12 IPS 430: Ethics

Though this course is simply titled “Ethics,” we think of it more accurately as “an exploration of Ethics from multiple perspectives.” In other words, it is a study of how ethics are applied in both professional and personal ways in businesses, workplaces, organizations, or other professional environments, as well as in public contexts and private decisions. It is a course about the role of ethics in all realms of our lives.

In the course, students delineate how their ethical systems and social responsibility guide them through moral and ethical dilemmas, and they analyze their own internal decision-making framework for ethical dilemmas they face in their workplace, life, and public settings now or in the future.

Students who do well challenging IPS 430: Ethics often work in positions in organizations in which they are tasked with making difficult decisions in which they must examine the ethical implications of their choice and the resulting outcomes, both personally and professionally. They are adept at weighing all the facets of a ethical decision, such as ethical theories, legal responsibilities, the prioritization of stakeholders, and corporate/organizational social responsibility. This experience with deep ethical consideration gives students a background in understanding their own professional and personal ethics, as well as the ethics of others.

Usually, students who challenge this course successfully have ongoing professional development in ethics and have studied ethical systems through workplace trainings and/or other study. The challenge of this course does require specific knowledge of the terminology of Ethical Systems.

Successful challenges have a deep understanding of organizational ethical systems and stances as well as their own personal ethics. They can articulate how different ethical systems interact and conflict.

The course has students outline their own Ethical Framework for making ethical decisions; successful challenges can clearly demonstrate a similar ethical decision-making framework that the student has developed over their career or through training or experiential learning and independent research. The portfolio for this course requires students to detail the pathway they have taken to think through, research, consider, and arrive at a decision with large ethical implications. The challenge also asks students to demonstrate an understanding of how various ethical systems and frameworks are constructed even if they differ from the student’s own personal ethical system.

Textbook

The textbook for IPS 430: Ethics is

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

• ISBN: 978-1982159320

What this course is (and is not) about

IPS 430: Ethics is a study of Ethics that goes beyond a student’s personal views, with the ability to analyze and critique the strengths and weaknesses of both their own ethical system as well as the systems used by others.

Students in the course understand what makes up ethical stances and systems, beyond just a personal sense of “right and wrong.” Students should know and feel comfortable discussing different ethical stances and systems as models and frameworks.

In other words, the course is not about “being a good person” or “doing the right thing.” These terms are vague and nonspecific for the purposes of this course. The definition “a good person” of these varies widely between individuals. One can be a helpful neighbor, a dedicated parent, a good samaritan, or many other worthwhile things, but that doesn’t automatically equate to having college-level learning about Ethics from a wide perspective, nor how to apply those ethics at work and in public spheres when faced with ethical dilemmas.

In other words, this course, and the challenge of it, is not about making the argument that you are a “good person.” Instead, this course and challenge are about the gray areas and nuance of ethics, wrestling with the larger and more important questions of, “What is a good person?” and “What does it mean to be a good person?”

As such, the course goes beyond personal attachments and viewpoints and discusses Ethics on a system-wide, society-wide level that includes social responsibility, legal issues, stakeholder valuation, and more. It goes in-depth on the terminology and vocabulary of Ethics, and students work through many definitions and categories of Ethical Systems.

To challenge this course successfully, students need to know many different Ethical systems well, beyond just their own instinctive sense of right and wrong. Students should be able to easily discuss different Ethical Systems, knowing their definitions and characteristics well. This includes being able to analyze and evaluate ethical systems that vary widely from the student’s own. Students should have a good understanding of the theoretical frameworks that make up a human being’s ethics, and be able to apply those frameworks in a professional environment to both themselves and to others whose frameworks are vastly different.

To do well in this challenge, students need to demonstrate the ability to apply, analyze, and evaluate concepts of Ethics at a level equal to college coursework.  They need to know the specific names and definitions of ethical systems, and be able to give examples of how those systems are applied in the real world. Students should feel comfortable using empathy to explore an ethical system that is different from their own. They should be able to discuss Ethics both in terms of current events and personal experience, in hypothetical situations, and at a more holistic level. Finally, they should be able to create or recreate an ethical decision-making framework for professional situations that takes the many contextual factors into consideration.

From the Syllabus for this Course:

Course Overview

What does it mean to be a good person—and who gets to decide? In IPS 430: Ethics, we’ll explore that question from a lot of angles: through classic moral theories, through modern dilemmas, and through the small, weird moments that show up in everyday life. Using Michael Schur’s How to Be Perfect as our main text, we’ll pair philosophical insight with humor, media, and reflection to investigate how ethics works—and how it works on us.

This course isn’t about memorizing philosophers and regurgitating definitions. It’s about wrestling with ideas, tracing your own beliefs, and figuring out how to think (and act) more intentionally. Along the way, you’ll explore a range of ethical frameworks, go down weekly “rabbit holes,” participate in video discussions, and build a final project that captures your personal or professional ethical approach.

Whether you’re here to clarify your values, strengthen your moral instincts, or just finally understand what Aristotle meant by “eudaimonia,” you’re in the right place. Let’s get started.

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Explain key ethical theories, including virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism, and apply them to a range of personal, social, and professional scenarios.
• Analyze complex moral questions through multiple philosophical frameworks and evaluate differing approaches to ethical decision-making.
• Reflect critically on personal beliefs and values, drawing connections to classical and contemporary ethical thought.
• Synthesize insights from philosophical texts, pop culture, and real-world dilemmas to develop a coherent ethical perspective.
• Communicate ethical reasoning clearly and persuasively through writing, discussion, and multimedia presentation, with opportunities to apply ethical frameworks to professional or workplace contexts when relevant.