At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
This interdisciplinary minor, housed in the Department of Philosophy, is designed to provide students with training in ethical reasoning, frameworks, and methods, as well as offer the opportunity to work in various fields of applied ethics. In addition to the requirements for the student's major department the minor consists of 18 credits selected from a wide range of disciplines (e.g., philosophy, communication, engineering, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, public policy, international studies, and environmental studies). Courses deal with ethics from various perspectives, for example research ethics, media ethics, environmental ethics, bioethics, and business ethics.
Students in the minor will choose from a broad range of 0-, 100-, and 400-level ethics-related courses offered in the Philosophy Department, and will have the chance to take up to two ethics-related courses outside the department. Some Philosophy ethics-related courses cover prominent and powerful historical and contemporary approaches to ethical decision-making and leadership; others cover specific problems in ethical thinking or applications to concrete areas of life. The minor will be suitable for students in almost any major, especially students going on to further academic work or careers in medicine, teaching and education, communication, business, law, the health or life sciences, health administration, public policy, politics, computer science, or engineering.
What is Ethics?
The interdisciplinary Ethics minor at Penn State University includes fields such as philosophy, communication, engineering, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, public policy, international studies, and environmental studies. Students will have the opportunity to learn about various ethical perspectives and challenges that relate to research ethics, business ethics, bioethics, media ethics, and more.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You want to learn about ethical frameworks and methods to guide successful execution of both professional and personal endeavors.
- You want to understand ethical issues involved in global situations such as the collapse of the stock market and global financial systems.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 0-6 credits from the following PHIL 0-level ethics-related courses: | 0-6 | |
Individuals in Society  | ||
| Ethical Life | ||
| Gender Matters | ||
| Race, Racism, and Diversity | ||
| Love and Sex | ||
| Select at least 6 credits from the following PHIL 100- or 200-level ethics-related courses: | 6 | |
| Ethics | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Business Ethics | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy and Education | ||
| Environmental Philosophy | ||
| Ethical Leadership | ||
| Knowing Right from Wrong | ||
| Media Ethics | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| Ethics of Climate Change | ||
| Food, Values, and Health | ||
| Ethics in Jewish Tradition and Thought | ||
| Happiness and Well-Being | ||
| Select at least 3 credits from the following PHIL 400-level ethics-related courses (Students need at least one other 400-level ethics related course, from PHIL or another department): | 3 | |
| Seminar in Environmental Ethics | ||
| Seminar in Philosophy of Law | ||
PHIL 406 | ||
| Seminar in Philosophy of Technology | ||
| Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Seminar in Ethical Theory | ||
| Seminar in Ethical Theory | ||
| Medical and Health Care Ethics | ||
| African American Philosophy | ||
| Ethics After the Holocaust | ||
| Select 0-6 credits from the following non-PHIL ethics-related courses: | 0-6 | |
| Racism and Sexism | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Inequality in America | ||
| Politics of Affirmative Action | ||
| Introduction into Ethics and Issues in Agriculture | ||
| Cultural Diversity: A Global Perspective | ||
| Language Rights, Policy, and Planning | ||
| Living in an Increasingly Diverse Society | ||
| Confucius and the Great Books of China | ||
| Social and Ethical Environment of Business | ||
| Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business | ||
| Socially Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Business Practice | ||
| Values and Ethics in Biobehavioral Health Research and Practice | ||
| Power, Conflict, and Community Decision Making | ||
| Banned Books: International and Comparative Perspectives | ||
| Human Rights and World Literature | ||
| Ethics, Justice, and Rights in World Literature | ||
| Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling | ||
| Gender, Diversity and the Media | ||
| Social Justice and the Image | ||
| News Media Ethics | ||
| Ethics and Regulation in Advertising and Public Relations | ||
| Media Law and Ethics | ||
| Telecommunications Ethics | ||
| Race, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Ethics in Criminal Justice | ||
| Competing Rights: Issues in American Education | ||
| Education, Schooling, and Values | ||
| Diversity and Cultural Awareness Practices in the K-12 Classroom | ||
| Alternative Voices in American Literature | ||
| Sports, Ethics, and Literature | ||
| Inequality: Economics, Philosophy, Literature | ||
FDSC 280 | ||
| Arguing about Food | ||
| Financial Ethics | ||
GEOG 130 | ||
| Geographies of Justice | ||
| Art and Science of Human Flourishing | ||
| Values and Ethics in Health and Human Development Professions | ||
HIST 116 | ||
| Antisemitisms | ||
| Meaning, Ethics, and Movement | ||
KINES 439W | ||
| Philosophy and Sport | ||
LER 460 | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Society | ||
| Leadership and Ethics | ||
| Professional Role Development II: Ethics, Legal and Genetic Issues | ||
| Ethical Challenges in Healthcare Informatics | ||
| Introduction to Political Theory | ||
PLSC 112 | ||
| Selected Works in the History of Political Theory | ||
| Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Political Theories | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Political Theories | ||
| Foundations of American Political Theory | ||
| Sex, Race, & Justice: The U.S. Supreme Court and Equality | ||
| Introduction to Well-being and Positive Psychology | ||
| The Psychology of Evil | ||
RLST 130 | ||
| Justice and the Environment | ||
| Sexualities, Gender and Power: Feminist Thought and Politics | ||
| Debates in Contemporary Feminism | ||
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program
Career Paths
Philosophy students learn the kinds of critical, interpretive, analytical, and argumentative skills highly prized by employers in a wide variety of fields, including publishing, non-profit work, consulting, information technology, law, business, education, journalism, medicine, and public service.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN ETHICS
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Philosophy students score consistently higher than other majors on LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT exams. The study of philosophy provides students with an outstanding preparation for law school, medical school, and other advanced degrees.
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
234 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-6397
philosophy@psu.edu