Ethics Minor
Courses in Lehigh catalog
2019-20
Note: Other courses not on this list may also be eligible for the minor. Each semester a complete list of courses eligible for the Ethics minor can be found on the Center for Ethics website or in the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs, Williams Hall 101.
I. Required Core Course: choose 1
- ETH 105 (PHIL 105) Ethics 4 Credits
Examination of right and wrong, good and bad, from classic sources such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 003 (PHIL 003, REL 003) Global Religion, Global Ethics 4 Credits
Introduction to philosophical and religious modes of moral thinking, with attention given to ethical issues as they arise cross-culturally in and through religious traditions. The course will reference the United Nations Millennium Goals to consider family life and the role of women, social justice, the environment, and ethical ideals. Particular focus varies but may include one or more of the following: abortion and reproductive health, the death penalty, religiously motivated violence, and problems of personal disorder (heavy drinking, anorexia, vengeance). Attribute/Distribution: HU
II. Electives: Choose 3 (or 12 credits)
- ETH 002 (HMS 002, REL 002) Death and Dying: Religious and Ethical Perspectives 4 Credits
Introduces students to the study of religion, world religious traditions and ethics through an exploration of death and dying. Rituals, practices and texts focused on death provide the basis for comparative study of Asian and Western religious approaches to the meaning and mystery of death as it confronts individuals and communities. Attention will also be given to moral justification for deaths brought about by human actions (i.e., killings). Specific issues include suicide, war deaths, abortion, euthanasia and state-sponsored execution. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 005 (PHIL 005) Contemporary Moral Problems: An Introduction to Philosophy 4 Credits
An examination of contemporary issues that raise questions about right and wrong, good and bad, both for individuals and for social policy, using the methods, theories, and concepts of moral philosophy. Course not open to seniors. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 006 (PHIL 006) Conduct and Character: An Introduction to Philosophy 4 Credits
How should we live our lives? How should we act? What kinds of persons should we be? What should we care about? These are among the central questions of philosophy because they are among the most central questions of human existence. This explores answers that have been proposed by thinkers throughout history and across cultures. Course not open to seniors. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 116 (HMS 116, PHIL 116, REL 116) Bioethics 4 Credits
Moral issues that arise in the context of health care and related biomedical fields in the United States today, examined in the light of the nature and foundation of moral rights and obligations. Topics include: confidentiality, informed consent, euthanasia, medical research and experimentation, genetics, and the distribution of health care. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 120 (HMS 120, SOAN 120) Values and Ethics of Community-Engaged Research 4 Credits
The many dimensions of community-engaged research and learning are explored, with special attention to ethical practices, values, research methods, and critical reflection. Experiential and service aspects of the course provide opportunities for students to build skills for social and community change, as well as build capacity for research and critical inquiry. Attribute/Distribution: SS
- ETH 149 (REL 149) Modern Islamic Ethics 4 Credits
This course will focus on developments in Islamic thinking and ethics that emerge from the modern encounter between Muslim societies and the West. We will discuss Islamic modernism and fundamentalism through short primary texts from a variety of modern Muslim thinkers. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 171 Independent Reading and Research 1-4 Credits
Independent study of selected topic designated and executed in close collaboration with a member of the Center for Ethics Program faculty. May be repeated for elective credit. Consent of program director required. Repeat status: May be repeated.
- ETH 191 Special Topics in Ethics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses. May be crosslisted with relevant offerings in major department or other programs. Consent of program director required. Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
- ETH 205 (PHIL 205) Contemporary Ethics 4 Credits
Examination of significant questions addressed by contemporary moral philosophers. Topics vary, but might include: What is a good person? What kind of life is worth living? What moral issues are raised by gender, race, and class? Is morality relative or absolute? Is morality all that important? Repeat Status: Course may be repeated. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 206 (PHIL 206) Figures/Themes in Ethics 4 Credits
This seminar course will involve in-depth focus on a major figure in ethics (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, etc.) or on a theme such as relativism, free will, the intersection of religion and ethics, or war. Repeat Status: Course may be repeated. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 226 (HMS 226, REL 226) From Black Death to AIDS:Plague, Pandemic, Ethics and Religion 4 Credits
An investigation into the way religion and morality shape interpretations of plague and pandemics. Three specific pandemics are examined: the bubonic plague of the 14th century, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and the current global AIDS crisis. Moral issues provoked by institutional, political and social responses to pandemic disease are also considered. Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 254 (ASIA 254, ES 254, REL 254) Buddhism and Ecology 4 Credits
Buddhism’s intellectual, ethical, and spiritual resources are reexamined in light of contemporary environmental problems. Is Buddhism the most green of the major world religions? What are the moral implications of actions that affect the environment? Attribute/Distribution: HU
- ETH 271 Independent Reading and Research 1-4 Credits
Independent study of selected topics designated and executed in close collaboration with a member of the Center for Ethics Program faculty. May be repeated for elective credit. Consent of program director required. Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
- ETH 291 Special Topics in Ethics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses. May be crosslisted with relevant offerings in major department or other programs. Consent of program director required. Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
- ETH 391 Special Topics in Ethics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses. May be crosslisted with relevant offerings in major department or other programs. Consent of program director required. Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.