"Ethics is not simply a set of politically correct views on specific issues, or a particular moralistic stand. . . . It's a way of looking at the world. It's a process that helps us come to terms with our toughest dilemmas."
– Rushworth Kidder

Professionalism
    In America today, public needs are increasingly provided by persons in professional roles. Health care, technical services, legal counsel, city planning, police protection, plus finance and business affairs are examples of professions that serve our needs. The various codes and policies that bear on professional behavior are largely ethical in nature. But codes and policies are not enough. As a professional you need to understand fully the values underlying them. You must be able to justify the decisions you make as a professional. To be a professional in the most genuine sense of the term, you must not only be competent—you must be ethical.

    Types of ethical concerns in professional settings include conflicts of interest, environmental harm, issues of employee and client privacy, product liability, social responsibility, and honesty in sales and marketing. In health care, ethical questions arise regarding patient rights, confidentiality, setting limits on high-cost technology, and establishing a fair distribution of resources in a managed care environment. Lack of careful attention to such matters can pose real threats to professional standing, erode public confidence, and diminish the common good.

    By completing a minor in applied ethics you will be better able to:

• Recognize how ethical issues arise in particular professional settings and understand why these issues should be treated carefully and seriously
• Obtain relevant resource materials, including books, journals, case studies, bibliographies and other references relating to contemporary ethical concerns in your chosen profession
• Gauge the significance of ethical issues in your profession as they relate to yourself, your colleagues, your organization and society in general
• Develop strategies to analyze and effectively work through vexing ethical dilemmas
• Apply theory to practice by translating strategies into workable proposals for resolving issues and reducing the possibility of future occurrences

Social Relevance
    Recent years have brought widely publicized incidents such as the shady dealings of the Enron executives, plagiarism at the New York Times and stories of political corruption, copyright infringements involving the Internet, cheating scandals in college and drug use in sports. These types of incidents have created rapidly growing interest in society regarding issues of ethics, accountability and the public trust. Studying applied ethics will prepare you to better understand and appreciate why morality is important to living a good life. Course offerings include:

• Ethical Issues in the Modern World
• Sports Ethics
• Media Ethics
• Environmental/Animal Ethics
• Business Ethics
• Health Care Ethics
• Ethics and Technology

Employability
    Employers are increasingly concerned to know that their prospective employees have a strong sense of moral responsibility—they want workers who have high ethical standards and can be trusted. In today’s society, complicated issues often arise in the workplace that require discernment and knowledge about the ethical and legal aspects of professional conduct. A minor in applied ethics can give you a competitive edge. You can point to your transcript to demonstrate that you have prepared yourself to grapple with these contemporary issues.

Excellent Complement to Other Specializations
    A minor in applied ethics nicely complements most other majors and adds an element of distinction to a college degree. The program is interdisciplinary and thereby encourages you to make connections with your studies in other areas. Regardless of your major, the minor in applied ethics provides you the opportunity to engage in ethical inquiry and to develop as a mature ethical agent—that is, a responsible individual able to make informed and compassionate moral decisions.

Flexibility
    The minor balances theoretical and practical course work while introducing moral concepts from Western and non-Western traditions. Flexibility is built into the program. You get to select the specific courses that best accommodate your individual situation, and you can take courses in whatever sequence that enables you to complete the requirements before graduation.

A minor in applied ethics consists of 15 semester hours, including PHIL 100, PHIL 220, and nine semester hours from the following list: other philosophy ethics courses, RELI 270, RELI 410, or no more than three semester hours from PHIL 325, PHIL 333, or POLS 333. PHIL 490 or PHIL 491 may count toward a minor in applied ethics, provided the subject matter of the course is in the area of ethics.

• You can receive either a minor in applied philosophy or a minor in applied ethics, not both.