REQUIRED READINGS

Loeb, P. R. (2010). Soul of a citizen: Living with conviction in challenging times (rev. ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin. Chapter 1, “Making Our Lives Count” (pp. 21–41)
Chapter 2, “We Don’t Have to Be Saints” (pp. 42–63)

Brink, D. (2014). Mill’s moral and political philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Fall 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/

The golden rule. (1991). In A. Wilson (Ed.), World scripture: A comparative anthology of sacred texts (pp. 114–115). St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.  Used by permission of Paragon House.

Johnson, R. (2014). Kant’s moral philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/

Kraut, R. (2014). Aristotle’s ethics. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/

Document: Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture (Word document)

REQUIRED MEDIA

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015a). Exploring the foundations of social responsibility [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

Assignment: Morality and Social Responsibility

Philosophical perspectives and theories on morality contribute to an understanding of the deep-rooted human need to question the role human beings play in society. Whether your views align with those of Aristotle, Kant, or Mill, you can explore the reasons behind your inherent motivation to act responsibly. At the outset of your life, you develop habits of thought based on what you are exposed to, where you live, with whom you live, and your experiences. In this Application Assignment, you critically examine these experiences as well as theoretical perspectives on morality and assess how they impact your moral and cultural identity. You also assess how these experiences influence your concept of social responsibility.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Read the articles by Brink (2014), Johnson (2014), and Kraut (2014) in this week’s resources. Summarize the key points of each theory. Does one theory resonate with you more than another? Why or why not?
• Make connections to your own culture. Consider whether these three theories are reflected in your own culture.
• Review the Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture document in this week’s Resources. Think about the ways different dimensions of culture inform your moral identity (e.g., how your national, ethnic, and/or gender identity informs your moral identity).
• Consider how different dimensions of culture inform your concept of social responsibility.