Description

Ethical issues arise in every field of human endeavor, so knowledge of ethics is beneficial to students regardless of their major. The Minor in Ethics is designed to expose students in a systematic way to the fundamental theories and concepts of ethics. It is a highly desirable minor because it demonstrates to employers, graduate schools, and professional schools an interest in and knowledge of ethical issues.

In addition to taking a solid core of philosophy courses focusing on ethics, students pursuing the minor may also elect to count towards it one relevant course from another department. This course will be chosen from a list of courses offered by a wide range of other departments including Anthropology, Engineering, Genetics, History, Microbiology, Political Science, and the Science, Technology, & Society Program.

Requirements

• The minor consists of 15 hours of credit (5 courses) including 6 hours of required courses and 9 hours of elective courses.
• A grade of ‘C-‘ or better will be required for all courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements.
• A maximum of TWO (2) courses may be used (double-counted) towards both departmental major requirements and minor requirements.

The department will determine whether courses which have been transferred from other institutions qualify for the minor. No more than two courses from other institutions may count toward the minor.

Required Courses

Six credit hours (two courses) must be selected from the following:

• PHI 375 Ethics (3 cr) OR PHI 376 History of Ethics (3 cr) OR PHI 475 Ethical Theory (3 cr)

Elective Courses

Select two courses from:

• PHI 214 Issues in Business Ethics (3 cr)
• PHI 221 Contemporary Moral Issues (3 cr)
• PHI 309 Contemporary Political Philosophy (3 cr)
• PHI 313 Ethical Problems in the Law (3 cr)
• PHI (STS) 325 Bio-Medical Ethics (3 cr)
• PHI 375 Ethics (3 cr)
• PHI 376 History of Ethics (3 cr)
• PHI 420 Global Justice (3 cr)
• PHI 422 Philosophical Issues in Environmental Ethics (3 cr)
• PHI 475 Ethical Theory (3 cr)
• REL 473 Religion, Gender, and Reproductive Technologies (3 cr)

Select one additional course from:
The Elective Course list above or from the following:

• ANT 420 Biological Bases for Human Social Behavior (3 cr)
• ENG (WGS) 327 Language and Gender (3 cr)
• GN 301 Genetics in Human Affairs (3 cr)
• HI (AFS) 455 History of the Civil Rights Movement (3 cr)
• MB 200 Microbiology and World Affairs (3 cr)
• PHI 310 Existentialism (3 cr)
• PHI 312 Philosophy of Law (3 cr)
• PHI 319 African Political Philosophy (3 cr)
• PHI 320 Philosophy of Race (3 cr)
• PHI 347 Neuroscience and Philosophy (3 cr)
• PS 204 Problems of American Democracy (3 cr)
• PS 205 Law and Justice (3 cr)
• PS (WGS) 306 Gender and Politics in the United States (3 cr)
• PS 309 Equality and Justice in United States Law (3 cr)
• PS 361 Introduction to Political Theory (3 cr)
• PS (AFS) 409 Black Political Participation in America (3 cr)
• PS (WGS) 418 Gender, Law, and Policies (3 cr)
• PS 462 Seminar in Political Theory (3 cr)
• SOC (WGS) 304 Women and Men in Society (3 cr)
• SOC (AFS) 305 Racial and Ethnic Relations (3 cr)
• SOC (WGS) 407 Sociology of Sexuality (3 cr)
• SOC 428 Formal Institutions of Social Control (3 cr)
• STS 304 Ethical Dimensions of Progress (3 cr)

Admissions

Students may declare their intention to complete the Ethics minor. Should students wish to transfer courses from other institutions toward the minor, students should consult with Dr. Timothy Hinton, advisor for the minor.

Certification 

To be certified as having completed the minor in Ethics, students must have a minimum 2.0 grade point average across all courses used toward the minor. Dr. Hinton will certify the minor prior to graduation. The minor must be completed no later than the semester in which the student expects to graduate from his or her degree program. Paperwork for certification should be completed no later than during the registration period for the student’s final semester at NC State.

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