FD-EET: Ethical & Evaluative Thinking
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area V: Ethics and Values page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
All human cultures have produced systems of thought and belief concerning ways of being in the world and relating to one another. Courses in this foundational area equip students to engage these systems and wrestle with central human questions. Courses explicitly consider questions concerning values or teach students to think within, appreciate the resources of, and critically reflect upon a particular tradition of thought. Completing this foundational area will help students recognize and reflect on ethical and evaluative questions, become aware of what standards they bring to bear in answering them, appreciate and respect their own and other cultural systems, and work through disagreements with others.
learning objectives
Courses in Ethics and Evaluative Thinking are designed to foster the intellectual autonomy students will need to thrive as thinkers and agents in an increasingly complex world.
- Attain the conceptual tools needed to recognize and understand prescriptive issues, questions, and claims, and to distinguish them from descriptive issues, questions, and claims
- Identify the values presupposed by an outlook or discourse
- Recognize the complexity of many ethical issues and consider a variety of alternative resolutions and the reasons for holding them
- Appreciate the insights available in one or more intellectual or cultural traditions
- Reflect upon one's own answers to evaluative questions, the presuppositions informing them, and the reasons for supporting them
- Engage in respectful, rigorous and constructive dialogue concerning evaluative issues and communicate thoughtfully and clearly about them
Choosing courses
Many courses are in religion or philosophy, and others come from outside those disciplines. Their focus and organization vary, but all address important issues.
Approved Courses
| Subject | Number | Title |
| ANTHRO | 232-0 | Myth and Symbolism |
| ASIAN_LC | 373-0 | Religious and Textual Traditions in South Asia (or may be applied to FD-LA) |
| CLASSICS | 370-0 | Greek and Roman Religion |
| COMP_LIT | 207-0 | Introduction to Critical Theory (with PHIL 220-0)2 |
| COMP_SCI | 260-0 | Introduction to Law and Digital Technologies |
| ENGLISH | 220-0 | The Bible as Literature (or may be applied to FD-LA) |
| ENGLISH | 288-0 | Topics in Literature and Ethics (or FD-LA) |
| ENGLISH | 388-0 | Studies in Literature and Ethics (or may be applied to FD-LA) |
| FRENCH | 277-0 | French Existentialism (or FD-LA) |
| GBL_HLTH | 302-0 | Global Bioethics2 |
| GBL_HLTH | 324-0 | Volunteerism and the Ethics of Help2 |
| GNDR_ST | 233-0 | Gender, Politics and Philosophy (with PHIL 221-0)2 |
| GERMAN | 232-0 | The Theme of Faust Through the Ages (or may be applied to FD-LA) |
| GERMAN | 234-1 | Jews and Germans: An Intercultural History I (or may be applied to FD-LA)2 |
| GERMAN | 236-0 | Kafka and Nietzche (or FD-LA) |
| GERMAN | 272-0 | Luther and the West (with RELIGION 272-0) |
| GNDR_ST | 260-0 | Critical Fat Studies1 |
| HISTORY | 253-0 | A Global History of Prisons and Camps (or FD-HS)2 |
| HISTORY | 351-0 | Europe in the Age of Total War (or FD-HS)2 |
| HISTORY | 352-0 | Global History of Death and Dying (or FD-HS)2 |
| HISTORY | 261-0 | Sex after Shakespeare (or FD-HS) |
| HUM | 212-0 | Humanities in the World III |
| HUM | 325-5 | Humanities in the Digital Age |
| HUM | 370-5 | Special Topics in the Humanities |
| ISEN | 230-0 | Climate Change and Sustainability: Ethical Dimensions (with PHIL 270-0)2 |
| ISEN | 375-0 | Issues in Environmental Philosophy (with PHIL 375-0)2 |
| LEGAL_ST | 308-0 | Sociology of Law (with SOCIOL 318-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)1 |
| LEGAL_ST | 309-0 | Political Theories of the Rule of Law (with POLI_SCI 309-0) |
| LEGAL_ST | 350-0 | Psychology and the Law (with PSYCH 340-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)1 |
| MENA | 290-5 | Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies |
| MENA | 390-5 | Advanced Topics in Middle East and North African Studies |
| PHIL | 110-0 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| PHIL | 210-1 | History of Philosophy - Ancient |
| PHIL | 210-3 | History of Philosophy - Early Modern |
| PHIL | 216-0 | Introduction to Pragmatism |
| PHIL | 219-0 | Introduction to Existentialism |
| PHIL | 220-0 | Introduction to Critical Theory (with COMP_LIT 207-0)2 |
| PHIL | 221-0 | Gender, Politics, and Philosophy (with GNDR_ST 233-0)2 |
| PHIL | 222-0 | Introduction to Africana Philosophy2 |
| PHIL | 224-0 | Philosophy, Race, and Racism1 |
| PHIL | 240-0 | Freedom and Responsibility |
| PHIL | 254-0 | Introduction to Philosophy of the Natural Sciences |
| PHIL | 255-0 | Theory of Knowledge |
| PHIL | 260-0 | Introduction to Moral Philosophy |
| PHIL | 261-0 | Introduction to Political Philosophy |
| PHIL | 262-0 | Ethical Problems and Public Issues1 |
| PHIL | 266-0 | Philosophy of Religion |
| PHIL | 268-0 | Ethics and the Environment |
| PHIL | 269-0 | Bioethics |
| PHIL | 270-0 | Climate Change and Sustainability: Economic and Ethical Dimensions (with ISEN 230-0)2 |
| PHIL | 273-1 | The Brady Scholars Program: The Good Life |
| PHIL | 273-2 | The Brady Scholars Program: The Moral Life |
| PHIL | 273-3 | The Brady Scholars Program: The Good Society |
| PHIL | 326-0 | Topics in Philosophy of Medicine |
| PHIL | 364-0 | Business and Professional Ethics |
| PHIL | 375-0 | Issues in Environmental Philosophy (with ISEN 375-0)2 |
| POLI_SCI | 301-0 | Classical Political Theory |
| POLI_SCI | 303-0 | Modernity and Its Discontents |
| POLI_SCI | 304-0 | Human Rights Between East and West2 |
| POLI_SCI | 307-0 | Deportation Law and Politics1 |
| POLI_SCI | 309-0 | Political Theories of the Rule of Law (with LEGAL_ST 309-0) |
| POLI_SCI | 347-0 | Ethics in International Relations2 |
| POLI_SCI | 382-0 | Religion, Law, & Politics: Politics of Religious Diversity (with RELIGION 382-0) (or FD-SBS)1 |
| PSYCH | 249-0 | Buddhist Psychology |
| PSYCH | 340-0 | Psychology and Law (with LEGAL_ST 350-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)1 |
| RELIGION | 170-0 | Introduction to the Study of Religion |
| RELIGION | 172-0 | Introduction to Religion, Media, and Culture |
| RELIGION | 200-0 | Introduction to Hinduism |
| RELIGION | 210-0 | Introduction to Buddhism |
| RELIGION | 220-0 | Introduction to Hebrew Bible |
| RELIGION | 221-0 | Introduction to the New Testament |
| RELIGION | 230-0 | Introduction to Judaism |
| RELIGION | 240-0 | Introduction to Christianity |
| RELIGION | 250-0 | Introduction to Islam |
| RELIGION | 270-0 | Introduction to Theology |
| RELIGION | 271-0 | Theology of Love |
| RELIGION | 272-0 | Luther and the West (with GERMAN 272-0) |
| RELIGION | 295-0 | Ahimsa: Nonviolence in South Asia and Beyond2 |
| RELIGION | 308-0 | Indian Philosophy |
| RELIGION | 309-0 | Topics in Hinduism |
| RELIGION | 312-0 | Buddhism and Gender2 |
| RELIGION | 314-0 | Buddhism in the Contemporary World1 |
| RELIGION | 316-0 | Religion and the Body in China |
| RELIGION | 318-0 | Topics in East Asian Religions |
| RELIGION | 319-0 | Topics in Buddhism (or FD-LA) |
| RELIGION | 329-0 | Topics in the Bible |
| RELIGION | 345-0 | Idea of Sainthood in Christianity |
| RELIGION | 349-0 | Topics in Christianity |
| RELIGION | 351-0 | Islamic Law (or FD-HS)2 |
| RELIGION | 354-0 | Sufism |
| RELIGION | 360-0 | African American Religions (or FD-HS)2 |
| RELIGION | 369-0 | Topics in American Religion |
| RELIGION | 371-0 | Religion, TV, and Film (or FD-LA) |
| RELIGION | 373-0 | Religion and Bioethics |
| RELIGION | 374-0 | Contemporary Religious Thought (or FD-LA) |
| RELIGION | 377-0 | Christian Thought in Global Perspective |
| RELIGION | 382-0 | Religion, Law, & Politics: Politics of Religious Diversity (with POLI_SCI 382-0) (or FD-SBS)1 |
| SOCIOL | 318-0 | Sociology of Law (with LEGAL_ST 308-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)1 |
| SPANISH | 349-0 | Critical Thought in Latin America2 |
1 Also Overlay 1: U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
2 Also Overlay 2: Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity