TMCE8117 · Theology and Ministry

Christian Ethics and Social Structures

Clough School of Theology and Ministry

This course examines the various ways in which Christian ethicists have addressed social structures, from the groundbreaking work of Latin American liberation theologians in the 1960s to today. The course emphasizes the necessity of understanding social realities (such as structure, culture, and the relation of structure and moral agency) in order produce normative claims regarding social evil and how persons should respond such evil. To that end, the course introduces students to prominent social theories, such as methodological individualism and critical realism. The course then turns to critical contemporary ethical problems, such as global warming and the exploitation of labor.