Social Structure, Public Policy & Ethics

Catalog description

The course will consider ethical questions surrounding social structure and public policy. It will analyze the role of political institutions and individual citizens in dealing with some of the greatest challenges facing our world: Global health crises, the spread of (and threats to) democracy worldwide, and world poverty. Some of the questions we will consider include: Are developed countries obligated to ameliorate poverty by providing foreign aid? What is democratic governance, and what do democratic representatives owe to their constituents? Should wealthy nations and corporations assist in the fight against life-threatening diseases worldwide? The course uses ethical and political theory, case studies, and empirical evidence to consider these questions.