Moral Minds: The Psychology of Morality

We have all “taken one for the team,” stood loyally by friends, overcome desires to cheat, and helped others before ourselves. We have also all stretched the truth to make ourselves look better, treated others intolerantly, and given preferential treatment to a friend. What motivates us to act in these moral and immoral ways? Are these actions guided by emotion or by reason? Is there one moral mind or many moral minds? What makes these actions “moral” in the first place? In this course, we will grapple with these issues by exploring moral psychology from developmental, evolutionary, and cultural perspectives. We will consider the biological bases of moral psychology, how we come to have a sense of right and wrong, and the role of culture in constituting our moral minds. We will apply theories and concepts in moral psychology to Supreme Court cases, while also becoming attuned to the subtle, often unnoticed patterning of moral psychology in our everyday lives. We will use a variety of formats to address these issues, including theoretical and empirical readings, student-led discussions, essays, small group projects, and oral presentations. This course counts as elective credit towards the Psychology major.