In this undergraduate course, Amy B. Joy, Professor Emerita, Nutritional Sciences, introduced students to critical ethical-thinking and decision-making. The class explored ethics and morality topics using the popular television series “Breaking Bad” as an illustration. Beginning with a general discussion on ethical behavior, students discussed the ethical and moral choices illustrated by different characters in this television series. Professor Block Joy organized the class to educate students on different ethical theories and principles.
“Breaking Bad” promoted discussion of ethics, morality, right and wrong, family values, and other current issues. The characters in the five seasons of “Breaking Bad” have a range of ethical and moral dilemmas. Students watched Walter White (the main character who has terminal cancer) take a morally questionable road to achieve his goal of providing for his family. He justifies his becoming a drug-lord with the ethical theory that “the ends justify the means.” Is he a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher? Or is he a criminal addicted to power? It doesn’t take long for his ethical road to crumble as the consequences of his moral transgressions pile up. In this course, two important theories, action-oriented ethics and consequence-based ethics were introduced that encouraged students to explore their own ethical thinking and decision-making.
This course attracted a highly interdisciplinary group of 16 junior and senior undergraduates from many different departments (History, Art History, Law, Economics, Political Science, English, Business Administration, Media Studies, Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, and Rausser College of Natural Resources).
Instructor: Amy B. Joy, Professor Emerita, Nutritional Sciences, and Professor of the Academy