PHIL-147 Ethics: Public Policy

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This course is an introduction to the study of ethics, from a theoretical and practical perspective, as it relates to public policy. The course will begin with a close reading of classic texts including works of Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, which try to make sense of what makes human lives and actions good, happy, and meaningful. We will subject these views to contemporary reflections on what it means to be a moral actor, considering pointed critiques of traditional western thinking about ethics. Throughout, we will be asking ourselves about the constraints that ethical considerations might ask us to impose on our own freedom, and whether there are elements of the ethical life that are not within our control. Finally, we will apply these ethical frameworks to public policy asking how ethical considerations inform (or fail to inform) our public policy through close study of specific issues of contemporary national, political and global significance such as international migration, poverty, and corporate globalization. Throughout the course we will explore the question of how and when morally evaluative judgments are possible concerning the practices of individuals, communities, corporations, and nations.

Requirements of the course will include two papers, a mid-term and final examination, and class participation.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

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Spring '12: Chance C (description)

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Other academic years
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• 2007-2008 Fall and Spring
• 2010-2011 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring
• 2013-2014 Fall and Spring

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