Descriptions for ETHS 390 - Fall 2015
ETHS 390-01A: Sport Ethics
Janna LaFountaine
This course will introduce students to a variety of theories of moral reasoning, ethical and unethical behavior in sport, and the development of moral education through sport. Students will engage in learning about how they should act in order to support the moral foundation necessary for sport to function. Students will wrestle with questions such as "how should I act" or "what type of an athlete, coach, official, manager, fan or parent should I be" through readings and discussions. Decision-making models based on moral reasoning theory and other principles of strategic reasoning will be employed as students navigate case studies and issues related to sport. This course has a required 20 hour Service Learning component. Fall and Spring.
ETHS 390-02A: Others
Anthony Cunningham
We share our lives by both necessity and design with others. Born utterly dependent, we rely entirely upon the care and kindness of others for our very survival. Even when we no longer depend upon others to feed, clothe, and protect us, we must figure out what sorts of responsibilities we bear to others and what responsibilities they have to us. Some people may seem relatively distant, bound to us only in the basic sense that we share in some common humanity. Others can seem so important to us that we might not wish to go on without them. In this course we'll examine the responsibilities we bear to each other in various respects-as human beings, as friends, as family, as brothers and sisters in common causes. We'll also look at the ways in which people turn their backs on others and misuse them in cruel and oppressive ways. Using sources drawn from philosophy, literature, history, memoir, and the social sciences, we'll put our minds to what we owe others and what others owe us.
ETHS 390-03A: Business Ethics
Jean Ochu
Is business ethics an oxymoron? If you read newspaper articles that describe corporate misconduct and felonious behavior by corporate executives your conclusion would be yes. We will examine the ethical choices individuals must inevitably make in their business and professional lives. We will examine ethical philosophical concepts that are relevant to resolving the moral issues in business. We will identify the moral issues involved in specific problem areas of business and determine the reasoning needed to apply ethical concepts to business decisions. Business ethics has an interdisciplinary character. We will examine issues in politics, sociology, economics, environment, and social justice. This course will be primarily discussion based through the use of case studies and actual moral dilemmas faced by individuals in business. Students should have taken at least one course in accounting, management, or economics and/or have interest in business.
ETHS 390-04A: Business Ethics
Jean Ochu
Is business ethics an oxymoron? If you read newspaper articles that describe corporate misconduct and felonious behavior by corporate executives your conclusion would be yes. We will examine the ethical choices individuals must inevitably make in their business and professional lives. We will examine ethical philosophical concepts that are relevant to resolving the moral issues in business. We will identify the moral issues involved in specific problem areas of business and determine the reasoning needed to apply ethical concepts to business decisions. Business ethics has an interdisciplinary character. We will examine issues in politics, sociology, economics, environment, and social justice. This course will be primarily discussion based through the use of case studies and actual moral dilemmas faced by individuals in business. Students should have taken at least one course in accounting, management, or economics and/or have interest in business.
ETHS 390-05A: Reading for Life
Anthony Cunningham
Everyone loves a good story. Great stories can provide us with far more than mere recreation. Stories can provide us with rich character portraits that can reveal the subtleties and nuances of what it means to live well and responsibly. In this course we'll use novels and films to address Socrates' most basic ethical questions, "How should one live?" and "What sort of person should I be?" We'll do so by attending to all the concrete, particular details of real life and fictional characters thoroughly embroiled in the "business of living." Reading well offers the possibility of vicarious experience and ultimately, ethical insight. Our readings will include:
The Crucible (Arthur Miller); Ransom (David Malouf); The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro); Beloved (Toni Morrison); Hecuba (Euripides); How To Be Good (Nick Hornby); Glengarry Glen Ross (David Mamet); Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier); The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Richard Flanagan)
ETHS 390-06A: Healthcare Ethics
Erika Olson
This course directs students to re-think ethics in today's system of healthcare, where the best possibilities for ethical healthcare in this century lie beyond traditional and mainstream thought. Students will question assumptions guided by the major principles of healthcare ethics and reflect deeply on clinical cases across healthcare disciplines from the perspective of professional and consumer.
ETHS 390-07A: Reading for Life
Anthony Cunningham
Everyone loves a good story. Great stories can provide us with far more than mere recreation. Stories can provide us with rich character portraits that can reveal the subtleties and nuances of what it means to live well and responsibly. In this course we'll use novels and films to address Socrates' most basic ethical questions, "How should one live?" and "What sort of person should I be?" We'll do so by attending to all the concrete, particular details of real life and fictional characters thoroughly embroiled in the "business of living." Reading well offers the possibility of vicarious experience and ultimately, ethical insight. Our readings will include:
The Crucible (Arthur Miller); Ransom (David Malouf); The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro); Beloved (Toni Morrison); Hecuba (Euripides); How To Be Good (Nick Hornby); Glengarry Glen Ross (David Mamet); Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier); The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Richard Flanagan)
ETHS 390-08A: Sex, Death and Ethics
Scott Johnson
Most students enjoy talking about sex (outside of class), haven't thought much yet about death, and are rather upset that a course on ethics is even required. Since the first seems amusing and the second far away, this class might seem like a pleasant way to satisfy an onerous requirement. So admit it, you just read this description because of the title. And you think since it meets once a week on a Wednesday night, it shouldn't interfere too much with the rest of your week. Be warned, however, this is a real class with difficult readings as well as a final paper graded on both style and content. It requires regular attendance, active participation, and weekly reflection on the reading.
This course will consider Sex, Death, and Ethics, consistent with the guidelines for Ethics Common Seminar. Abortion is only one area where the three interrelate. But isn't there really only one answer to the question of abortion? Why should a pro-choice president be allowed to speak at a pro-life university? Can abortion be discussed at the dinner table or in a classroom without parents becoming worried and suspicious? If we don't talk about abortion somewhere, how will we know that our moral judgments are consciously elected and defensibly maintained? And if we can't talk about this subject, how can we claim to account for a variety of other moral views which easily compare with ours on abortion?
There is more to Sex, Death, and Ethics than simply abortion. We will investigate euthanasia, AIDS, stripping, prostitution, and promiscuity. We will read plays as well as textbooks, memoirs, and some short fiction. You will need to watch several films outside of class. We will ask more questions that we will answer, but we will also develop our critical thinking skills with essentially contested concepts. There are no preconceived answers to the questions we will ask. Our task, properly stated, is to learn how to ask and assess those questions which may turn out to have uncertain answers. Ethics is the study of how we should live, and questions about these topics are vitally important. This is a difficult class that will repay your investment.
ETHS 390A-01A to 03A: Healthcare Ethics
Georgia Hogenson
This course directs students to re-think ethics in today's system of healthcare, where the best possibilities for ethical healthcare in this century lie beyond traditional and mainstream thought. Students will question assumptions guided by the major principles of healthcare ethics and reflect deeply on clinical cases across healthcare disciplines from the perspective of professional and consumer.