Working Draft: Ethics and Values Brochure, Draft #4

Submitted by Shannon Mussett, fall 2009

The Mission Statement and Core Values of UVU state that as a

university we are committed to fostering a global perspective in our
region and to preparing people of integrity who will represent the best
of what Utah has to offer to the world. The one course on campus
devoted to and designed specifically for this purpose is Ethics and
Values. In fact, Ethics and Values represents the very heart of higher
education as it has been understood in the West, since the teachings
of Socrates.

The award-winning Ethics and Values Class has proudly served the
needs of students at Utah Valley University for over two decades.
Unanimously approved in 1986 as the core humanities general
education requirement for all students, Ethics and Values promotes an
interdisciplinary approach to education. With a view towards
educating the full person to be an ethical and engaged member of
society, Ethics and Values is designed to meet the changing needs of
students in the 21st century.

Unlike discipline specific ethics courses, Ethics and Values combines

various subjects such as history, philosophy, religion, literature and art
to foster critical thinking, reading and writing skills in all students,
regardless of their chosen area of study. These classes provide
challenging primary source material, active classroom discussions and
writing intensive assignments that help students develop the skills
requisite for success in the professional world.

In addition to the standard version of the class, many sections of Ethics

and Values satisfy the global intercultural requirement. Students can
also find classes that incorporate service learning, Honors, Distance
Education and off-site locations to fit their unique learning styles and
schedules.

Ethics and Values has received twenty years of national grants and
awards from such organizations as the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH), the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary
Education (FIPSE) and the Hesburgh Foundation. Nationally recognized
as a model for humanities classes in General Education, Ethics and
Values supports the mission of Utah Valley University to be a leader in
engaged education. After completion of the course:

• 94% of students agreed that the class encouraged them to consider

ethical issues and ideas from various perspectives.
• 96% of students agreed that the discussion of ethical issues was
 administered in a fair and equitable manner.
• 84% of students had a positive attitude toward the class as a whole.
• 91% of students agreed that they could apply what they had learned in
Ethics and Values to their life and to other courses.

For more information, please contact the department of Philosophy

and Humanities.

Michael Minch, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Philosophy
Department Chair
Director, Peace and Justice Studies
Utah Valley University
800 W. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058-5999

mminch@uvu.edu
801.863.7482
801.863.6146 (fax)

Erin Donahoe-Rankin
Advisor, Department of Philosophy and Humanities
Utah Valley University
800 W. University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058-5999

donahoer@uvu.edu
801.863.6717