Ethical Debates Amer Politics

Catalog description

This course examines past and contemporary political and ethical debates that have shaped, clarified and transformed the meaning of the foundations of the American democratic-republic. At every turn, political and ethical debates in American politics have focused on the meaning of the principles of equality and consent and the moral implications of individual rights. The course will address topics such as the moral foundations of the Founding, the moral character of the Union, the injustice of slavery in a regime dedicated to the principle of equality, justice and the Civil Rights movement, and the progressive critique of the Founding, the rise of the entitlement state and its critiques, as well as current political and ethical controversies. Special attention will be paid to the political speeches of those directly involved in the debates.