Course Description
This course will focus on how people create and sustain worldviews that determine their ethics. Students will investigate various classic theories and modern models of ethical practices and apply them to professional, research, government, non-profit, and private sectors. They will collaborate in debating the effectiveness of ethics in daily life and organizational behavior. (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Understand and explain classic ethical theories.
- Apply ethical theories to practical situations and case studies.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of ethical models and concepts.
- Identify cases wherein ethical theories can apply.
- Formulate solutions to ethical dilemmas.
- Analyze case studies of ethical responses of corporations, politicians, philanthropists, and individuals.
- Create an ethics document.
- Hypothesize best practices to conflicting worldviews and ethical outcomes between people and organizations.
- Explain ethical models through discussion and written form.
- Answer and discuss ethical questions.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussions (Weeks 1-8) | 22% |
Assignments (Weeks 1, 2 & 6) | 18% |
Midterm Essay (Week 4) | 25% |
Honor Code (Week 5) | 10% |
Final Exam (Week 8) | 25% |
Total | 100 |
Required Textbooks
- This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are openly licensed, educational resources that can be used for teaching, learning and research. OER may consist of a variety of resources such as textbooks, videos and software that are no cost for students.
- Archie, Lee and John G. Archie. Introduction to Ethical Studies: An Open Source Reader
Course Schedule
| Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1,2,9,10 | Topic: Morality, Conscience, and Culture: The Never-Ending Quest for Love
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2 | 1-4,9,10 | Topic: Being A Good Person: What Makes Someone a Virtuous Person
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3 | 1-4,6,7,10 | Topic: Free To Be Me: How Humans Make Life Decisions
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4 | 1,4,7,9,10 | Topic: Midterm Essay |
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5 | 1,2,6-10 | Topic: Honor Codes: Rules and Accountability for Living
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6 | 2-4,6,9,10 | Topic: Research Ethics |
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7 | 1,2,4-6,9,10 | Topic: Business Ethics
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8 | 1-8 | Topic: Final Exam |
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.