Ethics or ethical philosophies are ways of understanding what makes human actions right or wrong. Philosophers have been considering ethical questions for thousands of years and have come up with a range of theories and approaches. This course introduces the students to key ethical theories; compares and contrasts the ethical commitments in different contexts; examines the ethical aims of structures encountered in real life; and provides a systematic overview of the sources of morality. It is expected that this course would offer tools to strengthen students’ ability to think critically about ethical issues and many opportunities to examine personal worldviews and moral beliefs.
The first part of the course will be devoted to getting an overview and taxonomy of ethics as a field, and then providing an introduction to critical thinking of ethical approaches, from the ancient to the contemporary. The second part of the course will consider a number of concrete moral dilemmas and problem-solving strategies that are useful for systematically assessing contemporary ethical issues ranging from gender inequality to development projects, environmental justice, cyber surveillance, and ethical concerns in academic and professional fields.