Intro to Examining Controversial Social Issues in the Light of Reason, Part 1 (1 Class/Week)

Students will learn by listening, watching, thinking, and talking...by engaging with the teacher and with each other.  The beginning of the class will involve a brief welcome to the class intro as well as voluntary student introductions, in order for everyone to get comfortable.

Topics will be given by the teacher, explained, and then the student's will be encouraged to ask questions about the topic.  Cases and examples will be given and talked through, and students will be asked to use reason and logic to arrive at sound conclusions.  Illustrations for concepts, when used, will be presented by the teacher on PowerPoint Slides or other media.  All student questions are welcomed and I will encourage questions to be asked in a polite, orderly manner.  Approximately 75% of the class will involve the teacher explaining concepts, and approximately 25% of the class will involve student engagement via questions, discussion and showing they understand the concept.

While not required, it is recommended that learners first take my, "The Art of Argument: Logic Matters in Every Day Life!" class.  That class provides a sound foundation for knowing how to reason well, a critical tool when discussing abstract concepts like this class covers.

While not required, it is also recommended that learners first take my, "An Introduction to Ethics: The Best Ways to Understand Right from Wrong!" class.  That class provides a solid foundation for understanding the basic ethical philosophical frameworks and moral theories.

This introduction class will provide a brief overview of the issues of the class, including:

Topics covered include:

The Importance of Reason and Logic in Examining Issues & The Problems with Relativism:
•	Without sound reason and proper logic, it is virtually impossible to have a coherent discussion about any ethical issue or abstract idea.  This fact will be explained and illustrated before moving on.
•	Ethical and truth relativism are growing in popularity in all Western cultures.  While sounding appealing, it has some very serious short comings.  These short comings will be described and discussed and solid conclusions drawn – moral objectivism is superior (provides far fewer contradictions) to cultural or subjective relativism.

Examining the Popular Doctrines of Judgmentalism, Tolerance and Respect:
•	We really ought to be tolerant of others, but many who proclaim tolerance have a difficult time actually practicing it towards others who don’t hold or affirm their views.  We will get to the bottom of that problem.
•	We really ought to be careful before judging an individual and we ought to make sure we self-evaluate before we do so.  However, we also need to speak against (judge) harmful behavior or destructive viewpoints, and to call doing so ‘being judgmental’ in some negative sense is irrational and counter-productive.  We will see why.
•	We really ought to respect other people who deserve it (and provide the benefit of the doubt to those we don’t know), but should we ‘respect’ people’s views when we judge those views as immoral, harmful or destructive?  We will examine this seeming conundrum and gain clarity on this issue.

The Importance of Free Speech & How to Preserve It:
•	The threat to free speech in democratic, pluralistic Western nations is very real.  People with particular ethical viewpoints or perceived as having ‘traditional values’ are being shut down by heckler’s veto quite regularly, with their content being labeled ‘hate speech’. 
•	We will dig into the free speech issue and arrive at sound conclusions which seek to both protect free speech, and empathize with the desire to minimize truly hateful speech.  We must take the higher road and not succumb to personal insults or using force in order to advocate what we believe is true or right.

Examining Identity Politics and Racism:
•	Large numbers of people in the U.S. and Canada are turning to identity politics as their means to understand political issues or achieve political or social goals.  What exactly is identity politics and what are the ramifications of trying to practice it?
•	Nearly everyone can agree that racism – treating people unfairly or unkindly due to the color of their skin – is a morally wrong practice.  However, identity politics seems to incorporate racism into its core ideology.  If so, this would have very negative consequences for a society.

Examining the Issues Concerning Immigration:
•	Immigration is a hot issue around the globe.  How do nations balance compassion and resource expenditure and the desire for new immigrants to assimilate into the culture?

Please see my statement below regarding objectivity in the Additional Notes: Parental Guidance section