RL 260 Moral Decision Making - Summer I, 2008
Course Description

This course is an introduction to the problems of moral decision making. As such, it will provide an introduction to various moral theories as well as a careful examination of a select number of contemporary moral issues. Specifically, we will examine utilitarian, Kantian, and natural law ethical theories, and we will take up the moral issues surrounding reproductive technology, cloning, stem cell research, euthanasia, and abortion. The course is designed to promote critical discussion of these issues. We will examine a variety of arguments and approaches to these moral issues--both religious and secular--in an effort to help us think and reason more clearly about them.

Paul Lauritzen

Blackboard Environment

The course will be conducted exclusively online through the Blackboard Environment. Students will be expected to participate daily in online modules for the course, which will include sustained interaction through the Discussion Forum feature of Blackboard. Online modules will include viewing cases that can be streamed through Blackboard, listening to oral arguments in relevant Supreme Court cases, and viewing (and listening to) presentations recorded by the instructor. All of the reading assignments for the course will be available online through Blackboard.

Click here to view a course introduction by Dr. Lauritzen.

iTunes may be required to view the presentation. Click here for a Free iTunes Download

If the slides are not showing in iTunes, click on the command "VIEW" and then "ARTWORK". The presentation will show in the lower left corner of your screen. Click once on the slide to enlarge the presentation.

2008 Syllabus

The syllabus for 2008 is not yet available. However, you may view last year's syllabus by clicking here.