Proposal for General Education Program
1. Course/Department/Representative: PHIL 230 Moral Theory/
Philosophy / David Speetzen dspeetzen@winona.edu
2. Proposed WSU GEP Goal Area: Goal 9—Ethics and Civic Responsibility
This course currently meets Goal 6
3-4. WSU GEP Goal Area 9: Goal and Student Competencies and
Documentation:
Goal: To develop students' capacity to identify, discuss, and reflect upon the ethical
dimensions of political, social, and personal life and to understand the ways in
which they can exercise responsible and productive citizenship. While there are
diverse views of social justice or the common good in a pluralistic society, students
should learn that responsible citizenship requires them to develop skills to
understand their own and others, positions, be part of the free exchange of ideas,
and function as public-minded citizens.
Student Competencies:
Students will be able to:
a. Examine, articulate, and apply their own ethical views;
b. Understand and apply core concepts (e.g. politics, rights and obligations,
justice, liberty) to specific issues;
c. Analyze and reflect on the ethical dimensions of legal, social, and scientific
issues;
d. Recognize the diversity of political motivations and interests of others; and
e. Identify ways to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Moral Theory Goal Documentation:
Moral Theory aims to familiarize students with the major theories and traditions in
philosophical ethics, and to help them appreciate the ways in which those
perspectives can provide the clarity and structure needed to resolve personal moral
dilemmas as well as public disagreement about social justice and political morality.
Through critical interaction with assigned readings in writing projects and in
discussion with their peers, students will be encouraged to develop their capacities
for respectful public dialogue and critical self-reflection.
Moral Theory Student Competencies Documentation:
Students will be able to:
a. Develop and apply their own ethical views against the backdrop of the major
traditions in philosophical ethics.
b. Understand the relationships and tensions between various ethical concepts
like human well-being, the utility of consequences, moral and legal rights, the
social contract, fairness and justice, virtue and character development, and
apply these concepts to practical moral dilemmas and problems in social
policy.
c. Analyze legal, social, and scientific issues from a variety of ethical perspectives.
d. Articulate various views about the possibility of altruism, the role of selfinterest in motivating behavior, and mitigating conflicts of interests through
just political institutions.
e. Understand the various reasons individuals have for cooperating and
supporting social norms and political institutions.
5. MnSCU Course Outline
1. An introduction to some of the most important controversies in normative
ethics, ranging from classical utilitarianism and modern consequentialism,
through Kantian ethics, contractarianism, and the language of rights, to ancient
and modern virtue ethics. Some emphasis placed on metaethical questions
surrounding subjectivism, relativism, egoism, emotivism and moral nihilism.
Some emphasis placed on value theory, i.e., the nature of happiness, well-being,
and the good life.
2. Consequentialism:
a. Classical Act and Rule Utilitarianism
b. Maximizing versus Sufficing
c. Standard objections to Utilitarianism
d. Utilitarianism and Consequentialism
3. Deontology:
a. Kant and Kantianism
b. Contractarianism
c. Ross and prima facie duties
d. Rights and rights theory
4. Virtue Ethics:
a. Eudaimonia and ancient virtue ethics
b. Contemporary virtue ethics
5. Value Theory:
a. Hedonism
b. Desire/Preference Satisfaction
c. Objective List Theories
6. Metaethics:
a. Moral Realism
b. Psychological and Ethical Egoism
c. Subjectivism and Relativism
d. Expressivism/Emotivism
e. Error Theory
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6. MnSCU Assessment Plan and Learning Outcomes:
Various means are employed to verify that students have acquired and can
demonstrate the Goal Area 9 Student Competencies, such as homework exercises,
in-class or take-home exams, and position papers, in-class presentations, creating
blog sites, whereby students demonstrate their understanding and application of
the following learning outcomes:
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Understand the goals and methods of moral theory.
Demonstrate familiarity with the major moral theories.
Demonstrate familiarity with standard lines of objection to the major ethical
theories.
Understand and apply moral theories in order to evaluate ethical dilemmas.
Understand moral skepticism and the problem of moral justification.
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