Minor in Ethics

The minor in ethics is a low-credit option to add skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, and cultural competence to your portfolio, and an ethics minor complements almost any other program of study. Requirements for the minor are summarized below.

To learn more about minoring in ethics, get in touch with our department chair or visit us in CHBS 4202. 

The Ethics Minor consists of 15 credits (5 courses) as outlined below:

Philosophical Perspectives (12 credits)

Students must choose four courses from the following list. At least one of them must be at the 300 or 400 level.

• PHIL 112 - Introduction: Ethics and Society (GE)
• PHIL 115 - Wicked Problems (GE)
• PHIL 215 - Healthcare Ethics (GE)
• PHIL 219 - Environmental Ethics (GE)
• PHIL 310 - Professional Ethics (WI) (GE)
• PHIL 430 - Advanced Healthcare Ethics

Disciplinary Perspectives (3 credits)

Choose one of the following:

• ART 202 - Ethical Inquiry in the Visual Arts and Museums (WI) (GE)
• ARTH 401 - Origins and History of Museums (WI)
• ARTH 430 - Curatorial Activism and Exhibition Design: How Museums Serve the Public
• COMS 400 - Communication Law and Ethics
• COMS 414 - Critical Analysis of Public Discourse
• CRJU 350 - Ethical and Moral Issues in Criminal Justice
• ESHE 345 - Sport Ethics
• HSCI 300 - Foundations in Healthcare Research (GE)
• INST 490 - Pursuing Global Sustainability
• ITEC 145 - Data Ethics, Privacy and Security (GE)
• MGNT 436 - Managing Cultural Diversity
• PBHL 382 - Public Health Ethics, Policy and Law
• POSC 180 - The Art and Science of Leadership (GE)
• POSC 338 - Constitutional Law: Institutional Powers and Constraints
• POSC 339 - Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties (AG)
• POSC 340 - Law and Social Change
• POSC 354 - Ethics in International Affairs
• POSC 410 - Demystifying Leadership

Our philosophy faculty come from diverse backgrounds, have diverse interests, and are internationally recognized in their areas of specialization.

• Dr. Guy Axtell is a widely recognized expert on virtue theory and objectivity.
• Dr. Steven Fesmire is an internationally known scholar of ethics, education, and politics.
• Dr. Gilburt Goffstein is an expert in philosophies of human liberation, focusing on thinkers like Freud, Marx, G. H. Mead, and Habermas.
• Dr. Heather Keith publishes widely on ethics, intellectual disability, and environmental philosophy.  
• Dr. Glen Martin researches and writes extensively on global democracy. 
• Nickolas Montgomery researches game theory and the philosophy of language.
• David Parks specializes in offering introductory courses in philosophy. 
• Katy Shepard is a philosopher and artist, and studies the role of artists in building identity and fostering liberation.  
• Mr. Darrell Shomaker holds expertise in healthcare ethics.
• Michael Zarella specializes in offering courses about the fundamental questions of human existence.