Minor in Ethics

The minor in ethics is a low-credit option to add skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, and cultural competence to your portfolio, and an ethics minor complements almost any other program of study. Requirements for the minor are summarized below.

PHRE faculty are at work in 2022-2023 to develop an online pathway for completing this minor. If an online option would work for your plan of study, or to learn more about minoring in ethics, get in touch with our department chair or visit us in CHBS 4202. 

The Ethics Minor consists of 15 semester hours of philosophy courses as outlined below:

• PHIL 112 - Introduction: Ethics and Society 
• PHIL 215 - Healthcare Ethics
• PHIL 219 - Environmental Ethics
• PHIL 390 - Ethical Theory
• PHIL 430 - Advanced Healthcare Ethics

Our philosophy faculty come from diverse backgrounds, have diverse interests, and are internationally recognized in their areas of specialization.

• Dr. Guy Axtell is a widely recognized expert on virtue theory and objectivity.
• Dr. Steven Fesmire is an internationally known scholar of ethics, education, and politics.
• Dr. Gilburt Goffstein is an expert in philosophies of human liberation, focusing on thinkers like Freud, Marx, G. H. Mead, and Habermas.
• Dr. Heather Keith publishes widely on ethics, intellectual disability, and environmental philosophy.  
• Dr. Glen Martin researches and writes extensively on global democracy. 
• Nickolas Montgomery researches game theory and the philosophy of language.
• David Parks specializes in offering introductory courses in philosophy. 
• Katy Shepard is a philosopher and artist, and studies the role of artists in building identity and fostering liberation.  
• Mr. Darrell Shomaker holds expertise in healthcare ethics.
• Michael Zarella specializes in offering courses about the fundamental questions of human existence.