KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 18, 2025 – Traditionally, ethical theory—a systematic framework that provides rational bases for determining what is morally right and wrong—has been a primary focus for ethics courses taught within higher education.

But like many aspects in life, adaptation is required to meet current standards and needs, ethics notwithstanding. While understanding what is morally right and wrong is still significant in everyday life, how that mantra is applied in certain professions has changed over the last three decades.

Understanding this evolution, the University of Rhode Island Department of Philosophy has revamped one of its ethics courses based on student feedback to deliver it in an innovative way. Formerly known simply as “Ethics,” the rebranded “Big Ethics” course (PHL 212) combines lectures with recitations so students can see how ethical theories can be applied to real-life scenarios.

“Together, they help students not only learn ethics but learn to apply ethics in their personal lives, their professional futures, and their roles as responsible members of society,” said Prasasti Pandit, an assistant philosophy professor at URI and “Big Ethics” course coordinator.

William Krieger, chair of URI’s philosophy department, says the traditional way of teaching ethics worked well 30 years ago when those taking philosophy courses were thinking about entering graduate school. But in recent years, students suggested to Krieger’s department that in addition to preparing philosophers for graduate work, the ethics course should be more aligned to modern-day job experiences.

“For instance, nurses felt they needed some additional clarity and understanding about how to apply classroom knowledge to nursing,” Krieger said. “So, we took an innovative approach to better educate our students.”

Now, the “Big Ethics” course—which began this fall and is widely accepted by students—is offered in two segments. The first is the large lecture, where students learn foundational ethics frameworks, such as theories and key philosophical ideas. These frameworks are applied through real-life moral dilemmas, case studies and open discussion, Pandit says, allowing students to see ethics not as an abstract thing, but something that genuinely shapes decisions in everyday life.

During these large lectures, Pandit offers a myriad of teaching methods to ensure the foundational ethics theories are covered in the class. Such methods include open discussions and in-class activities, such as polls and students doing written reflections applying to that day’s topic.

The other segments are three recitation sections that allow students to have more focused discussions on specific areas of concern—medical ethics, environmental ethics and criminal justice (with the ability to add additional focus areas, depending on program and student interest). Here, students practice reasoning, questioning, debating and reflecting on their own moral points of view in an intimate atmosphere.

Additionally, Pandit occasionally uses movie references, either noting specific scenes or characters, to help students analyze how philosophical ideas appear in real-life situations. She says some movie scenes align closely with classic philosophical thought experiments shared in the class, thus enhancing engagement with students.

Objectivism, or equally looking at both sides of an argument, is a frequent topic among students in the class. Abraham Diop, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, who is double majoring in philosophy and political science, says the objectivity he learned in the class, looking at both sides of various issues such as environmental ethics, helped him better understand their significance.

“The course has really given me and other students insight into what kind of responsibility and power all of us hold when it comes to making a difference in the environment or really any ethical issue,” said Diop, who hopes to become a lawmaker after graduating from URI.

Abbey Jasinowski, a pharmacy major from Centennial, Colorado, says objectivism is important regarding major decisions to be made in caring for patients, such as who should receive an organ transplant. Jasinowski also says the objectivism she’s learning will help her be a trusted medical professional and treat patients as people, not lines in a spreadsheet.

“It’s important to remember that at the end of the day these patients are people and treating them simply as just an illness or a number is almost immoral in a way,” she said. “One of the most important things that I’ve learned from this class is that you can’t take a very subjective approach to ethics, especially when in the medical industry.”

Pandit hopes the Big Ethics class will attract more students in the future. Plus, the philosophy department will soon partner with the URI College of Business to include AI ethics as a new recitation class within the Big Ethics course. 

“It is important for everyone to morally and responsibly use artificial intelligence in our learning process and how we can utilize the tool in everyday life,” Pandit said.