethical questions and the reasons supporting them. (6) Engage in respectful, rigorous, and constructive dialogue concerning moral issues and communicate thoughtfully and clearly about them.
Class Materials (Required)
Class materials must be purchased.
Mark Timmons, editor, Disputed Moral Issues: A Reader (New York: Oxford University Press). I will be working from the fifth edition (2019) of this textbook, but the fourth edition (2016) is also acceptable if cost is an issue.
Class Notes
Fianl exam- take home
Class Attributes
Ethics & Values Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Fri 3:00PM - 3:50PM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM
DIS - Willard Hall B72: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-425: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Mon 3:00PM - 3:50PM
DIS - Kresge Cent. Hall 2-380 Kaplan: Mon 10:00AM - 10:50AM