INQ-120 | Ethics in Public Policymaking

Full Title: Ethics in Public Policymaking

Topic Description:

What are the major ethical dilemmas in U.S. public policymaking? What role should government play in improving the lives of its citizens? Whether one examines the policy process at the national, state, or local levels, the policymakers are often faced with a range of difficult issues that involve the choices about ehtics. Given the state of partisan polarization in American politics, and the apparent lack of civility in political news media, perhaps it is more important than ever to consider the ethical dilemmas faced by policymakers of all partisan and ideological dispositions. The focus of inquiry in this course will be to utilize the works of several political scientists to examine various ethical dilemmas across a range of salient policy issues. To that end, this course will also focus on how to develop, write, and present arguments about some of the most contentious ethical issues in contemporary American public policy.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: October 2015