Ethel Walker School
Curriculum: Ethics and Social Justice
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was conceived in the aftermath of Nazi crimes against six million Jews, Roma people, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities during the Holocaust. In this course, students will investigate both the historical development of a human rights philosophy, genocide in the 20th century, and contemporary human rights issues. We will also learn about the role that international courts play in our understanding and commitment to protecting human rights around the world. This course is designed to examine the terrible crimes of modern world history, but also, importantly, at the resistance and cultivation of justice in their aftermath.
Offered Spring 2025
Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Topics in Philosophy is an introduction to thinking clearly about universal questions that have been asked from the beginning of time. We will survey great thinkers from both Western and Eastern traditions and make philosophers of you by entering into the creative activity of thinking deeply. We will think about things which we believe to be of ultimate importance such as how we know what we know, what it means to be a self, what is real, and how we define truth, beauty, goodness, freedom, personhood, and God. Students will develop in-depth analysis of complex topics. Students will complete advanced level research and writing assessments. Students will also consistently demonstrate independence and preparedness with their work.
Prerequisite: Departmental approval
Offered Fall 2024
In order to be a culturally competent global citizen, one must understand the motivations, traditions, and cultural forces that influence the globe, including religion. Though the United States is an increasingly secular state, other parts of the world are strongly influenced by their religious traditions, informing international relations, social values, and the global marketplace. This class will address the religious practices of the major world religions and the vast spectrum of beliefs within each that makes it difficult to generalize about them. To honor the living traditions that we are studying, we will not only examine but will also find ways to experience the Hindu Traditions and various Yogas, Buddhism and Meditation (or the interpretation of a Koan), Taoism and Tai Chi, Islam and Prayer, Christianity and Worship, Judaism and the study of the Torah, and native Aboriginal and American relationships to the Earth. In the midst of this quest, we will consider the way astrology, cults, New Age practices, and mindfulness function as derivatives of religious intent.
Offered Spring 2025
Human society has always looked for answers to big questions: Why am I here? What is my place in society? How should I behave toward others? What is the nature of good and evil? This course introduces students to tracts of moral and political philosophy from Aristotle to Nussbaum. Ethical reasoning is applied to an examination of contemporary issues such as bioengineering, human rights, social justice, our relationship to the natural world, and the obligations of citizenship. Students will be encouraged to use what they are learning as a framework to develop and support their own opinions on these topics.
Offered Fall 2024
This course will introduce students to systems of social inequality in the United States. We will investigate the structural, interpersonal, and social dimensions of oppression. Course materials will explore the ways that sexism, heterosexism, and racism have developed over time as well as the ways they impact each of us every day. Students will develop language, tools, and skills to create positive social change.
Offered Fall 2024