Minor in Ethics & Values in Society

Students protesting at Climate Rally.

Are you eager to apply what you learn in the classroom to solve problems in society? Do you aspire to be a community activist, an advocate for justice, a positive leader in the corporate world, or a game-changing lawyer? The new Minor in Ethics & Values in Society can help you do meaningful work to improve your community and your own life.

This interdisciplinary program includes foundational coursework in Philosophy, topical courses drawn from more than a dozen disciplines, and a student-driven capstone experience. As a student in the program, you will take up classical ethical theories and philosophical methods in the foundational required courses, and then apply this theory and methodology to real world issues through your choice of electives.

If you'd like to build skills and dig into a specific topic in order to make a positive difference in the world, this program will help you achieve those goals!

The minor in Ethics & Values in Society requires 6 courses plus a capstone (which may be a 7th course or a credit-bearing internship or project). The total number of credits for this minor is 19-24, depending upon which electives and capstone experience are selected. Up to 9 credits may overlap with a major or other minor. 

Basic Requirements (7-9 credits)

  • PHIL 130 Ethics (3 credits)
  • Choose One (3 credits):
    • PHIL 359 Social & Political Philosophy
    • PHIL 377 Philosophy of Law
    • PHIL 420 Applied Ethics
    • PHIL 430 Ethical Theory
  • Capstone (1-3 credits):
    • PHIL 497 Seminar, or
    • Integrative & Applied Learning Project, for example:
      • Internship
      • Service-Learning Project
      • Capstone Course/Project Outside of Philosophy

Electives (12-15 credits)

  • Select four courses from menu of offerings from American Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Black Studies, Chemistry, Communication, English, Geography & Sustainability Studies, Geological Sciences, History, Humanities, Management, Performance as Social Change, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Women’s & Gender Studies, and Experiential Learning.
  • At least two electives must come from outside of Philosophy
  • At least one elective must come from within Philosophy
  • At least one elective must be at or above the 300 level

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to critically evaluate historical and contemporary normative ethical theory
  • Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to critically evaluate contemporary issues in applied philosophical ethics, social/political philosophy, and/or philosophy of law
  • Apply philosophical-based frameworks to questions of moral, social, and political values raised in interdisciplinary contexts
  • Integrate learning and understanding from multiple disciplines in a Capstone Experience involving an individualized high impact learning experience (research, internship, service-learning, etc.)

List of Elective Courses

AMERICAN STUDIES

AMST 200 Race, Prisons and Policing

AMST 201 Topics in American Studies: subtitle

ANTHROPOLOGY

ANTH 100 Intro to Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 202 Nutrition, Disease, and Health*

ANTH 226 Anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean

ANTH 313 Global Health Issues*

ANTH 319 Cross-Cultural Politics of Reproduction

ANTH 322 Anthropology of Borderlands*

ANTH 326 Race, Racism and Antiracism in the Americas

ANTH 343 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Women's Health*

BIOLOGY

BIOL 315 Sustainability Science*

BIOL 318 Disease and the Developing World*

BLACK STUDIES

BLKS 220 Black Lives Matter: subtitle

CHEMISTRY

CHEM 104/105 Chemistry and Society (with lab)

COMMUNICATION

COMN 346 Conflict and Relational Communication*

COMN 454 Media Ethics*

ENGLISH

ENGL 111 Diversity, Pluralism, and Power in American Literature and Culture: subtitle

ENGL 112 World Culture and Values in Literature and Culture: subtitle

ENGL 113 Contemporary Global Challenges in Literature and Culture: subtitle

ENGL 114 Sustainability & Literature: subtitle

ENGL 206 Creative Writing Approaches to Diversity, Pluralism, and Power: subtitle

ENGL 207 Creative Writing Approaches to Contemporary Global Challenges: subtitle

ENGL 336 Native American Literature*

ENGL 337 African-American Literature*

ENGL 346 African Literature*

ENGL 427 Literary Representations of Disability*

ENGL 443 Gender, Sexuality, and Literature: subtitle*

GEOGRAPHY & SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES

SUST 124 Sustainability & Environmental Issues

GEOG 376 Political Geography*

GEOG 384 Geography of Food*

GEOG 474 Geographic Thought*

GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

GSCI 140/1 Environmental Science

GSCI 150/1 The Geology of Climate Change & Energy

GSCI 200 Environmental Geology

HISTORY

HIST 244 Europe in the Shadow of War

HIST 250 Work and Workers in America

HIST 260  Issues in the History of American Women

HIST 261 Native American History

HIST 266 Civil Rights Movement in America

HIST 267 Women and US Social Movements

HIST 275 Global History of Sexual Science

HIST 282 History of Modern East Asia

HIST 287 Modern Africa

HIST 292 The Modern Islamic World: 1800 to the Present

HIST 413 Black Power & Structural Inequality Post-1945*

HIST 415 Environmental Thought & Politics in Mod Amer*

HIST 453 Nationalism and Ethnic Violence*

HIST 485 African Environmental History*

HUMANITIES

HUMN 222 Black Humanities

MANAGEMENT

MGMT 263 Business Law I*

MGMT 264 Business Law II*

PERFORMANCE AS SOCIAL CHANGE

PASC 105 Performance as Social Change I

PHILOSOPHY

PHIL 201 Environmental Ethics

PHIL 203 Computer Ethics

PHIL 204 Feminist Philosophy

PHIL 208 Philosophy of Race

PHIL 236 Medicine & Morality

PHIL 237 Ethical Issues in Business*

PHIL 359 Social & Political Philosophy*‡

PHIL 377 Philosophy of Law*‡

PHIL 420 Applied Ethics: subtitle*‡

PHIL 430 Ethical Theory*‡

POLITICAL SCIENCE

PLSC 110 American Politics

PLSC 120 Comparative Politics

PLSC 130 Political Theory

PLSC 140 International Politics

PLSC 344 Climate Change Leadership and Politics

PLSC 350 Democratization

PLSC 352 Civil War and Conflict Resolution

PLSC 381 Politics of Genocide

PLSC 412 American Social Welfare Policy*

PLSC 413 Political Leadership*

PLSC 417 Identity & Politics in the United States*

PLSC 419 Constitutional Rights & Liberties*

PLSC 430 War and Peace in the Middle East*

PLSC 432 Liberal Democracy & Its Critics*

PLSC 442 Human Rights in a Global Perspective*

PSYCHOLOGY

PSYC 275 Environmental Psychology*

PSYC 278 Psychology of Happiness*

SOCIOLOGY

SOCL 102 Intro to Social Problems & Public Policy

SOCL 105 Introduction to Global Social Change

SOCL 213 Sociology of Medicine

SOCL 347 Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency*

WOMEN'S & GENDER STUDIES

WGST 100 Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies

WGST 201 Historical and Political Topics

WGST 202 Topics in Representation in the Humanities & Arts

WGST 203 Topics in Gender in the Social World

WGST 204 Global Issues of Sex and Gender

WGST 205 Topics in Gender, Sexuality, Queer Studies

WGST 310 Race, Class, and Gender

WGST 320 Gender and Sexualities

WGST 430 Feminist Theories*

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

XLRN 250 Intergroup Dialogue*

*Courses marked with an asterisk have prerequisites and/or program restrictions in the corresponding department. Consult the Undergraduate Bulletin for details.

‡NOTE: no more than one of PHIL 359, 377, 420, 430 may be taken as an elective.