Spring 2012

ETH 2050 - 001 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31598 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 08:30 am to 09:20 am 
Instructors: Katie H. Grosh
Ethics is the study of the “good life.”  It helps to determine what is right in isolated decisions and in social interactions generally.  The class will examine a variety of approaches to ethics in the Western philosophical and Christian religious traditions.  Class discussion will analyze contemporary ethical problems in light of the historical approaches to ethics.  Students will construct persuasive arguments for ethical positions in two thesis-driven papers.  Course approaches will include informal debates about how to respond to ethical dilemmas, short lectures about ethical theories, small group review activities, and close readings of passages of text.

ETH 2050 - 002 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31599 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 09:30 am to 10:20 am 
Instructors: Katie H. Grosh
Ethics is the study of the “good life.”  It helps to determine what is right in isolated decisions and in social interactions generally.  The class will examine a variety of approaches to ethics in the Western philosophical and Christian religious traditions.  Class discussion will analyze contemporary ethical problems in light of the historical approaches to ethics.  Students will construct persuasive arguments for ethical positions in two thesis-driven papers.  Course approaches will include informal debates about how to respond to ethical dilemmas, short lectures about ethical theories, small group review activities, and close readings of passages of text.

ETH 2050 - 003 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31600 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 09:30 am to 10:20 am 
Instructors: Selin Gursozlu
This course concentrates on the questions of the good life and the nature of the human good. We will particularly focus on eudaimonistic moral thought and explore what kind of a human life is worth pursuing. We will start by reading some of the classical texts from Ancient Ethics and Roman Catholic tradition as the vision of human flourishing emerges particularly from these two sources.  In the second portion of the course, we will be reading a range of contemporary essays and discuss specific moral problems in the light of eudaimonistic traditions. The objective of the course is to advance understanding and critical reflection on the good human life and to develop an ability to examine various contemporary moral questions. As such, this course aims to raise student’s consciousness about the importance of moral values and responsibility in social life.

ETH 2050 - 004 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31601 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 10:30 am to 11:20 am 
Instructors: Selin Gursozlu
This course concentrates on the questions of the good life and the nature of the human good. We will particularly focus on eudaimonistic moral thought and explore what kind of a human life is worth pursuing. We will start by reading some of the classical texts from Ancient Ethics and Roman Catholic tradition as the vision of human flourishing emerges particularly from these two sources.  In the second portion of the course, we will be reading a range of contemporary essays and discuss specific moral problems in the light of eudaimonistic traditions. The objective of the course is to advance understanding and critical reflection on the good human life and to develop an ability to examine various contemporary moral questions. As such, this course aims to raise student’s consciousness about the importance of moral values and responsibility in social life.

ETH 2050 - 005 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31602 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 11:30 am to 12:20 pm 
Instructors: Christopher M. Davidson

This class will explore the great ethical forms of thought that Western theology and philosophy have developed over many centuries. These systems of thought are not ‘dead and gone’, but instead, they inform our lives and actions today. In both our general aims, and in the details of ethical dilemmas we all face, we still rely on these ethical forms to judge our behavior, and that of others. There is another, more personal, way to consider the importance of ethics: all people seek the good life – but are you sure that you are pursuing the true good, or seeking it in the right way? You probably do not have a ready answer to this question, but the significant ethical texts of the past and present can inform each of us about the true good, and how to achieve it.

ETH 2050 - 006 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31603 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MWF from 12:30 pm to 01:20 pm 
Instructors: Christopher M. Davidson
This class will explore the great ethical forms of thought that Western theology and philosophy have developed over many centuries. These systems of thought are not ‘dead and gone’, but instead, they inform our lives and actions today. In both our general aims, and in the details of ethical dilemmas we all face, we still rely on these ethical forms to judge our behavior, and that of others. There is another, more personal, way to consider the importance of ethics: all people seek the good life – but are you sure that you are pursuing the true good, or seeking it in the right way? You probably do not have a ready answer to this question, but the significant ethical texts of the past and present can inform each of us about the true good, and how to achieve it.

ETH 2050 - 007 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31604 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 01:30 pm to 02:45 pm 
Instructors: Peter Wicks
The study of ethics is concerned both with particular moral controversies and with the question of the nature of the good life for human beings; what is it for a human life to go well? In the first half of this course we will examine some of the traditions of ethical thought that have exerted the strongest influence in the Western intellectual tradition and which continue to influence contemporary moral thought. In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to a range of contemporary moral controversies and explore the ways in which knowledge of the ethical views that have shaped contemporary ethical thought can help us to understand the deepest sources of our moral disputes.

ETH 2050 - 008 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31605 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 01:30 pm to 02:45 pm 
Instructors: Mark J. Doorley
This course involves students in the ongoing conversation about what constitutes the good life.  That conversation involves ancient and modern thinkers, both philosophers and theologians, as well as people alive today, struggling with questions that each generation seeks to answer:  What is the good life?  What does justice demand of me?  Of us?  Does it matter what I believe about human nature, or about God, or about society when it comes to how I live my life?  Is being happy the same thing as being a good person?  One goal of the course is to provide students with “toe holds” into this longstanding conversation.  Another goal is to enable students to engage these resources as they might bear upon some contemporary moral challenge and/or reality.  These goals will be accomplished through a combination of the following:  reading challenging texts, examining some contemporary moral challenges, and writing essays designed to synthesize the insights of the first two activities. 

ETH 2050 - 009 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31606 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 03:00 pm to 04:15 pm 
Instructors: Mark E. Graham

ETH 2050 - 010 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31607 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 03:00 pm to 04:15 pm 
Instructors: Peter Wicks
The study of ethics is concerned both with particular moral controversies and with the question of the nature of the good life for human beings; what is it for a human life to go well? In the first half of this course we will examine some of the traditions of ethical thought that have exerted the strongest influence in the Western intellectual tradition and which continue to influence contemporary moral thought. In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to a range of contemporary moral controversies and explore the ways in which knowledge of the ethical views that have shaped contemporary ethical thought can help us to understand the deepest sources of our moral disputes.

ETH 2050 - 011 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31608 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 04:30 pm to 05:45 pm 
Instructors: Mark E. Graham

ETH 2050 - 012 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31609 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: MW from 04:30 pm to 05:45 pm 
Instructors: Peter Wicks
The study of ethics is concerned both with particular moral controversies and with the question of the nature of the good life for human beings; what is it for a human life to go well? In the first half of this course we will examine some of the traditions of ethical thought that have exerted the strongest influence in the Western intellectual tradition and which continue to influence contemporary moral thought. In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to a range of contemporary moral controversies and explore the ways in which knowledge of the ethical views that have shaped contemporary ethical thought can help us to understand the deepest sources of our moral disputes. 

ETH 2050 - 013 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31610 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 08:30 am to 09:45 am 
Instructors: Geoffrey G Karabin
This course is meant as an introductory journey through ethical thinking. We will begin by examining some of Western humanity’s most influential and profound ethical theories. The principles upon which these theories rest along with the code of ethics derivative from them will be our focus. Lewis Vaughn’s Doing Ethics will be our guide in this regard. The second section of this course will explore the question of why is it that we act or do not ethically. Descartes’ “Letter to the Sorbonne,” Pascal’s “Wager,” Unamuno’s Tragic Sense of Life, Foucault’s Discipline and Punish, and Augustine’s On the Free Choice of the Will, along with the movie Lord of the Flies, will aide us in answering such questions. In the third and final section of this class we will look at how ethical theories are applied to concrete problems. Lewis Vaughn’s book in tandem with Stanley Hauerwas will address the issue of terrorism. We will also explore the debate surrounding gay marriage and question whether ethical norms apply to celebrities.

ETH 2050 - 014 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31611 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 10:00 am to 11:15 am 
Instructors: Michael J. Olson
Ethics is very broadly the study of the good life and how one ought to live.  In this course we will focus on the central Augustinian concept of grace as a point of entry into both traditional and contemporary forms of ethical reflection.  As the Bishop of Hippo Augustine argued for the necessity of divine grace in the pursuit of genuine happiness despite having earlier thought that one could achieve happiness through the powers and training of one’s own will.  The dispute over whether it is possible using one’s own resources alone to live a good life, we will see, has been a near constant theme throughout the history of both religious and secular ethics.  We will examine the shift from ancient Greek and Roman and early Augustinian conceptions of ethics as a kind of training of the will to Augustine’s later writings on the concept of grace before turning to his historical and contemporary legacy.  We will consider the Catholic condemnation of Augustine’s teachings on grace during the counter-reformation, prominent modern ethical strategies for recovering the autonomy of the will in the work of Bentham, Mill, and Kant, and Nietzsche.  Finally, we will conclude the course with some modern writings about the importance of unexpected outside interventions from Christian (in the work of Kierkegaard), broadly Jewish (in the work of Levinas), and secular (in Badiou) perspectives.

ETH 2050 - 015 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31612 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm 
Instructors: Michael J. Olson
Ethics is very broadly the study of the good life and how one ought to live.  In this course we will focus on the central Augustinian concept of grace as a point of entry into both traditional and contemporary forms of ethical reflection.  As the Bishop of Hippo Augustine argued for the necessity of divine grace in the pursuit of genuine happiness despite having earlier thought that one could achieve happiness through the powers and training of one’s own will.  The dispute over whether it is possible using one’s own resources alone to live a good life, we will see, has been a near constant theme throughout the history of both religious and secular ethics.  We will examine the shift from ancient Greek and Roman and early Augustinian conceptions of ethics as a kind of training of the will to Augustine’s later writings on the concept of grace before turning to his historical and contemporary legacy.  We will consider the Catholic condemnation of Augustine’s teachings on grace during the counter-reformation, prominent modern ethical strategies for recovering the autonomy of the will in the work of Bentham, Mill, and Kant, and Nietzsche.  Finally, we will conclude the course with some modern writings about the importance of unexpected outside interventions from Christian (in the work of Kierkegaard), broadly Jewish (in the work of Levinas), and secular (in Badiou) perspectives.

ETH 2050 - 016 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31613 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 01:00 pm to 02:15 pm 
Instructors: Mark Andrew Wilson
This course is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of moral reasoning from both philosophical and religious perspectives.  We will begin by examining basic methods and theories in ethics and then will spend the majority of the semester exploring a range of contemporary issues in medicine, international relations, business, the environment, and social justice.  Utilizing real-world cases to frame our study, we will probe the challenges and tensions in applied moral reasoning.  Through this course one should grow to understand the complexity of these topics and to appreciate how religious and philosophical thought inform public discourse in the United States today.  Along the way, we will ask whether individuals or groups have a responsibility to protect the interests of vulnerable populations: fetuses, political communities under attack, sick and dying patients, and the culturally marginalized.  Students should come away from the course better able to contemplate and critically analyze issues of great importance for their personal, professional, and civic lives.

ETH 2050 - 017 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31614 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 02:30 pm to 03:45 pm 
Instructors: Brett T. Wilmot
This course will introduce you to classic and contemporary sources in ethics, including primary sources from thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. In addition, we will be reading a range of contemporary sources that will gives us the opportunity to explore some of these thinkers’ ideas as they relate to contemporary topics in sexual ethics, economics, and healthcare, particularly end-of-life decisions. The main objectives are to promote a more sophisticated grasp of the moral dimensions of human life and an increased awareness of our continued participation in complex, living traditions of critical reflection on ethics and the moral life. Students will be asked to engage one another and the instructor throughout the semester in a civil and critical dialogue as part of a project of mutual education.

ETH 2050 - 018 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31615 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 04:00 pm to 05:15 pm 
Instructors: Fuat Gursozlu
The purpose of this course is to introduce students the questions Ethics explores: How one ought to lead one’s life? How one ought to act? What are the standards that distinguish right from wrong? What standards should guide our treatment of others? What are the proper aims of life? What traits of character should be cultivated? We will begin the course by discussing the theories of good life and the nature of human good. In this section, we will particularly focus on eudaimonistic moral thought and read texts from Ancient Greeks and Roman Catholic Tradition. Next we will turn to Non-Eudaimonistic Ethical Theories. We will look at two fundamental approaches in Non-Eudaimonistic Ethics: Kant’s ethical theory and Utilitarianism. We will conclude this section with a discussion of Existentialism. In the third part of the course, we discuss some of the fundamental contemporary issues: Euthanasia, Environmental Ethics, Poverty and Hunger, Just War and Unjust Wars, and Humanitarian Intervention.

ETH 2050 - 019 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31616 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 04:00 pm to 05:15 pm 
Instructors: Brett T. Wilmot
This course will introduce you to classic and contemporary sources in ethics, including primary sources from thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. In addition, we will be reading a range of contemporary sources that will gives us the opportunity to explore some of these thinkers’ ideas as they relate to contemporary topics in sexual ethics, economics, and healthcare, particularly end-of-life decisions. The main objectives are to promote a more sophisticated grasp of the moral dimensions of human life and an increased awareness of our continued participation in complex, living traditions of critical reflection on ethics and the moral life. Students will be asked to engage one another and the instructor throughout the semester in a civil and critical dialogue as part of a project of mutual education. 

ETH 2050 - 100 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31617 Enrollment: 0 of 25 students.

Days: W from 06:10 pm to 08:50 pm 
Instructors: Joshua Ramey
What We Owe Each Other
What do we owe one another?   Is a gift ever truly free, or is one always obliged to counter-gift, to gift in return?   In the face of  the vast array of interdependencies that constitute life itself, what sense does it make to consider ourselves as independent moral  agents?   Or is recognition of our mutual interdependence a hindrance to moral thinking?   In this course, after examining the classic moral theories of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, we examine a series of reflections on the ethics of giving and receiving by Mauss, Bataille, N.O. Brown, and Derrida.

ETH 2050 - 101 Eth Trad & Contemp Life CRN: 31618 Enrollment: 0 of 10 students.

Days: T from 06:00 pm to 09:30 pm 
Instructors: Fuat Gursozlu 
Attributes: Fast Forward Course, Writing Enriched Requirement
Comment: FastForward 3; Course Dates: 1/17/12 - 2/28/12; Restricted to Part-Time Studies Students 
The purpose of this course is to introduce students the questions Ethics explores: How one ought to lead one’s life? How one ought to act? What are the standards that distinguish right from wrong? What standards should guide our treatment of others? What are the proper aims of life? What traits of character should be cultivated? We will begin the course by discussing the theories of good life and the nature of human good. In this section, we will particularly focus on eudaimonistic moral thought and read texts from Ancient Greeks and Roman Catholic Tradition. Next we will turn to Non-Eudaimonistic Ethical Theories. We will look at two fundamental approaches in Non-Eudaimonistic Ethics: Kant’s ethical theory and Utilitarianism. We will conclude this section with a discussion of Existentialism. In the third part of the course, we discuss some of the fundamental contemporary issues: Euthanasia, Environmental Ethics, Poverty and Hunger, Just War and Unjust Wars, and Humanitarian Intervention.

ETH 3010 - 001 Topics in Ethics CRN: 31619 Enrollment: 0 of 30 students.

Days: TR from 10:00 am to 11:15 am 
Instructors: Mark Andrew Wilson
War and Its Warriors

War has been a permanent, and some would argue defining, feature of human history.  Current debates over the United States’ invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan follow in a legacy of arguments, often heated and rarely simple, about the permissibility of war.  This course will examine these arguments as they have been voiced by Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thinkers, as well as by secular authors.  We will consider when, if ever, the use of military force is justified, and question whether moral limits can be placed on the actions of war.  Is killing ever morally sanctioned?  How do we distinguish between war killings and murder?  In approaching these questions, attention will be given to issues of justice, human rights, the presumption against harm, and military necessity.  We will also give particular focus to the experience of soldiers and the moral and psychological burdens that they carry.  Our overarching aim will be to reflect critically on the morality of war and peace through the symbols, beliefs, and principles of Western religion and ethics.  To focus our conversation we will consider events in recent American history—e.g., the Iraqi wars, the air strikes in Kosovo, the Allied bombings of World War II—and ask how our religious and secular sources would evaluate these actions, how combatants and noncombatants morally experience these wars, and whether these perspectives are challenged by the “non-conventional” warfare of the 21st century.

ETH 4000 - 001 Integrating Seminar CRN: 31620 Enrollment: 0 of 15 students.

Days: TBA 
Instructors: Brett T. Wilmot 
Attributes: Writing Intensive Requirement

ETH 4975 - 001 Independent Study in Ethics CRN: 31621 Enrollment: 0 of 10 students.

Days: TBA 
Instructors: Mark J. Doorley