ECON 310 Ethics and Economics

If an action produces “desirable” outcomes (e.g. wearing a mask during a pandemic), would the good outcome alone can make the action “morally right thing to do?” Most economists would believe so. For instance, economists tend to favor buying and selling of nearly everything freely since it would be a “win-win” proposal for all the parties involved. Otherwise, nobody trades, as the logic goes. This line of moral reasoning (called “consequentialism”) has been so dominant in the public policy-making practice that we are inclined to think of it as common sense. As a result, other ethical perspectives (including those that are not Eurocentric) have been marginalized. This course exposes the ethical biases behind the current practice of policy making; and the racial, gender, and income inequalities such inherent (but unrecognized) biases tend to create and reinforce. The course offers students wider ethical lenses from which legitimacy of various policies and institutions could be debated. It is built on the insight that the underlying motivation behind actions does matter in building an equitable society tolerant of diversity. In a case study-based structure and debate-oriented setting, this course will help students develop a substantive grasp of duty- and virtue-based perspectives and apply these perspectives to a set of contemporary policy issues in the U.S. from self-driving vehicles to surrogate motherhood.

Repeatable: N
Formerly 50-3202
SS DEI
Prerequisites ENGL 112 Writing and Rhetoric II or ENGL 112H Writing and Rhetoric II: Honors or ENGL 122 International Writing and Rhetoric II
Minimum Credits 3 Maximum Credits 3