Ethics in Theological Perspective

This class begins with analysis of some contexts in which moral reasoning happens today –
analysis that itself begins the work of moral reasoning. The class then introduces a series of
concepts that have played significant roles in and beyond Western Christian traditions, inviting
students into critical conversation around those concepts. The class concludes by opening into
opportunities to deepen and revise understandings of these terms in the process of using them to
think through questions around two pressing topics: sex and the environment.

The class aims to give students an opportunity to become more adept in the work of moral
reasoning. It invites students to take up perspectives both within and outside of Western
Christian traditions. In particular, the class is designed to cultivate these qualities:

A reflexive sensibility that enables students to understand their commitments more
clearly, locate their commitments in social and historical contexts with more
precision, and revise their commitments in conversation with others who have
different commitments (assignments 1, 2, and 4 are tailored especially to this goal)

Knowledge of a historically rooted vocabulary for moral reasoning (the mid-term and
final are tailored especially to this goal)

The ability to use and refine this vocabulary in reasoning about complex situations
(assignment 3 is especially tailored to this goal)

A sense of the limits of ethics as a discourse (the mid-term and final are especially
tailored to this goal)