Department: Ethics in Society

Code Name Description
ETHICSOC105 Philosophy of Disability This course is an introduction to the ethical and political issues concerning disability. It aims to provide students with a set of tools to think critically about the connections between our ideas about disability, interpersonal relationships and po...
ETHICSOC106 Human Rights in Comparative and Historical Perspective The course examines core human rights concepts and issues as they arise in a variety of contexts ranging from the ancient world to today. These issues include slavery, human trafficking, gender based violence, discrimination against marginalized grou...
ETHICSOC107 Rethinking Meat: An Introduction to Alternative Proteins How do we feed a growing population in the face of climate change? Will Impossible Burgers become the new norm? Are you curious to learn about a frontier in bio- and chemical-engineering? Are you passionate about animal rights, human health, and sust...
ETHICSOC127B Leadership, Organizing and Action: Intensive Two Consecutive Weekend Course: Community Organizing makes a difference in addressing major public challenges that demand full engagement of the citizenry, especially those whose voices are marginalized. In this course you will learn and practice the...
ETHICSOC127C Leadership, Organizing and Action: Campaign Coaching Community Organizing makes a difference in addressing major public challenges that demand full engagement of the citizenry, especially those whose voices are marginalized. In this course you will learn and practice the leadership skills of campaign c...
ETHICSOC130 Liberalism and its Critics In this course, students will learn and engage with the core debates that have animated political theory in modern times. What is the proper relationship between the individual, the community, and the state? Are liberty and equality in conflict, and,...
ETHICSOC130A Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought Political philosophy in classical antiquity, centered on reading canonical works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle against other texts and against the political and historical background. Topics include: interdependence, legitimacy, justice; political...
ETHICSOC131S Modern Political Thought: Machiavelli to Marx and Mill This course is an introduction to the history of Western political thought from the late fifteenth century through the nineteenth century. We will consider the secularization of politics, the changing relationship between the individual and society,...
ETHICSOC131X Ethics in Bioengineering Bioengineering focuses on the development and application of new technologies in the biology and medicine. These technologies often have powerful effects on living systems at the microscopic and macroscopic level. They can provide great benefit to so...
ETHICSOC133 Ethics and Politics of Public Service Ethical and political questions in public service work, including volunteering, service learning, humanitarian assistance, and public service professions such as medicine and teaching. Motives and outcomes in service work. Connections between service...
ETHICSOC134 Ethics for Activists Activists devote sustained effort and attention toward achieving particular goals of social and political change. Do we have an ethical obligation to be activists? And how should those who do choose to be activists (for whatever reason) understand th...
ETHICSOC134R The Ethics of Elections Do you have a duty to vote? Should immigrants be allowed to vote? Should we make voting mandatory? How (if at all) should we regulate campaign finance? Should we even have elections at all? In this course, we will explore these and other ethical ques...
ETHICSOC135 Citizenship This class begins from the core definition of citizenship as membership in a political community and explores the many debates about what that membership means. Who is (or ought to be) a citizen? Who gets to decide? What responsibilities come with ci...
ETHICSOC135F Deliberative Democracy and its Critics This course examines the theory and practice of deliberative democracy and engages both in a dialogue with critics. Can a democracy which emphasizes people thinking and talking together on the basis of good information be made practical in the modern...
ETHICSOC135R The Ethics of Democratic Citizenship We usually think about democratic citizenship in terms of rights and opportunities, but are these benefits of democracy accompanied by special obligations? Do citizens of a democracy have an obligation to take an interest in politics and to actively...
ETHICSOC136R Introduction to Global Justice Our world is divided into many different states, each of which has its own culture or set of cultures. Vast inequalities of wealth and power exist between citizens of the rich world and the global poor. International commerce, immigration, and climat...
ETHICSOC145 The Ethics of Migration How should states treat immigrants and would-be immigrants? On what grounds can immigration be justly restricted, and through what means? This module engages with these complex questions by offering a broad overview of key issues in the ethics of mig...
ETHICSOC146 Political Thought in Modern Asia The study of political theory in the United States has been accused of being Western-centric: We tend to focus on intellectual traditions from Plato to NATO, while ignoring the vast world of non-Western societies and the ways they think about politic...
ETHICSOC151 The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Graduate students enroll in 251. COMM 151 is offered for 5 units, COMM 251 is offered for 4 units.) The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Law 7084): Introduction to the constitutional protections for freedom of speech, press, and express...
ETHICSOC155 The Ethics And Politics of Effective Altruism What should I do? How should I live? These are the central questions that practical ethics seeks to answer. "Effective altruism" (EA), a growing school of thought and popular social movement, offers a clear and attractive response. It holds that we s...
ETHICSOC170 Ethical Theory This course explores some major topics/themes in ethical theory from the middle of the 20th century through the present. We'll read philosophy by John Rawls, Thomas Nagel, Bernard Williams, Christine Korsgaard, G.E.M. Anscombe, Philipa Foot, and oth...
ETHICSOC171 Justice Justice, as we use the term in this class, is a question about social cooperation. People can produce much more cooperatively than the sum of what they could produce as individuals, and these gains from cooperation are what makes civilization possibl...
ETHICSOC172 History of Modern Moral Philosophy A critical exploration of some main forms of systematic moral theorizing in Western philosophy from Hobbes onward and their roots in ancient, medieval, and earlier modern ethical thought. Prerequistes are some prior familiarity with utilitarianism an...
ETHICSOC172C The Ethics of Care Since the 1970s, a number of feminists, socialists, and virtue theorists have directed their attention to the importance of care in practical philosophy. In this class, we will focus on the ambition to employ the notion of care in systematic politica...
ETHICSOC173 Introduction to Feminist Philosophy If feminism is a political practice aimed at ending patriarchy, what is the point of feminist philosophy? This course provides an introduction to feminist philosophy by exploring how important theoretical questions around sex and gender bear on pract...
ETHICSOC174 Ethics in a Human Life Ethical questions pervade a human life from before a person is conceived until after she dies, and at every point in between. This course raises a series of ethical questions, following along the path of a person's life - questions that arise before,...
ETHICSOC174B Universal Basic Income: the philosophy behind the proposal Universal basic income (or UBI) is a regular cash allowance given to all members of a community without means test, regardless of personal desert, and with no strings attached. Once a utopian proposal, the policy is now discussed and piloted througho...
ETHICSOC174E Egalitarianism and Anti-Egalitarianism How do we argue for equality today? How did we argue for equality in the past? This class will introduce students to egalitarian and anti-egalitarian thought and to contemporary conceptions of equality. It will provide an in-depth introduction to the...
ETHICSOC174L Justice Across Borders Undergraduates only.
ETHICSOC175B Philosophy of Law This course will explore foundational issues about the nature of law and its relation to morality, and about legal responsibility and criminal punishment. Toward the end we will turn to issues about the criminal culpability of children. Prerequisit...
ETHICSOC175W Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice In this course, we will examine some of the central questions in philosophy of law, including: What is law? How do we determine the content of laws? Do laws have moral content? What is authority? What gives law its authority? Must we obey the law? If...
ETHICSOC175X Philosophy of Public Policy From healthcare to voting reforms, social protection and educational policies, public policies are underpinned by moral values. When we debate those policies, we typically appeal to values like justice, fairness, equality, freedom, privacy, and safet...
ETHICSOC176 Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition (Graduate students register for 276.) What makes political institutions legitimate? What makes them just? When do citizens have a right to revolt against those who rule over them? Which of our fellow citizens must we tolerate?Surprisingly, the answer...
ETHICSOC178M Introduction to Environmental Ethics How should human beings relate to the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? And what do we owe to other human beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? The first p...
ETHICSOC179W Du Bois and Democracy In this course, we will work together to develop a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the political philosophy of W. E. B. Du Bois, giving special attention to the development of his democratic theory. We will do so by reading a number of ke...
ETHICSOC181X Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy Ethical and social issues related to the development and use of computer technology. Ethical theory, and social, political, and legal considerations. Scenarios in problem areas: privacy, reliability and risks of complex systems, and responsibility of...
ETHICSOC182 Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change Examination of recent developments in computing technology and platforms through the lenses of philosophy, public policy, social science, and engineering.  Course is organized around five main units: algorithmic decision-making and bias; data privacy...
ETHICSOC182M Markets, Ethics, and Society Business activity has been an inalienable part of human life; as a result, there is always a pressing demand to address the ethical issues that arise in the business context and consider the ethical implications of their impact on people, society, an...
ETHICSOC185M Contemporary Moral Problems In this course, we will explore contemporary moral issues that arise in the lives of students at higher education institutions and consider their implications beyond campus. Taking the university as a starting point for moral analysis, we will explor...
ETHICSOC185X Environmental Ethics Crosscultural perspective. Application of environmental ethics to contentious or incommensurable beliefs or values.
ETHICSOC190 Ethics in Society Honors Seminar For students planning honors in Ethics in Society. Methods of research. Students present issues of public and personal morality; topics chosen with advice of instructor.
ETHICSOC195 Ethics in Society Workshop Workshop for Ethics in Society seniors completing their honors thesis.
ETHICSOC199 Independent Studies in Ethics in Society May be repeated for credit.
ETHICSOC19SI Philosophy of the Covid-19 Pandemic The coronavirus pandemic has brought philosophical questions about morality, politics, and bioethics into sharp relief. These include questions about how to balance personal freedom and collective interests, how to allocate medical resources, and iss...
ETHICSOC20 Introduction to Moral Philosophy What should I do with my life? What kind of person should I be? How should we treat others? What makes actions right or wrong? What is good and what is bad? What should we value? How should we organize society? Is there any reason to be moral? Is mor...
ETHICSOC200A Ethics in Society Honors Thesis Limited to Ethics in Society honors students, who must enroll once in 200A, once in 200B, and once in 200C in their senior year. Students enrolling in 200A for less than 3 units must get approval from the faculty director.
ETHICSOC200B Ethics in Society Honors Thesis Limited to Ethics in Society honors students, who must enroll once in 200A, once in 200B, and once in 200C in their senior year. Students enrolling in 200B for less than 3 units must get approval from the faculty director.
ETHICSOC200C Ethics in Society Honors Thesis Limited to Ethics in Society honors students, who must enroll once in 200A, once in 200B, and once in 200C in their senior year. Students enrolling in 200C for less than 3 units must get approval from the faculty director.
ETHICSOC204 Introduction to Philosophy of Education How to think philosophically about educational problems. Recent influential scholarship in philosophy of education. No previous study in philosophy required.
ETHICSOC217X Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and Democracy The course examines connected ideas of free speech, academic freedom, and democratic legitimacy that are still widely shared by many of us but have been subject to skeptical pressures both outside and inside the academy in recent years. The course e...
ETHICSOC22 Searching Together after the Common Good: An Introduction to Ethics in the Western Tradition Important works from the Western tradition will be used to construct and explore some basic frameworks for ethical thinking. Students will gain a familiarity with some canonical texts and develop skills of close-reading and group discussion when it c...
ETHICSOC22B Searching Together after the Common Good: An Introduction to Ethics in the Western Tradition Important works from the Western tradition will be used to construct and explore some basic frameworks for ethical thinking. Students will gain a familiarity with some canonical texts and develop skills of close-reading and group discussion when it c...
ETHICSOC232T Philanthropy for Sustainable Development This course teaches students how to pursue social change through philanthropy with a focus on sustainable development. Students learn about the approaches, history, and key debates in philanthropy, and apply their knowledge by collaboratively making...
ETHICSOC234 Democratic Theory Most people agree that democracy is a good thing, but do we agree on what democracy is? This course will examine the concept of democracy in political philosophy. We will address the following questions: What reason(s), if any, do we have for valui...
ETHICSOC24SI Deliberative Discussions Deliberative Discussions - spurred at the initiative of the ASSU Undergraduate Senate - aims to help depolarize our campus by offering the opportunity for students of different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to meet regularly and share in a p...
ETHICSOC257 Moral Theory and Current Debates This course is an introduction to contemporary moral and political theory for students outside of philosophy or other fields that concentrate on normative theory. We will study some of the most cutting edge research in moral philosophy and political...
ETHICSOC274B Universal Basic Income: the philosophy behind the proposal Universal basic income (or UBI) is a regular cash allowance given to all members of a community without means test, regardless of personal desert, and with no strings attached. Once a utopian proposal, the policy is now discussed and piloted througho...
ETHICSOC277 Professional Ethics Across Sectors Ethics arise in many aspects of professional life and work environments, whether in corporations, government, the academy, or non-profit organizations. Leaders face increasing challenge internally and externally as well. Age-old challenges from racis...
ETHICSOC278M Introduction to Environmental Ethics How should human beings relate to the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? And what do we owe to other human beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? The first p...
ETHICSOC280 Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and International Criminal Tribunals (Formerly IPS 280) Historical backdrop of the Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals. The creation and operation of the Yugoslav and Rwanda Tribunals (ICTY and ICTR). The development of hybrid tribunals in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia, including e...
ETHICSOC285 Introduction to Tech Ethics and Policy Career Pathways Focuses on equipping students with critical thinking, analysis, and independent learning skills on topics within tech ethics and policy to prepare them for summer internship placements. Other tech industry, government, and civil society leaders will...
ETHICSOC36X Dangerous Ideas Ideas matter. Concepts such as equality, tradition, and Hell have inspired social movements, shaped political systems, and dramatically influenced the lives of individuals. Others, like race and urban renewal, play an important role in contemporary d...
ETHICSOC374R Science, Religion, and Democracy How should conflicts between citizens with science-based and religion-based beliefs be handled in modern liberal democracies? Are religion-based beliefs as suitable for discussion within the public sphere as science-based beliefs? Are there still imp...
ETHICSOC378B Unequal Relationships Over the past three decades, a relational egalitarian conception of equality has emerged in political philosophy. Proponents of the view argue that the point of equality is to establish communities whose members are able to stand and relate as equals...
ETHICSOC79 Ethics and Leadership in Public Service This course explores ethical questions that arise in public service work, as well as leadership theory and skills relevant to public service work. Through readings, discussions, in-class activities, assignments, and guest lectures, students will deve...
ETHICSOC85 Introduction to Tech Ethics and Policy Career Pathways Focuses on equipping students with critical thinking, analysis, and independent learning skills on topics within tech ethics and policy to prepare them for summer internship placements. Other tech industry, government, and civil society leaders will...
ETHICSOC95 Leadership Challenges in Public Service This course will examine the responsibilities and challenges for those who occupy leadership roles in public service, broadly defined to include work in government, non-profit organizations, academia, and philanthropy, whether as a full- time career...