ETHICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY: BUSINESS, POLITICS, & TECHNOLOGY

Become a “Summer Trojan” and earn college credit.

The world has undergone a social and technological revolution in the 21st century. How should we live in this new world? We are employees, entrepreneurs, voters, scientists, caregivers, consumers, family members, and so on—and also human beings. It can be far from obvious what these roles morally demand of us amid rapid and unpredictable change.

In the “Ethics in the 21st Century: Business, Politics, and Technology” course, we will consider urgent moral questions using traditional methods of philosophical inquiry. The questions we will investigate include: What makes a society (un)just? How should we respond to unjust laws? How, if at all, should we address socioeconomic inequality? What immigration policy should a country have?  What do businesses morally owe their employees, shareholders, customers, competitors, and society at large? What limitations, if any, should there be on which goods and services can be bought and sold on the market? What is meaningful work? Might future advances in automated labor justify a universal basic income? May we alter ourselves, our children, and humanity through genetic engineering? How concerned should we be about protecting our data? How much historically human work should be done by artificial intelligences and other machines?

This course will prepare students to be more reflective—and, we hope, more ethical—members of society, in addition to equipping them with skills in critical thinking, argumentation, and writing that are highly sought after in the academic, legal, and business world.

PROGRAM DATES
June 15 – July 12, 2025

PREREQUISITES
None

COURSE DRESS CODE
None

DAILY SCHEDULE & ACTIVITIES
MONDAY – FRIDAY
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Classes in session
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Classes in session

COURSE OVERVIEW

Highlights

  • Participate in structured and respectful debates in which students articulate and defend positions of their own, while considering and responding to objections
  • Engage with influential philosophical texts, documentary films, and news media
  • Develop university-level argumentative essays
  • Morally assess governmental and business policy decisions

Topic of Study

  • Critical thinking and logic
  • Ethical theories
  • Business ethics
  • Political philosophy
  • Ethics of technology

HEAR FROM OUR FORMER STUDENTS

The USC Summer Program gives students the opportunity to engage in actual college classes and workloads. You are given the chance to understand what college work feels like.
Kenneth R.
Armed Forces Europe
USC Summer Program 2020