PHIL7234 · Philosophy

Engaged Philosophy: Ethics, Law, Policy

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course instructs students in combining philosophical inquiry with analysis of contemporary issues and policy questions at the intersections of ethics, political theory, law, and the social sciences. It combines the study of selected works in ethics and politicalphilosophyfrom the ancient through the contemporary eras with the examination of current events and policy debates. Each semester, the instructor will choose several policy areas, such as prison reform or climate change or the relation of religion to government, to coordinate with the programming, guest lecturers from departments and schools at Boston College, and speaker events hosted by campus centers and institutes, such as the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy, for students to attend as part of the course. Faculty members from various departments would be invited for guest lectures on specific topics covered in a given semester. The course will also provide students with an overview of methodologies inphilosophyand how these relate to interdisciplinary inquiry byexamining how philosophical works raise questions and themes that persist in challenges facing both socio-political life and personal ethics.