This Course at MIT

This Course at MIT pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 15.270 Ethical Practice: Leading Through Professionalism, Social Responsibility, and System Design as it was taught by Dr. Leigh Hafrey in Spring 2016.

This course introduces seminar participants to aspects of ethics in business, with a focus on general management. Students explore both the philosophy driving ethics and the daily challenges that managers face; they also engage with the subject with guest faculty and business and other professional practitioners. Individual sessions take the form of moderated discussion, with occasional short lectures from the instructor.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

  • Explore three ever-wider circles of ethical complexity: 1) individual and professional commitments; 2) the rights and responsibilities of corporations; and 3) the social and ethical underpinnings of business as an activity
  • Define terms central to each of these circles
  • Conduct a brief historical assessment of business and capital in the early 21st century
 

Instructor Insights

My teaching assistants and I provide feedback as another version of the dialogue I hope to foster among the students themselves.

— Leigh Hafrey

Below, Dr. Leigh Hafrey describes various aspects of how he teaches 15.270 Ethical Practice: Leading Through Professionalism, Social Responsibility, and System Design.

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

None

Requirements Satisfied

None

Offered

Every spring semester

The Classroom

  • Five curved rows of fixed seating with green chairs facing a lectern.

    Room 1 of 1

    Seminar

    Seminars were held in a classroom with tiered seating and A/V equipment.

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by classroom participation. 40% Class participation
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by three team papers. 30% Three team papers
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by individual paper. 30% Individual paper

Instructor Insights on Assessment

Dr. Leigh Hafrey shares his insights about providing students with feedback.

Student Information

32 students took this course when it was taught in Spring 2016.

Breakdown by Year

Mostly graduate students

Breakdown by Major

Mostly Sloan MBA students

Typical Student Background

Many students come to the course with experience in the non-profit sector.

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 6 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

In Class

3 hours per week
  • Met 2 times per week for 1.5 hours per session; 13 sessions total.
  • Individual sessions took the form of moderated discussion, with occasional short lectures from the instructor.
  • One session included a panel on Business and the Professions.
 

Out of Class

3 hours per week
  • Team writing assignments
  • Individual paper
  • Readings
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
2 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
3 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
4 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
5 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
6 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
7 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
8 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
9 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
10 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
11 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due.
12 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due.
13 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due.
14 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
15 Seminar scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar scheduled and assignment due. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when seminars are held. Seminars
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate due dates. Due dates