Teaching Applied Ethics Effectively

The paper explains how to teach applied ethics while taking into account the intense metaethical debate going on behind the scenes. The preliminary discussion addresses teaching goals, challenges, and standards. Central to the main argument is an outline of two approaches to teaching applied ethics: (1) The 'outfitter approach' (explains and evaluates competing ethical theories, but does not argue in favor of any one of them in particular); (2) the 'advocate approach' (also explains and evaluates but unlike the other, favors a particular ethical theory). These approaches are evaluated, and both are deemed to be effective teaching models provided they conform to certain requirements.