This course explores the principles and challenges of ethical decision-making in the corporate world. It emphasizes the importance of integrity, accountability, and social responsibility in building trust between businesses and their stakeholders. Through case studies, discussions, and practical exercises, we will analyze real-world scenarios of ethical dilemmas in areas such as marketing, finance, and human resources, and explore the concept of corporate social responsibility. My hope is that you will leave equipped with the critical thinking skills and ethical frameworks necessary to make principled decisions, align personal and organizational values, and foster a culture of integrity in professional environments.

Instructor Learning Outcomes
Learning is a process of transformation. When you learn something, you have changed in
some way, be it drastically or subtly. Here are some goals we have for you (and us) over the
course of the semester:

• Apply practical tools and strategies to make principled decisions that balance organizational goals with social responsibility and stakeholder interests.

• Demonstrate the ability to propose and implement ethical solutions, promoting a culture of integrity and accountability, within organizations.

• Have greater skill at initiating and navigating (potentially) uncomfortable conversations
  about contentious ethical issues.

• Gain experience deconstructing complex arguments, especially in writing, and charitably
  reconstructing them identifying: the conclusion, premises, assumptions, and objections.

• Develop dialectic skills such as, active listening, critical analysis, clear speaking, as well as
  collaborative thinking and synthesis.

Instructor's Note on Philosophy's (lack of) Diversity and Inclusion

In an ideal world, philosophy would honor all voices that have contributed to its concepts, theories, and conversations over time. Unfortunately, this world is not ideal. There are many people from marginalized communities who will likely never receive the recognition they deserve because philosophy has, and continues to, privilege a very small subset of voices.

In this course, we will read papers from a diverse group of philosophers. Even so, I acknowledge that I have likely (if unintentionally) overlooked sources that deserve attention. It is possible (even likely) that there may be both overt and covert biases in the material due to the lens with which it was written. Integrating a diverse set of experiences is important to the practice of good philosophy and I would like to discuss these issues as part of the course when they arise. Please contact me (in person or electronically) or submit anonymous feedback through the canvas survey form if you have any comments or suggestions to improve the quality of the course and its incorporation of diversity along all dimensions

A Supportive Class Environment

I want our classroom to be a place of exploration that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.) To help accomplish this:

• I will make sure to use your preferred name and pronouns.
• I will address racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, classist, and other prejudicial statements and actions in the course, and follow up with those affected.
• I (like many people) am still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it, ESPECIALLY if that person was me.

Required Textbook and Course Materials

I do not require any texts for this course. All readings and media will be provided for you through our Canvas Course Shell. I do this because I recognize that even small book fees can add up and this puts an undue burden on some students. However, I love philosophy and would be more than happy to recommend further readings should you become interested! I would be even more delighted if you wanted to discuss them with me in office hours or over coffee sometime.

We will be using the learning management system Canvas this semester. Campus provides students with technology guidelines and recommendations to make sure you can access our course shell.

Grade Components

Attending class and sections is mandatory. Philosophy is best done with others, and you (as
well as your peers) will learn more when you participate actively and thoughtfully. We will go
over what it means to be a thoughtful contributor to our discussions in the first days of the
course.

ANNOTATIONS (25%)
One of the most important parts of this course is reading. We will read/listen to a variety of types
of sources. Some will be academic papers, and some will be from media outlets. Sometimes the
reading will be challenging and test your patience. However, it is the best way to encounter new arguments, and will be the basis for our in-class work. Therefore, I want to reward you for completing it. By annotating (we will talk about what this means) the reading each week, you will receive
points, and these points make up the largest component of your grade.

QCCRs (20%)
By the end of each day we have class you will submit a QCCR. QCCR stands for: Question, Comment, Critique, Reflection. This is a reflection and feedback device that will help you sort out your own thoughts about what happened in class and help me to understand how you are feeling about the material.

CLASS FACILITATION (20%)
Each of you (with friends) will be responsible for teaching the class one day. You will do this is
consultation with me to make sure you are well prepared to have a good class.

ADVICE SHORT PAPERS (20%-10% each)

Twice in the semester you will be presented with real-world inspired ethical dilemmas from business settings. You will give advice to the fictional person who finds themselves in the dilemma using the ethical frameworks we are working with in class, explaining why you think they should act in a certain way.

FINAL REFLECTION (5%)

You will write a brief, guided reflection on what you have learned in this course and how you can see yourself using the material in your future role as a young business professional. Due at the time of final.