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Ethics Certificate

The Ethics Certificate program studies ethical theories, the history of ethical thought, applied ethical methodologies, and the good life (individually and collectively). The program is designed to give students the ethical reasoning skills to become good ethical decision-makers in their personal and professional lives. We explore contemporary ethical issues in bioethics, medical ethics, business ethics, and environmental ethics. We also explore social justice issues in the legal, social, and political arenas. Students who complete the program will be able to articulate clearly ethical problems, relevant ethical issues, and ethical dilemmas. Students will be able to construct justified ethical solutions to such problems while being sensitive to the multivarious perspectives, rights, and interests. Moreover, students will be prepared to analyze the value of existing codes of ethics in the workplace and implement guidelines for ethical behavior in a professional environment.

What a Moravian Ethics Certificate Can Do For You

Make you more marketable to employers in business health care and other professions

Enhance your career in business

Enhance your career in health care

Enhance your career in nursing  

Enhance your profile for medical school

  • (for medical school and doctors)

“Medical ethics will quickly become part of your life upon gaining a place at medical school, but an appreciation of modern medical ethics is also a necessary tool for your medical school interview, as you will undoubtedly encounter ethical questions.”  

    - The Medical School Application Guide

Program Requirements

The Ethics Certificate consists of four courses in value theory. One course unit may be from a related program subject to approval by the chair of the philosophy department.

  • PHIL 222 Ethics
  • PHIL 224 Applied Ethics
  • PHIL 226.2 Ethics Bowl I
  • PHIL 227.2 Ethics Bowl II
  • PHIL 228 Sport Ethics
  • PHIL 230/330 Advanced Topics in the Ethics of Abortion
  • PHIL 232 Race, Gender, Identity, and Moral Knowledge
  • PHIL 234 Ethics for the Public's Health
  • PHIL 234.2 Aristotle on Friendship
  • PHIL 250 Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 255 Social and Political Philosophy
  • PHIL 257 Bio-Ethics and Social Justice
  • PHIL 259 Medical Ethics
  • PHIL 265 Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 267 West African Philosophy: Akan Ethics
  • PHIL 279 Philosophy of Law
  • PHIL 281 Topics in Ethics
  • PHIL 330/230 Advanced Topics in the Ethics of Abortion
  • PHIL 355 Meta-Ethics
  • PHIL 371 Seminar in Philosophy
  • REL 260:  Moral Injury: A Pubic Health Crisis

Program Objectives

  1. To introduce students to the nature of value claims, the meaning of ethical judgments, and the nature of ethics.
  2. To introduce students to ethical principles and approaches that support moral decisions and moral judgments.
  3. To introduce students to the most prominent ethical theories in ethics such as consequentialism, deontology, utilitarianism, act-utilitarianism, rule-utilitarianism, virtue ethics, contractarianism, emotivism, different forms of relativism, and critiques of these theories.
  4. To teach students to critically evaluate ethical issues from various perspectives and construct good arguments in defense of a particular view or position.
  5. To teach students to write clearly in their analysis and evaluation of ethical issues and in their justifications of ethical positions.
  6. To introduce students to specific contemporary world ethical issues - such as social justice, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, world hunger and the responsibility of the affluent, war, animal rights, the death penalty, sustainability, climate crisis, etc., through the perspective of various normative theories to determine their ethical status.
  7. To introduce students to ethical issues that arise in areas such as business, medicine, nursing, public health, bioethics, politics, law, and policy. 

Why an Ethics Certificate? 

Certificate programs tend to be more technical and practical and are specifically designed to enhance students' careers. If a student's goal is to acquire a certain skill set, then a certificate is better than a minor. A minor, on the other hand, is more directed to fulfill students' desire for theoretical knowledge in a certain discipline.

The Benefits of an Ethics Certificate

Ethics permeates and is relevant to every profession, and thus it is an important practical skill to have no matter what discipline one decides to study. An Ethics Certificate will give Moravian students an advantage in the workplace, setting them apart from other professionals who lack good ethical decision-making professional development.

How to Register for the Ethics Certificate?

Please contact
Dr. Carol Moeller,
Associate Professor of Philosophy
at moellerc@moravian.edu.
or
Dr. Arash Naraghi,
Professor of Philosophy and Religion
at naraghia@moravian.edu.