Interdisciplinary Programs
Ethics
Why minor in ethics at North Central College?
As an Ethics minor you will explore and critically evaluate the moral ideas that shape our world. You will learn how to recognize the moral challenges and questions that are implicit in your life and work, and you will be challenged by your professors and peers to live a more principled and just life. A minor in Ethics is a perfect complement to any major and will set you apart from other applicants on the job market. We offer courses that consider in depth the ethical dimensions of business, health care, engineering, and law, but the principles you will learn apply to any career or vocation.
You can also:
- Hone your moral thinking skills and compete against other colleges as a member of the Ethics Bowl team
- Explore big questions with the NCC Philosophy Club
- Engage with local non-profits through community engaged learning projects
- Pursue internships with local community organizations.
Ethics Curriculum
Courses in ethics include:
- Professional Ethics
- Health Care Ethics
- Environmental Ethics
- Ethical Theory
- History of Philosophy
Ethics Minor
Ethics explores fundamental questions about right and wrong and ultimately asks what it means to live a good life. Students use critical thinking skills to apply ethical theories to real life dilemmas. An ethics minor can be integrated with any major and benefits graduates seeking to understand the ethical dilemmas in their personal and professional lives.
For additional programs and courses in this department, see
Minor Requirements
A minimum of 20 credit hours, including:
Required Courses
-
PHIL 110 - Ethics
PHIL 110 - Ethics
4.00 credit hours
An examination of alternative bases for morality and the arguments by which moral claims are justified.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions, Community Engaged Learning.iCon(s)
Being Human, Engaging Civic Life. -
PHIL 310 - Ethical Theory
PHIL 310 - Ethical Theory
4.00 credit hours
An examination of topics in contemporary and/or classical ethical theory. Course may focus on key figures in ethical theory or issues in normative ethics and metaethics. Topics have included virtue ethics, feminist ethics and relationships between normative ethical theory and social or natural sciences.
History of Philosophy
One of the following:
-
PHIL 260 - Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 260 - Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
4.00 credit hours
Part one of the History of Philosophy sequence: Ancient Greece through the 16th century.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions, Global Understanding.iCon(s)
Being Human. -
PHIL 265 - Modern Philosophy
PHIL 265 - Modern Philosophy
4.00 credit hours
Part two of the History of Philosophy sequence: The 17th through 19th centuries.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.iCon(s)
Being Human, Engaging Civic Life. -
PHIL 370 - 20th Century Philosophy
PHIL 370 - 20th Century Philosophy
4.00 credit hours
Part three of the History of Philosophy sequence: The analytical & continental traditons from the 20th century through the present day.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.iCon(s)
Being Human.
Applied Ethics
Two of the following:
-
PHIL 210 - Professional Ethics
PHIL 210 - Professional Ethics
4.00 credit hours
Professional ethics in selected career fields including law, business and biomedicine. Students may apply basic concepts to the career of their choice, relate their personal ethics to professional ethics and become better informed consumers of professional services. This course begins with an examination of the alternative bases for making moral judgments.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.iCon(s)
Innovating World. -
PHIL 213 - Health Care Ethics
PHIL 213 - Health Care Ethics
4.00 credit hours
Considers fundamental ethical questions concerning health care and applies ethics to contemporary debates such as abortion.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.iCon(s)
Examining Health. -
PHIL 225 - Environmental Ethics
PHIL 225 - Environmental Ethics
4.00 credit hours
After a brief examination of philosophical ethical frameworks, the following will be considered: the history of environmental ethics; the problem of the "moral status" of nonhuman animals and other aspects of nature: the environment and "the good life," ethical issues related to population growth, sustainability, diminishing/vanishing resources and the use of cost benefit analysis in environmental policy.
Cardinal Directions Designation(s)
Humanities, Ethical Dimensions.
Ethics Careers and Future Options
Potential Internships/Careers
- Hospitals and health care services
- Conservation groups
- Church ministry
- Social work
- Community activism organizations
Graduate Schools
Students can pursue graduate work in:
- Princeton Theological Seminary
- Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- Chicago Theological Seminary
- Vanderbilt University
- DePaul University
- Illinois State University
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