Ethics Minor
Coordinator: Karen Hoffman
The ethics minor provides an academic structure to the rigorous study of both ethical theory and ethical practice. Grounded in philosophy, the program is nevertheless interdisciplinary in the wide range of majors with which it can interface. Students who complete the minor will have (1) a solid grasp of the foundations of and differences between the major theories of normative value, (2) a facility with the application of these theories to practical situations that includes an awareness of their respective advantages & disadvantages, potential conflicts, and areas of corroboration, (3) a recognition of the diverse instantiations of the main ethical theories in divergent cultures, and (4) an awareness of ethical thinking as embodying sensibilities about and remedies to inequitable power differentials and other injustices.
Requirements for the Minor
Required
Advanced Ethical Theory
History of Ethics
At least one course, and up to two courses, in the History of Ethics from among the following:
| PHIL 305 | Great Figures in Western Political Thought | 3.0 |
| PHIL 307 | History of Philosophy: The Ancient World to the Renaissance | 3.0 |
| PHIL 308 | History of Philosophy: The Early Modern Era to the 20th Century | 3.0 |
| PHIL 360 | Topics in Ancient Greek Philosophy | 3.0 |
| REL 342 | From Abolitionism to Human Rights | 3.0 |
Inequitable Power Differentials
At least one course, and up to two courses, that document and analyze different ethical responses to Inequitable Power Differentials from among the following:
Ethical Theory in Context
If a fifth course has not been chosen from the above lists, the student may choose one of the following courses that allow the student to apply ethical theory in specific contexts: