Applied Ethics

This course introduces students to major ethical challenges and encourages them to explore various methodological approaches towards reasoning about such issues.

The two parts of the course are:

• Topics in Practical Ethics
• Technology and Human Values

Through our discussions we will broaden our recognition of alternative viewpoints, hone our skills in argument, and reflect on larger questions about what makes for a good life, a just society, or an appropriate way to interact with our environment and each other.

Exact titles change from year to year, but representative topics include the ethics of immigration and open borders, recreational drug use and justice, civil disobedience, ethical career choices and ‘effective altruism,’ punishment and its justifications, and various topics within technology ethics.