This course is an extended exercise in guided self-examination of the moral dimensions of one’s own agency as a public servant or as a citizen mindful of the public good. This is a class in practical ethics that introduces just enough theory to inform the reflections of a practitioner at the beginning or in the midst of their career. The class focuses on cultivating proficiency in several skills that help ground virtuous action. These skills include: 1) perceiving the moral dimensions of situations that arise in public service, 2) adequately weighing various moral tradeoffs that may have to be made as part of strategic action, and 3) effectively putting into reflective equilibrium, when it comes to making considered moral judgments, the verdicts of the heart and the verdicts of the head. Additionally, DPI-202 promotes 4) the capacity to entertain different moral perspectives, the ability to temporarily live in another person’s moral universe and see the world through their eyes. Close analysis of cases from around the world is the foundation upon which this course will sharpen your competency in being a virtuous public servant. Themes around racism and navigating cultural complexity appear prominently. Theoretical issues will always be articulated in connection with cases. Insights from moral psychology and other adjacent fields will be put into conversation with classic and contemporary ethical theory. We will also prominently integrate quite a number of movies, both for the sake of making the cases come alive and to conceptualize how media representation of human experience can influence how people think about challenges.
Offered: Harvard Kennedy School, Spring 2022
Position: Teaching fellow for Prof. Matthias Risse.