Augustana is one of a very few colleges in the Midwest to offer a program in ethics.
To study ethics is to study right and wrong, good and bad — with a special emphasis on the reasons for making such judgments.
Sometimes this takes the form of reflection (what makes “good” good?), and sometimes it takes the form of practical decision-making (should I cheat on this exam?). Sometimes ethics is about group decisions or the political sphere (should abortion be legal?) and sometimes it’s about individual character (how can I be more brave?)
In class, we rarely determine the answers to questions of right and wrong, but we always raise intriguing questions that can help you understand the moral dimensions of your personal and professional life.
Anyone in any field and any career path can benefit from studies that foster well-reasoned thinking and good citizenship. Careful reasoning about right and wrong in general, and about ethical issues in particular, is an important aspect of a liberal arts education.
Ethical citizenship
Examine and embrace your strengths, passions and values. Develop ethical convictions and act on them.
Critical thinking and information literacy
Judge and construct arguments, raise questions and define problems. Make a conclusion based on evidence.
Disciplinary knowledge
Gain a deep understanding of your subject and how it connects to other subjects.
Intellectual curiosity
Set yourself up for lifelong intellectual growth. Take responsibility for your own learning.
Creative thinking
Combine ideas to create something new. Use imaginative ways of solving problems.
• The religion and philosophy departments offer the jointly administered minor in ethics. The minor is especially suitable for students majoring in business, education, the health fields or law, or any other field related to serving the public. The ethics minor is open to all students.
Lyka May Canto '22 is a legal project manager and certified trademark paralegal at Innis Law Group in Chicago.
Alyssa Twilbeck '22 is pursuing a master's in international relations and affairs at George Washington University Elliot School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Genesis Li ’21 is a Master in Public Administration (MPA) candidate at Cornell University, Brooks School of Public Policy in Ithaca, N.Y.
Natalie Hardy '20 is a Ph.D. candidate and graduate assistant at Saint Louis University – Department of Health Care Ethics.
Lauren Clapp ’19 is the transplant patient navigator at University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City.
Daniel Williams ’19 is the CASA program coordinator at EveryChild (formerly the Child Abuse Council) in the Quad Cities.
Ebony Allen ’15 is a compliance analyst at Centene Management Company in Los Angeles, Calif.
Vanessa Reyes ’15 is the fair fight bond fund coordinator at the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network in Seattle, Wash.
“I am forever grateful for the network of mentors that I have here.”Read More
“Dr. Storl is someone who sparked a new passion for ethics. I enjoyed her courses so much that I took three of them.”Read More
“I entered as a pre-medicine/biology student ready to go to medical school. Today, I find myself studying a field that crosses the sciences and philosophy: bioethics.”Read More
Emily Hogren, a sophomore from Port Byron, Ill., majoring in biology, is the winner of the 2023 Ethics Essay Contest for her paper, "The Commodification of Death: Chain Funeral Homes and Their Impact on Clients and Employees."
Alison Lawrence, a senior from Roscoe, Ill., majoring in women, gender, and sexuality studies and pre-medicine, is the winner of the 17th annual Ethics Essay Contest for her paper, "Black Lips Don't Turn Blue."
Three years after she co-founded Augustana's The Gray Matters Collective —a mental health support and suicide awareness organization — Haley DeGreve continues to spread the message of hope and healing.
