Lecture: 2 hrs. per week
Seminar: 2 hrs. per week
In this course, students will engage in a variety of learning activities such as attending lectures, participation in class discussions, debates, individual and group presentations, reflections, in class reading assignments, group assignments and take-home assignments.
- Introduction to ethics and politics.
- The limits of political power.
- Debates over the role of ethics in politics.
- Conflicts of interest and patronage.
- Governance, public policy and ethical choices.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to
- demonstrate an understanding of approaches to assessing politics and government through an ethical lens;
- appraise basic issues such as the proper role and place of ethics in politics, the nature and limits of political obligation, and under what circumstances individual or social interests should prevail;
- critically assess a selected range of governance and policy issues confronting local, regional, and national governments.
Course assessments will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research
There will be at least three separate assessments, which may include a combination of exams, research projects, quizzes, in-class and online written assignments, seminar presentations, group and other creative projects, and class participation.
The value of each assessment and evaluation, expressed as a percentage of the final grade, will be listed in the course outline distributed to students at the beginning of the term.
Example evaluation scheme:
Participation 10%
Quizzes 10%
Research-based position papers 30%
Mid-term exam 25%
Final exam 25%
Total: 100%
A list of required textbooks and materials will be provided to students at the beginning of the semester. Textbooks and materials will be selected based on instructor expertise and preference, and in consultation with other members of the department. There are a range of textbooks and materials that can fulfill course objectives. Some examples include:
Baggini, Julian, ed. A Philosophers' Manifesto: Ideas and Arguments to Change the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, currrent edition.
Fischer, Bob. Ethics, Left and Right: The Moral Issues That Divide Us. Oxford: Oxford University Press, currrent edition.
Greene, Ian and David P. Shugarman, eds. Honest Politics Now. Toronto: James Lorimar, currrent edition.
Hall, Edward and Andrew Sabl, eds. Political Ethics: A Handbook. Princeton: Princeton University Press, currrent edition.
Johnson, Alan E. Reason and Human Ethics. Pittsburgh: Philosophia Publications, currrent edition.
Machiavelli. Selected Political Writings. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, currrent edition.
Miller, Christian B. and Ryan West, eds. Integrity, Honesty, and Truth Seeking. Oxford: Oxford University Press, currrent edition.
Shapiro, Ian. The Moral Foundations of Politics. New Haven: Yale University Press, currrent edition.