POL 316 - Social and Political Applied Ethics

Focuses on particular social and political problems of actual societies. Studies moral judgments for and against particular issues such as abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, immigration, the ethics of voting, food politics and genetically modified products, multiculturalism and women’s rights, (redistributive) taxation, the justness of war, world hunger relief, and healthcare as a right. These are all issues that motivate heated debates in current liberal democracies. Students will try to understand the analytical and reasoned arguments often invoked to justify or reject them.