The Undergraduate Certificate in Ethics, Values, and Society (CEVS) is an academic program for undergraduates to explore questions about ethics, politics, and social justice across topics and subject areas. We believe that ethics and values are an integral part of every major and discipline. In particular, the Certificate enables students to combine more practical and applied inquiries into ethical and social/political issues (perhaps pursued in the student's major) with grounding in the theoretical foundations of such inquiries.
The grounding in the main theories of ethics and political philosophy provided in the Foundational Philosophy Courses in the Certificate will add depth and richness to the student's studies in other, more applied and content-specific classes.
Certificate courses are organized around five themes with which most of the courses can be associated. Students are encouraged (not required) to select their Certificate courses with a thematic focus in mind:
- Institutions: This theme concerns questions of ethics and justice in political, economic, legal, educational, and other institutions. Issues regarding international justice and human rights are also covered by this theme.
- Culture and Identity: This theme explores and critiques conceptions of ethics and justice in relation to issues of culture and identity, including issues concerning class, race, gender, and sexual orientation.
- Environment: This theme covers the just distribution and use of environmental resources, as well as the ethical treatment of non-human animals.
- Health: This theme covers the just distribution and use of health resources, problems in bioethics, and related issues.
- Information Ethics: This theme examines ethical issues regarding media and the use of information technology.
