Course Descriptions

AE 262 Ethics and the Organization
A survey of the philosophical grounding of the organizations in contemporary society. We examine structured human groups from the household to the nation-state, to understand their moral undertakings in their environment, to see how they may balance rights and duties, rules and compassion, autonomy and common purposes, and to see where a more complete understanding of their possibilities and limitations may yield suggestions for structural modification. Special attention is paid to the organizational ethics of health care providers, the ethics of political advocacy, and the ethics of Third Sector (non-profit, non-governmental) organizations. Prerequisites include one course in philosophy and one course in Religious Studies.
3 credits

AE/EV 271 The Sacred Balance
This course examines contemporary perspectives and diverse cultural worldviews demonstrating a reciprocal relationship between humanity and the natural world. This approach analyzes the ways established and new fields in the sciences can reunite knowledge of the world with a sense of the sacred. Extending into the realm of meaning and value, scientific as well as spiritual perspectives jointly address the ecological challenges confronting contemporary society and the evolution of human consciousness.
3 credits

AE 275 Global Environmental Issues
An exploration of environmental issues on the global scale, exploring ethical and economic dilemmas as they arise with the increasing interaction of developed and developing nations. One focus of the course is the role of science - with special reference to scientific uncertainty and the current distrust of science - in articulating issues of global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, extinction of species, and the risks and benefits of energy choices. Ethical and environmental implications of the work of multinational corporations are explored through discussion of case studies; term projects focus on selected regions and industries. Prerequisites include one course each in ecology, philosophy, and Religious Studies.
3 credits

AE 276 Global Business Policy
A survey of the ethical dimensions of contemporary business practice generally, with special emphasis on the ethical implications of global business enterprise. Topics include global employment practices, human and employee rights in a global economy, the implications of external debt for the economies of developing nations, the human costs and benefits of the changes in global agriculture and food provision generally, and the work of international agencies (the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in particular) in guiding the economies of the world. World Diversity Designation applied for.
3 credits

AE 281 Ethics of Communications in Business and the Media
An inquiry into the moral dilemmas of media management and corporate communication. Topics include advertising and marketing practices, especially political advocacy and messages targeted to vulnerable audiences, truth and loyalty in public relations practices, the philosophical and constitutional bases of freedom of the press, and problems of systematic media bias.
3 credits

AE 282 Ethics and the Computer
An inquiry into the legal and ethical dilemmas spawned by the proliferation of computers and computer-dependent technology in our society. Topics include the right of privacy, the centralization of power, the impact on employment, computer crime, patents, property and liability, realities of interaction between human and machine, and the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
3 credits

AE 283 Environmental Justice
(This course is cross-listed under Environmental Studies as EV 283)
This course offers a comprehensive study of the political impact of our global environmental crisis examined through the lens of the relationships between self, society and the natural world. We research scientific, ethical and economic perspectives that impact our ecological reality and explore insights from diverse spiritual and cultural traditions. Working in self-selected groups, students have the opportunity to report on alternative cultural models and activist movements aimed at creating a global sustainable future. Students may not take both AE 283 and EV 283.
3 credits

AE 284 Environmental Ethics
A survey of the current problems in reconciling the demands of economic activity and the requirements of ecological balance. Issues considered include: the wise use of resources, pollution of land, air, and water, conservation of species and open space, and global climatic change.
3 credits

AE 285 Ethics of Health Care
An inquiry into the moral dilemmas of the health care setting. Among the topics considered are patients' rights ( paternalism; informed consent to therapy and participation in research); dilemmas of life and death (euthanasia, abortion, care for the dying); allocation of health-care resources; special dilemmas of health-care professionals.
3 credits

AE 286 Ethics of Research and Technology
An exploration of the moral dilemmas that attend the search for application of scientific knowledge. Topics considered include the methods of science and their limits (e.g., in research with human subjects; scientific fraud, its dimensions and prevention; and the effects of rapidly expanding fields of technology on medicine and industry.
3 credits

AE 289 Health Care Policy
This course explores the ethical dimensions of the large and rapidly growing area of interface among the worlds of health care, business, and public policy. The professional ethic of the nurse or physician does not fit well with the profit orientation of business, nor does the commitment of the professional to the individual client fit well with a public policy orientation to the common good. Lectures and class discussion, with frequent opportunities for student presentations, address the new and painful questions that arise as health care becomes "managed."
3 credits

AE 290 Ethics in America: Contemporary Moral Issues
This course considers the application of some of the basic values of the Western tradition in ethics (autonomy, justice, privacy, community, etc.) to a number of different ethical issues currently be discussed in the United States today. Issues considered may include (though are not limited to) abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, pre-emptive war, pornography, euthanasia, sexual morality, discrimination, economic justice, environmental degradation, animal rights, cloning, terrorism, globalization. The reading will include a classic grounding in the Western tradition, articles by professional philosophers, and popular media editorial comments and essays.
3 credits

AE 291 Business Ethics
An investigation of ethical problems in business practice. Topics include personal morality in profit-oriented enterprises; codes of ethics: obligations to employees and other stakeholders; truth in advertising, whistle-blowing and company loyalty; regulation, self and government; the logic and future of capitalism.
3 credits

AE 293 Ethics of War and Peace
A survey of ethical issues that attend policymaking in the area of international conflict and national preparedness. Special emphasis is placed on the dilemmas confronting the defense industry when defense policy is controversial and procurement policy is subject to public criticism. Topics include Just War theory, the morality of deterrence, the place of private enterprise in public defense, Pacem in Terris, and the professional ethic of the soldier.
3 semester hours

AE 294 Organizational Ethics: Media, Politics and the Corporation
An explanation of the ethical dimensions of the complex relationship between the media and the political process. Topics include the social structuring of reality, the creation and projection of political images, the law of libel vs. the duty to expose wrongdoing, media events and media intervention, media bias and economic pressures for conventional judgment.
3 credits

AE 295 Ethics in Law and Society
An inquiry into the ethical dilemmas of making, enforcing, adjudicating, obeying, and practicing the law. Topics include the nature of law and the province of jurisprudence, legal and moral responsibility, conscientious objection, socialization of lawyers, comparative law, and the limits of adjudication.
3 credits

AE 296 Ethics in Government
An investigation of the moral dilemmas pertaining to governing and being governed. Topics include the ethical dimensions of the making of public policy; civil rights and civil liberties; corruption in government; war, peace, revolution, and the moral principles that govern them; terrorism; preservation of the environment; and the nature and limits of representative government.
3 credits

AE 297 Ecofeminism
This course explores the historically strong association between women and nature, in which the image of Mother Earth is central, and critiques the power-as-domination assumption of our culture shown in the exploitation of women and of the earth itself. Religious, psychological, social, historical and scientific manifestations of this assumption will be examined, along with alternate models of power and responsibility.
3 credits

AE 298 Ethics and Feminist Perspectives
This course is a philosophical inquiry into the ethical implications of social institutions from perspectives developed in contemporary feminist literature. The course will explore the psychological and ethical dimensions of social and family oppression, environmental racism, medical paternalism, economic imperialism and patriarchal structures in the major religious traditions.
3 credits

AE/BU 391 Seminar in Business Law, Regulation and Ethics (Capstone Seminar)
An interdisciplinary study of these three aspects of the business environment. Topics focus on the interaction of law and ethics, and the regulatory public policy issues in such areas as multiculturalism, work and family, the environment, product safety, international business, and advertising. This course is the capstone experience for students minoring in Business Law, Regulation and Ethics. Prerequisites: AE 291, BU 11, plus two additional courses in either law or applied ethics, or permission of the instructor. (Note: this course is cross-listed with BU 391; students may not take this course twice using distinct desIgnatians.)
3 credits

AE 393 Seminar in War, Peace, and Public Policy
An inquiry into the philosophical, political, and religious aspects of war and peace. Topics include the origin and development of just war theory, the pacifist tradition, and military preparedness. The focus will be on the increased complexity of the issues in the 20th century and especially in the nuclear age. Discussion format. Open to juniors and seniors by permission of Coordinator.
3 credits

AE 395 Seminar in Legal Ethics
An investigation of the peculiar ethical dilemmas confronting lawyers: confidentiality, protection of the guilty, roles in public policy, conflict of interest, and, in general, responsibility for the functioning of the adversary system. Format: discussion. Open to juniors and seniors with permission of Coordinator.
3 credits

AE 396 Seminar in Ethics and Government
An inquiry into the dilemmas of lawmaking and governing: principles, tradeoffs and compromises; dirty hands and the relation between government and the individual; international politics, presidential secrecy, covert action, and political trust. Format: discussion. Open to juniors and seniors with permission of Coordinator.
3 credits

AE 397 Seminar in Bioethics I: Life and Death
An intensive study of selected problems in the ethics of medicine and health care practice, including abortion, euthanasia, pre-natal diagnosis, reproductive engineering and surrogate motherhood, and treatment decisions for very ill newborns. Format: student and guest presentations. Open to juniors and seniors with permission of Coordinator.
3 credits

AE 398 Seminar in Bioethics II: Professional Responsibility
An intensive study of selected problems in the ethics, law, and public policy surrounding health care, especially in the United States. Topics include research with human subjects, the professional-patient relationship, allocation of scarce resources and cost containment. Format: student and guest presentations. Open to juniors and seniors with permission of Coordinator.
3 credits

AE 399 Special Topics in Applied Ethics
A program of course, field and library work, arranged with the instructor. Proposals for special topics must be approved by the Director and the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
3 credits