printer friendly pageETHICSOC 20: Introduction to Moral Philosophy (PHIL 2)
What should I do with my life? What kind of person should I be? How should we treat others? What makes actions right or wrong? What is good and what is bad? What should we value? How should we organize society? Is there any reason to be moral? Is morality relative or subjective? How, if at all, can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in contemporary moral philosophy.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Maguire, B. (PI)
;
Amaral, J. (TA)
;
Attwood, A. (TA)
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more instructors for ETHICSOC 20 »
Instructors:
Maguire, B. (PI)
;
Amaral, J. (TA)
;
Attwood, A. (TA)
;
Dowling, G. (TA)
;
Hope, P. (TA)
;
Seter, J. (TA)
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Simon, A. (TA)
;
Sparkes, B. (TA)
;
Spencer, L. (TA)
ETHICSOC 24SI: Deliberative Discussions (POLISCI 24SI)
As America has polarized so too has Stanford. In response, Deliberative Discussions - spurred at the initiative of the ASSU Undergraduate Senate - aims to help depolarize our campus by offering the opportunity for students of different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to meet regularly over weekly dinners and share in a process of mutual exchange. Deliberative Discussions is unique in its recognition that six essential elements - community, conversation, continuity, inclusion, equality, and accountability - are vital for fostering meaningful dialogue and impactful respectful discourse about difficult campus and global topics. Rooted in the understanding that polarization can consist of both ideological and social distance, Deliberative Discussions strives to reduce social distance between communities at Stanford and build the sort of understanding that separates dislike from disagreement. Participants will learn about and from one another as they acquire skills and tools that will help them to transform contentious debates into meaningful exchange. Enrolled students will be split into two deliberative groups of ten students each meeting once per week for dinner over Spring Quarter, limiting total enrollment to twenty students. To apply, email Matthew Wigler (mwigler@stanford.edu) before March 26, 2019 at 5:00PST.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
Instructors:
Bendor, J. (PI)
;
Martinez, J. (PI)
ETHICSOC 36X: Dangerous Ideas (ARTHIST 36, COMPLIT 36A, EALC 36, ENGLISH 71, FRENCH 36, HISTORY 3D, MUSIC 36H, PHIL 36, POLISCI 70, SLAVIC 36)
Ideas matter. Concepts such as race, progress, and equality have inspired social movements, shaped political systems, and dramatically influenced the lives of individuals. Others, like gender identity, universal basic income, and historical memory play an important role in contemporary debates in the United States. All of these ideas are contested, and they have a real power to change lives, for better and for worse. In this one-unit class we will examine these dangerous ideas. Each week, a faculty member from a different department in the humanities and arts will explore a concept that has shaped human experience across time and space. Some weeks will have short reading assignments, but you are not required to purchase any materials.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
Instructors:
Anderson, R. (PI)
ETHICSOC 103X: Contemporary Muslim Political Thought (GLOBAL 136)
This course aims to provide an introduction to contemporary Muslim political thought. It presents post-nineteenth century Muslim contributions to political thought. It is designed as a survey of some major thinkers that sought to interpret Islam's basic sources and Islamic intellectual legacy from the Arab world to Iran and Southeast Asia, from Turkey to North America. Our readings include primary texts by Tahtawi, Tunisi, Afghani, Rida, Iqbal, Qutb, Maududi, Shariati, and some current figures. We will approach the texts as just other works of political theory rather than a study of intellectual history. We will analyze the recurring ideas in this body of thought such as decline, civilization, rationality, ijtihad (Islamic independent reasoning), shura (deliberative decision-making), democracy, secularism, Muslim unity, khilafah (caliphate and vicegerency), freedom, equality, and justice. We will discuss their current significance fro the ongoing theoretical debates in Muslim political thought and comparative political theory.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Yenigun, H. (PI)
ETHICSOC 106: Human Rights in Comparative and Historical Perspective (CLASSICS 116, HUMRTS 106)
This course examines core human rights issues and concepts from a comparative and historical perspective. In the beginning part of the course we will focus on current debates about the universality of human rights norms, considering the foundation of the international human rights regime and claims that it is a product of western colonialism, imperialism, or hegemony. We will then discuss a series of issues where the debates about universality are particularly acute: gender inequality and discrimination, sexual violence, child marriage and forced marriage more generally, and other related topics. We will also consider the way in which issues of gender-based violence arise in the context of internal and international conflicts.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Cohen, D. (PI)
ETHICSOC 130: 20th Century Political Theory: Liberalism and its Critics (PHIL 171P, POLISCI 130)
In this course, students learn and engage with the debates that have animated political theory since the early 20th century. What is the proper relationship between the individual, the community, and the state? Are liberty and equality in conflict, and, if so, which should take priority? What does justice mean in a large and diverse modern society? The subtitle of the course, borrowed from a book by Michael Sandel, is "Liberalism and its Critics" because the questions we discuss in this class center on the meaning of, and alternatives to, the liberal idea that the basic goal of society should be the protection of individual rights. Readings include selections from works by John Rawls, Hannah Arendt, Robert Nozick, Michael Sandel, Iris Marion Young, and Martha Nussbaum. No prior experience with political theory is necessary.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
Instructors:
Coyne, B. (PI)
ETHICSOC 131S: Modern Political Thought: Machiavelli to Marx and Mill (POLISCI 131L)
This course offers an introduction to the history of Western political thought from the late fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries. We will consider the development of ideas like individual rights, government by consent, and the protection of private property. We will also explore the ways in which these ideas continue to animate contemporary political debates. Thinkers covered will include: Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER, GER:EC-EthicReas
Instructors:
McQueen, A. (PI)
;
Schwartz, A. (TA)
ETHICSOC 131X: Ethics in Bioengineering (BIOE 131)
Bioengineering focuses on the development and application of new technologies in the biology and medicine. These technologies often have powerful effects on living systems at the microscopic and macroscopic level. They can provide great benefit to society, but they also can be used in dangerous or damaging ways. These effects may be positive or negative, and so it is critical that bioengineers understand the basic principles of ethics when thinking about how the technologies they develop can and should be applied. On a personal level, every bioengineer should understand the basic principles of ethical behavior in the professional setting. This course will involve substantial writing, and will use case-study methodology to introduce both societal and personal ethical principles, with a focus on practical applications.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Altman, R. (PI)
;
Magnus, D. (PI)
;
Lensch, S. (TA)
...
more instructors for ETHICSOC 131X »
Instructors:
Altman, R. (PI)
;
Magnus, D. (PI)
;
Lensch, S. (TA)
;
Li, P. (TA)
;
Maikawa, C. (TA)
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Patnaik, R. (TA)
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Samuel-Gama, K. (TA)
;
Washington, P. (TA)
ETHICSOC 135: Citizenship (PHIL 135X, POLISCI 135)
This class begins from the core definition of citizenship as membership in a political community and explores the many debates about what that membership means. Who is (or ought to be) a citizen? Who gets to decide? What responsibilities come with citizenship? Is being a citizen analogous to being a friend, a family member, a business partner? How can citizenship be gained, and can it ever be lost? These debates figure in the earliest recorded political philosophy but also animate contemporary political debates. This class uses ancient, medieval, and modern texts to examine these questions and different answers given over time. We¿Äôll pay particular attention to understandings of democratic citizenship but look at non-democratic citizenship as well. Students will develop and defend their own views on these questions, using the class texts as foundations. No experience with political philosophy is required or expected, and students can expect to learn or hone the skills (writing / reading / analysis) of political philosophy.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Coyne, B. (PI)
ETHICSOC 173: Introduction to Feminist Philosophy (FEMGEN 173R, PHIL 90R)
If feminism is a political practice aimed at ending patriarchy, what is the point of feminist philosophy? This course provides an introduction to feminist philosophy by exploring how important theoretical questions around sex and gender bear on practical ethical and political debates. The first part of the course will examine some of the broader theoretical questions in feminist philosophy, including: the metaphysics of gender, the demands of intersectionality, and feminist critiques of capitalism and liberalism. Questions will include: How should we understand the category `woman¿? How does gender intersect with other axes of oppression? Is capitalism inherently patriarchal? The second part of the course will address more applied topics of ethical and political debate, such as: objectification, pornography, consent, markets in women¿s sexual and reproductive labor, and the institution of marriage.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
Instructors:
Carnegy-Arbuthnott, H. (PI)
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