Ethical Exchanges: Bringing the Discipline of Philosophy to the African-American Community

FAIN: FW-50244-10

Lisa Michelle Yount
Savannah State University (Savannah, GA 31404-5255)

I seek to enhance my Ethics course by making it more meaningful to my students at Savannah State University, a historically black university. Essentially, the way I see myself being successful in my mission and making the learning process more intrinsically interesting for my students--while still cultivating an appreciation for the fruits of philosophy--is by changing the frame of how we apply the theories. In the past, I have coupled the canon with literature, to aid in the rigorous work of digesting and grappling with theoretical perspectives on ethics; but I think these aims could be better-served for my students by turning to particular actors and events in history. By re-framing our application in this way, students will see the image of their particular heritage projected centrally throughout the course as they wrestle with moral dilemmas and ethical injustices that very much continue to bear on our current situations.