The Ethics and Public Interest Minor adds value to students’ existing majors, enabling them to:

•  Understand the historical development of ethical thought in the western philosophical and religious traditions, and develop the ability to participate actively in the on-going conversations on such perennial questions as:
•  What are the demands of justice?
•  What constitutes the common good and how is it best served?
•  What is the relationship between the public interest and the rights of individuals?
•  What motivates ethical practices and behaviors?
•  Understand the components of policy process in the United States, develop the ability to analyze contemporary policies from a variety of ethical perspectives, and develop the skills and knowledge to formulate their own policy questions and policy proposals.
•  Demonstrate academic knowledge and expertise in addressing the ethical and policy concerns of their future professions
•  Learn how specific types of theory are used to address issues in different fields of study, e.g. discipline-specific codes of ethics, theories of social justice, economic utilitarianism.
•  Develop an appreciation for the multiplicity of ethical perspectives and the complexity of ethical issues in specific areas of study.
•  Grasp how ethics is not an isolable aspect of our lives and learn to recognize how it informs and shapes their professional and personal lives.
•  Develop the knowledge, skills, values and global awareness necessary to assume leadership roles at Meredith and in their professions

Additionally, students will develop their understanding of the ethical complexities that abound in our public and professional lives and become reflective and actively engaged leaders in their future public lives.

This minor also complements a major in such fields as:

•  Biology
•  Business
•  ESS
•  Chemistry
•  English
•  History
•  Political Science
•  Child Development
•  Psychology
•  Religion
•  Women’s Studies
•  Family and Consumer Sciences
•  Fashion Design/Merchandising
•  Communication
•  Social Work

•  and others!