Ethics Center Courses
ETHC 118: Comparative Religious Ethics
An introduction to the sources and patterns of moral reasoning within different religious traditions. The course will examine historical and contemporary ethical issues, along with different theoretical frameworks describing what constitutes ethical behavior. Students will develop their own responses to complex contemporary issues to understand conflicting perspectives and different ethical frameworks. Case studies focus on such contemporary issues as the ethics of war and peace, conflicting environmental policies, fair and just dispute resolutions, and balancing the good of society against the value of individual freedoms. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: RELG 118
ETHC 250: Dialogue: Race, Ethnicity, Religion
In a culturally and socially diverse society, exploring issues of difference, conflict, and community is needed to facilitate understanding and improve relations between social/cultural groups. In this course, students will engage in meaningful discussion of controversial, challenging, and divisive issues in society related to race, ethnicity, and religion. Students will be challenged to increase personal awareness of their own cultural experience, expand knowledge of the historic and social realities of other cultural groups, and take action as agents of positive social change in their communities. This course requires a high level of participation from all students. Not open to students who have completed ETHC 260. Note: This course earns .5 credits. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.)
cross listed: AFAM 250, RELG 221
ETHC 252: Dialogue: Gender Identity
In a culturally and socially diverse society, exploring issues of difference, conflict, and community is needed to facilitate understanding and improve relations between social/cultural groups. In this course, students will engage in meaningful discussion of controversial, challenging, and divisive issues in society related to gender identity. Students will be challenged to increase personal awareness of their own cultural experience, expand knowledge of the historic and social realities of other cultural groups, and take action as agents of positive social change in their communities. This course requires a high level of participation from all students. Not open to students who have completed ETHC 260. Note: This course earns .5 credits. No Prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.)
cross listed: GSWS 252
ETHC 260: Dialogue: Race, Ethnicity, & Gender
(Dialogue: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender.) In a culturally and socially diverse society, exploring issues of difference, conflict, and community is needed to facilitate understanding and improve relations between social/cultural groups. In this course, students will engage in meaningful discussion of controversial, challenging, and divisive issues in society related to race, ethnicity, and gender identity. Students will be challenged to increase personal awareness of their own cultural experience, expand knowledge of the historic and social realities of other cultural groups, and explore how to take action as agents of positive social change in their communities. This course requires a high level of participation from all students. Not open to students who have completed either ETHC 250 or ETHC 252. Note: This course is offered during the summer term only. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.)
ETHC 261: Art of Social Change
Artists have a long history as agents of social change, using "traditional" art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, and a bit more recently photography, performance, and video to critique various aspects of society and to propose alternatives for the future. The consideration of social engagement as an artistic medium in and of itself has become an important current in contemporary art since at least the 1990s. This course begins with a consideration of some of the ways artists in the past approached social and political concerns. We then focus on the more recent proliferation of artists with social practices both within and outside of the gallery/museum realm of contemporary art. Students address various important historical, theoretical and practical texts; conduct discussions and presentations; and collaborate to design and enact original works of socially engaged art. No prerequisites. Course Fee Applies. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: ART 261
ETHC 276: Social Justice and Human Rights
Examination of the concepts and debates surrounding social justice and human rights, with attention to the arguments between East and West. Applications to current global and domestic issues, such as globalization; poverty and disparities in wealth and opportunity; race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation; political liberties; and genocide. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: PHIL 276, IREL 286
ETHC 277: Identities, Rights, Social Justice
This course explores the philosophical foundations of contemporary understandings of rights and social justice. We study a variety of theoretical frameworks, including classical liberal theory, postcolonial critiques, and local philosophies of indigenous communities. Moreover, we consider the effects of each framework on various claims to identity, whether of an individual person, a group, community, institution, place, or state. We then attempt to apply these frameworks to a number of real-world cases to better understand how rights are deployed and denied in practice. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: PHIL 277, IREL 287
ETHC 290: What Makes a Great Leader?
How do we recognize a good leader? Is a just or effective leader the same as a great leader? Materials will be drawn from literature, film, and biographies, as well as more theoretical readings from the humanities and social sciences, as we try to answer these very important questions. We will consider specific examples of good and bad leadership (fictional or historical) from a variety of realms, such as politics, social movements, religion, the arts, education, law, science, and public intellectualism. Open to sophomore or junior Honors Fellows, and others with permission of the Honors Fellows Committee. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: HSEM 290
ETHC 320: Topics in Ethics
Collaborative research project culminating in a specific ethical theme (announced each time the course is offered.) The course runs for an academic year, earning .5 credit per semester. The course may be repeated for credit. Participation by invitation. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Writing requirements.)
ETHC 330: Comparative and International Educ
ETHC 330: Comparative and International Education: Education as the Practice of FreedomThis course examines both the study and practice of comparative and international education. The course is organized with a multidisciplinary perspective with analysis of history, theory, methods, and issues in comparative and international education. A major goal of the course is to interrogate the linkages between education and society. Recurrent themes will be examined to demonstrate how every educational system not only arises from but also shapes its particular socio-cultural context. Students will have the opportunity to deepen and expand their knowledge of educational issues within a global context. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: EDUC 320, SOAN 344
ETHC 339: Inclusive Innovation
While entrepreneurs top the list of Forbes richest Americans, diversity does not. Why are women, people of color, and other groups persistently excluded from entrepreneurial resources? How might we make entrepreneurship more inclusive to drive disruptive innovation, help people reach their full potential, and propel positive economic growth? This course surveys the deeper (and often hidden) causal factors that have contributed to and reinforced entrepreneurial exclusion. We examine disparities at the macro- and micro-level (i.e., gender, race, sexuality, geography, ability, age) through case studies, reading, hands-on activities, and student research projects. Students propose their own reasoned and researched solutions to address the business case for access and inclusion not as a charitable cause but as an economic imperative. The course concludes with students pitching their solutions on how to empower an underrepresented group, increase access to high-quality tools to find problems worth solving for this group and the resources to solve them, and create new channels for revenue from a previously underserved and ignored market. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism requirement.)
cross listed: ENTP 340, GSWS 339, LNAM 340
ETHC 340: Equity & Social Justice in Educ
(Equity and Social Justice in Education) This course examines 'equity' and 'social justice' both as concepts and in the context of three aspects of education: the historical founding of U.S. schools on oppressive ideals; the primary roles of race/ethnicity, space, and socioeconomic status, but also religion, gender, sexual orientation, language, and (dis)ability in individual and group experiences of schooling; and strategies for socially just education. The course uses documentary history, scholarly sources, and personal narratives to explore tensions between the ideals of freedom and equality and the reality of segregation and marginalization in U.S. education. Course content focuses on U.S. public education as a microcosm of equity and social justice issues nationally and internationally. Not open to first-year students. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Domestic Pluralism requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: EDUC 310, AFAM 310
ETHC 352: Topics in Social Justice
Examination of a particular issue in social justice, through a research project. Common elements of the course will include examinations of theoretical issues and debates, allowing students to select from a range of possible research topics. Significant time will be devoted to periodic student reports on their projects. Prerequisite: Ethics Center/Philosophy 276 or 277 or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism requirement.)
cross listed: PHIL 352