Contemporary Moral Problems (ETHICSOC 185M, PHIL 72)

In this course, we will explore contemporary moral issues that arise in the lives of students at higher education institutions and consider their implications beyond campus. Taking the university as a starting point for moral analysis, we will explore issues including: is selective college admissions permissible, or should spots at a college be assigned by a lottery? Is grading an effective way to evaluate work, or instead an oppressive and arbitrary metric that hinders learning? Are amateur student-athletes exploited by colleges? If they are, is it immoral to attend sporting events where colleges and sponsors make money off their labor? What is the role of protest and collective action in a moral life on campus and beyond? Is there a free speech crisis on American college campuses, and what moral grounds are there for the right to free speech? What differences if any should there be between how we regard free speech on campus versus in civil society more broadly? Should you study what you love at college, or should you pursue as lucrative a degree as possible and donate the majority of your earnings to charity? Is it possible to change an institution 'from the inside,' or must one work outside of unjust systems in order to be a moral person? This course will help you develop the analytical and philosophical tools necessary to answer these and other important moral questions.