ETHSO-MIN - Ethics in Society (Minor)
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Program Overview
The program in Ethics in Society, which operates under the umbrella of the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society, is designed to foster scholarship, teaching, and moral reflection on fundamental issues in personal and public life. The program is grounded in moral and political philosophy but extends its concerns across various traditional disciplinary domains. The program is guided by the idea that ethical thought has application to current social questions and conflicts, and it seeks to encourage moral reflection and practice in areas such as business, technology, international relations, law, medicine, politics, science, and public service.
A minor in Ethics in Society requires six courses for a minimum of 25 units. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Courses cannot be double counted between either of the Ethics in Society minors and other academic programs. Questions about this policy should be discussed with the Student Services Specialist.
Students cannot both earn a minor in Ethics in Society and enroll in the Honors Program. Students must choose one or the other.
Students hoping to apply transfer credit and/or courses taken abroad towards the Honors Program must request approval with the Student Services Specialist. Syllabi/relevant coursework may be requested for this review process.
Students interested in applying to either of the Ethics in Society minors should plan to contact the Student Services Specialist, to discuss the application process.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
A Minor in Ethics in Society requires six courses for a minimum of 25 units. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Courses cannot be double counted between either of the Ethics in Society minors and other academic programs. Questions about this policy should be discussed with the Student Services Administrator, Gillyn Maung (gmaung@stanford.edu).
One course in political philosophy:
Must be taken for a letter grade, and for 4-5 units each.
One course in moral philosophy:
Must be taken for a letter grade, and for 4-5 units each.
Courses must be taken for a letter grade, and be a minimum of 3 units each.
Courses must be taken for a letter grade, and be a minimum of 3 units each.
Elective/specialization course choices must be reviewed and approved for counting towards the program with the Student Services Specialist. Syllabi/relevant coursework may be requested for this review process.
Students are encouraged to reflect on the coherence of their coursework and organize it around a central theme, such as environmental ethics, ethics and public policy, ethics and economics, ethics and health care, ethics, race, etc. Ethical Reasoning courses that fit the student’s thematic focus may be counted towards the University-wide electives in the minor.
One course in moral/political philosophy:
Courses must be taken for a letter grade and must be 4-5 units each.
One course in ethics and technology:
Course must be taken for a letter grade and must be 4-5 units.
Must be taken for a letter grade and must be 4-5 units.
Three electives that cover various topics on technology, human values, and social impact from an interdisciplinary perspective. This is not an exhaustive list of all courses that could count towards the E&T electives, other courses must be submitted to the Student Services Specialist for approval.
Courses must be taken for a letter grade, must be at least 3 units each, and must total to a minimum of 8 units.