Rel 340: Contemporary Ethical Issues Spring 2004 Syllabus

Course Description:

The notion of what constitutes contemporary ethical issues has changed significantly in the past decade.  While time honored ethical questions are still valid, i.e., what constitutes a good society or a good person, the context within which we pose those questions has been altered by transnational political, economic, and technological forces.  Our ethical choices and behaviors now take place within a world where our actions are inherently connected to the fate of people on the other side of the globe, and indeed to the fate of the planet itself.  We now must consider our actions in the face of world poverty, environmental devastation, pollution, unrestrained technology, and fears of violence and militarism.  

For those who seek to live consciously and ethically,  traditional ethical theories, whether secular or religious, seem not to address the immense and serious implications of the choices we make in our daily lives.  In a sense, 21^st life seems to have outpaced our capacity to articulate and enact effective ethical models and the world often seems out of control.   While some have become discouraged by the gap between our ideals and our ability to effect change in a world, the need for ethical reflection and behavior has never been greater.

This course steps into that gap between the need for ethically informed action and the knowledge that we may not be able to effect change in a world run by forces of globalization.   The author of your text, Roger Gottlieb, suggests that “all we can be sure of is that in living out what is most sacred to ourselves we choose the path that is modt likely to take us all to that new world…(where) according to the prophet Amos, ‘justice and righteousness well up like a newer-ending stream’.”   What is required today is  the prophetic voice of“hope and faith.”   Drawing on Gottlieb’s sentiments, we will explore the ethical resources that reside within global religious social activism.

In so doing, the course begins with certain assumptions.  It will take a primarily critical position towards globalization.  It assumes that even our best intended actions are compromised by our location in the richest country in the world.  It assumes that what is important in a life is what one does rather than what one says or believes.  It is our actions that constitute the world.  It assumes that you care about the future. 

Course objectives:

The course will be divided into several units:  Globalization; Religion and Globalization; Prophetic Voices.   Our conversations will be progressing along three parallel tracks.  We will be concerned about gathering information and knowledge about the processes of globalization, we will be learning about religious perspectives for a postmodern world, and we will be examining our own capacities to act upon our values.

Readings:

Roger Gottlieb, Liberating Faith:  Religious Voices for Justice, Peace, and Ecological Wisdom

Recommended websites:

www.emory.edu/SOC/globalization

www.globalpolicy.org

www.worldwatch.org

Course requirements:

1.      Attendance and participation is assumed.  You are allowed 3 absences before your grade is affected.  This class combines lecture with class discussion and full participation on your part. There will be plenty to process and integrate, but you need to be ready to be fully present.  This includes being current in your readings and being ready to discuss them.

2.      Special events:  A number of evening events will be part of this class,  These include:

• Feb 23   Amy Mass on the internment of JapaneseAmericans during World War II
• Mar 9  Nancy Cleeland on Wal-mart Effect:  Faculty Center at 7:00
• April 13  Christian Appy  on Vietnam War  Johnson House, p.m
• April 22  Sam Hamill,  Poets Against the War Activist,  Johnson House, p.m.

3.      Work load, assignments, and evaluation :

• There will be no exams in this class.

·         Since participation is valued, you will be evaluated on your overall participation, your ability to contribute regularly to discussions and your demonstrated command of the readings.

Assignments:

• Personal narrative, Part I:  One of the main purposes of this course is to examine one’s own ethical dilemmas within a postmodern, global context.  Thus you will write a personal narrative during the first week of class that examines your current beliefs, values and actions.  Guidelines forthcoming.

• Globalization reading projects:  You will be expected to report on aspects of globalization that you encounter on the websites as noted in syllabus.
• Walmart case study:  You will construct an analysis of the L.A. Times article “The Wal-mart Effect” in terms of globalization issues that we discuss in class. 
• Synopses/analysis of religious statement on globalization:  You will be responsible for the readings on one of the world religions in the Religion and Globalization section.  This includes a short paper summarizing the readings and facilitating a class discussion on the readings.
• Response to Hauerwas on 9-11:  2-3 page reflection on Hauerwas’ pacifist response
• Project:  lives of resistance.  Class presentation on interview with a religious activist
• Personal narrative, part II 

Schedule of Readings, Issues and Assignments