Minor Program

The Ethics in Society minor is open to students in any department who wish to enrich their studies through the exploration of moral issues in personal and public life. Students must declare the minor on Axess no later than the last day of fall quarter of their senior year, although they are strongly advised to declare sooner.

Requirements

A minor in Ethics in Society requires six courses for a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 30 units toward the minor.

1. Three Ethics in Society courses:
   
   
   • ETHICSOC 20 Introduction to Moral Theory, or ETHICSOC 170 Ethical Theory
   • ETHICSOC 30 Introduction to Political Philosophy, or ETHICSOC 171 Political Philosophy
   
   
2. Two courses at the 100-level or above that address some dimension of moral or political theory or practice.



3. One course at the 200-level or above that address a moral or political problem, in either theory or practice.

The 100-level and 200-level courses focus around a central theme; such as biomedical ethics, environmental ethics, or ethics and economics. The courses at the 100 and 200 level are normally taken after completion of ETHICSOC 20 and 30.

Subject to the approval of the Director of the Ethics in Society Program, a course covering similar subject matter in another department or program may be substituted for ETHICSOC 20/170 or 30/171.

No course credited to the Ethics in Society minor may be double counted toward major requirements.

Citizenship Option

The citizenship option for the minor introduces students to the theory, history, and practice of citizenship in democracies. When a student declares the minor in EIS on Axess, no notation is made of the citizenship option (or specialization), and this notation does not appear on transcripts or the diploma.

--- Requirements of Citizenship Track

In addition to the courses listed in (1) above, all students taking the citizenship option must also take: ETHICSOC 198, Community Engagement Internship, plus three additional classes from a total of two of the following categories. Students may petition to have other relevant courses counted towards the minor.

1. Citizenship and Government Action
• POLISCI 123. Politics and Public Policy
• POLISCI 242T. Social Protection Around the World
• PUBLPOL 164. Comparative Public Policy
• PUBLPOL 182A. Policy Making and Problem Solving at Local and Regional Level


2. Citizenship and Entrepreneurship
• ETHICSOC 108. Ethics and the Professions
• ME 206. Entrepreneurial Design to Eliminate Poverty
• PUBLPOL 180. Social Innovation
• PUBLPOL 181. Environmental Entrepreneurship
• PUBLPOL 195. Business and Public Policy
• URBANST 163C. Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship


3. Citizenship and Education
• EDUC 167. Educating for Equity and Democracy
• EDUC 179BX. Youth Empowerment and Civic Engagement
• EDUC 220C. Education and Society
• EDUC 247. Moral Education
• EDUC 304. The Philosophical and Educational Thought of John Dewey


4. Global Citizenship and Non-Governmental Organizations
• POLISCI 143. Non-Governmental Organizations and Development in Poor Countries
• POLISCI 223R. Philanthropy: Effecting Social Change and Innovation in the Public Sector
• PUBLPOL 189. Introduction to Civil Society and the Non-Profit Sector

Procedure for Submitting a Proposal to Receive an Ethics in Society Minor

1. Obtain an unofficial transcript via Axess and discuss the minor with a faculty advisor selected from the Program in Ethics in Society faculty list.
2. Prepare a draft proposal that includes: a list of courses you plan to take to fulfill the requirements, and the name of your faculty advisor.
3. Submit a copy of your proposal to Joan Berry at joanberry@stanford.edu or in Bldg 90, Room 91G.
4. Submit your application to receive a minor from the Ethics in Society program via the web through the Registrar's Office home page at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/registrar. Select "Student," then "Academic Issues," then "Declaring a Minor" and then follow the instructions. The minor declaration for will be sent online to your faculty advisor for approval and to the Program in Ethics in Society.