PHIL 1317:  Business Ethics

Course Description

An examination of the philosophical problems which arise in connection with moral and social issues in a context of business: justice and economic distribution, the nature of capitalism, corporate responsibility, civil liberties in the workplace, affirmative action, product safety and the consumers, the environment, and a variety of moral choices facing employees. Students will develop a basic familiarity with important topics in the history of ethics including a familiarity with the major positions and their supporting arguments. We will begin by surveying major ethical traditions, including the works of Aristotle, Mill, Kant, and Locke, among others. We will then turn to moral issues that exist in a contemporary business world, and apply ethical theory by analyzing and evaluating moral arguments.

Instructor Biography

Dr. Nenad Popovic received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Miami in 2006 and joined SMU’s Philosophy Department as a lecturer in 2007. His areas of specialization include philosophy of education, logic, ethics and applied ethics. He has taught Business Ethics at SMU for the past four years and has instructed more than 350 students in this particular course. He also teaches Contemporary Moral Problems, Introduction to Philosophy, Elementary Logic, and Social and Political Philosophy.

Learning Outcomes and Benefits

• Become familiar with major ethical traditions
• Develop techniques of formal reasoning, skills and abilities to analyze and evaluate moral arguments
• Learn how to reason, argue and debate more effectively
• Develop writing and analytic skills
• Be equipped with knowledge of contemporary moral and social issues in a context of business, which will enable them to engage in an intellectual conversation on a number of topics in a variety of social settings
• Build a foundation for achieving their life goals (e.g. a successful career, a rich intellectual life, etc.)