Courses

Fall Semester information

291A: Prindle Reading Course:Paul Nnodim and Austin Okigbo, Ubuntu: A Comparative Study of an African Concept of Justice

Students will read, discuss, and reflect on a range of perspectives on Ubuntu: a relational or community-based ethical perspective from the Bantu cultures of South and East Africa. Ubuntu is the moral perspective of great South African leaders, such as: Nelson Mandela, who lead the successful struggle to overcome the racial segregation and injustice of apartheid; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who lead the nation's path-setting Truth and Reconciliation Commission (an innovative model for national, restorative justice after atrocity). Ubuntu ethics contrasts deeply with the individualism of modern, Western, Liberal moral and political philosophy, the perspective shared by Kant, Bentham and Mill, Sidgewick, Rawls, Ross, Nussbaum and other leading figures in philosophical ethics. The course will challenge students from Western cultures to step back critically from their own cultural perspective, engage with a new way of thinking about justice, and thereby to enlarge their moral imagination. For students from Bantu, and other non-Western, cultures, the course offers an opportunity to engage with a serious philosophical exploration of a moral perspective which has shown itself to have particular value in post-conflict and post-atrocity contexts, contexts which the world, unfortunately, continues to create.

291B: Prindle Reading Course:Percival Everett, James

"If a lie is what it takes to ensure our survival, then let it be told." So declares escaped slave Jim in Percival Everett's novel "James," a reimagining of Mark Twain's classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By turning Twain's novel on its head, Everett challenges traditional notions of truth and who gets to tell it. As the titular James struggles for control of his narrative and his destiny, he faces moral dilemmas familiar in western ethics: rights, consequences, duty, and virtue, to name just a few. But how can we, as readers, understand the complexities of choices made within the dehumanizing framework of slavery? This question will guide our inquiry over eight weeks. Some issues we will consider include: identity and performance, truth-telling and historical narratives; marginalization and human dignity, duty and freedom.

291C: Prindle Reading Course:W. Kamau Bell & Kate Schatz, Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book

What responsibilities do institutions of higher education and their students, faculty, and staff have to actively confront and seek to dismantle systemic racism, promoting justice, equity, and human dignity? Engaging in antiracist praxis acknowledges the historical and ongoing marginalization of certain groups, aiming to rectify power imbalances, and societal inequities. This commitment requires continuous self-awareness, critical examination of personal biases, and a dedication to transformative societal change. This course utilizes "Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book" by W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz to engage in interactive discussions and exercises aimed at understanding and dismantling systems of oppression. Students will critically examine concepts of white privilege, meritocracy, and historical disenfranchisement. The course emphasizes practical application by encouraging students to initiate conversations, reflect on personal biases, and commit to actionable steps toward creating a more equitable campus and society.

291D: Prindle Reading Course:Andrew Chignell, Evil: A History

Discussing evil in The Gulag Archipelago, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn writes, "If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" Solzhenitsyn makes several contested claims about evil in this quotation including: that there are no evil persons, that all humans have in them the capacity for good and evil, that evil is a fundamental part of human nature. In this course, we will look at the concept of evil. Our book Evil: A History contains several essays with varying views on evil. These essays consider its very existence, its nature, whether it is a force or a person, the source of evil, its scope, and other questions. In addition, the book will provide us with a sense of how evil is understood in various eras, religions, philosophies, and from the perspective of the natural sciences.

291F: Prindle Reading Course:Kara Tan Bhala, Ethics in Finance: Case Studies from a Woman's Life on Wall Street

How do financial professionals navigate high-pressure ethical decisions? This interactive, discussion-driven course explores real-world finance ethics through live role-play simulations, debates, and case studies. Students will grapple with whistleblowing, corporate bias, insider trading, and financial integrity by stepping into the roles of analysts, executives, regulators, and journalists.
Through simulations, ethical challenges, and a final personal ethics manifesto, students will build a practical framework for ethical decision-making applicable to finance, business, law, and beyond. No prior finance experience needed--just a willingness to challenge assumptions and think critically! The book is a must-read not just for anyone contemplating a career on Wall Street, but also for every retail investor navigating the new era of social media-driven investing. It is an honest and compelling read directly from the author's experiences as a sell side analyst and a successful portfolio manager.