Ethics & Global Citizenship

Program Overview

In an age of polarized political opinion and highly divisive cultural issues, questions of morality and ethics are often lost in the muddle of ideological simplicity.  More and more, our culture insists that you must either be totally for or totally against any given idea.  Consider the range of political and social problems which allow for moral ambiguity – international conflicts, abortion, gay marriage, poverty, global economies, genetic engineering – these issues are never as black-and-white as our cultural ideologues, or "talking heads," would have us believe.  The most productive way of resisting such absolutism is to try to understand what is important in each conflicting point of view, and to think critically, rather than emotionally, about what is ethically sound. 

The Ethics and Global Citizenship program at Tufts University is a lively and provocative course which will require you to confront, rather than avoid, moral ambiguity in reflecting on the most relevant problems of our global age.  Whatever your future path, taking on a role of leadership requires this sort of nuanced approach to thinking through ideologically- and morally- complex issues.  If you’re considering a career in such disparate fields as law, medicine, finance, education, international relations, religion, social work, or journalism, you will no doubt constantly find yourself confronted with the difficult question of What is the right thing to do? 

You will engage a variety of classical and modern texts, along with film and music clips and newspaper articles, in order to construct a methodology which will allow you not only to identify the Ethical Act, but to argue for it in a rhetorically responsible and persuasive way.  Most importantly, the structure of the class will emphasize reasoned and respectful discussion; the hollow simplicity of the "talking heads" will be replaced with the subtlety of interpersonal communication.

The Ethics and Global Citizenship program will provide you with the critical and intellectual resources to participate in our global society as an informed, articulate, and motivated citizen and leader.

The Ethics & Global Citizenship program meets Tuesday and Thursday, from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. The cost is $2,050.

© Copyright 2011 Tufts University. All rights reserved. Site designed by Gallager Design and maintained by ITS.