The Moral Psychology Minor

A minor in moral psychology draws students from a variety of majors and provides them with guidance in creating a stimulating academic plan of moral psychology coursework from across disciplines, including philosophy, law, psychology, economics, sociology, along with experiential learning opportunities with community partners to bring the coursework to life. Students will finish the minor prepared to lead the future development of scientifically informed solutions for today's ethical challenges. The minor is available throughout the university to all undergraduate students.

Basic Requirements for the Minor:

1. Register, ideally, by the beginning of the second semester of junior year.
2. Successfully complete five courses (minimum of 15 credits) from the Approved Course List. Although only five courses are required to complete the minor, we assume students interested in moral psychology will often end up taking more.
3. It is suggested, but not required, that students attend at least two Moral Psychology events within each academic year. (This is separate and apart from individual course requirements.)
4. Submit the Certification for Graduation form. Students are expected to keep track of the courses they have taken toward the minor. When the minimum of 15 credits has been achieved, the Certification for Graduation form must be submitted to the program manager for verification. This form is required in order to have the minor designation added to your final transcript.

"Moral Psychology in Action" is an applied psychology course taught each spring for students who want to make a difference in the world through ethical leadership and positive contributions in organizations, and who are drawn to scholarly work on psychology, ethics, and morality.

The course is experiential and takes place mostly outside the classroom through community engagement. Students will work with an industry or organization partner specializing in areas including stewardship and sustainability, human rights, well-being and healthy living, and reforming criminal justice, to name a few.

Students will gain practice in applied science that will be beneficial to future work in many occupational settings, including for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and with policymakers and government organizations.

Classroom work and course assignments will be individualized to encourage independent development of connections between relevant theory and practice.

Our 2026 Partners

Art to Open Doors - This innovative program enhances both visual and verbal communication for English language learners at the Open Doors English language school on North Cayuga Street through a hands-on art class. It provides language-learners with diverse opportunities for self-expression, human connection, and language acquisition as they explore various art materials and improve their English proficiency. Moral psychology students acquire cultural competency and skills that aid communication and comprehension for those with limited English proficiency, as well as enhancing cross-cultural visual and verbal language communication.

Court Street Place - Students will work remotely on community education initiatives in Haiti. Additionally, students will engage with the men’s transitional house, assist in Court Street Place’s efforts to obtain nonprofit status, and participate in fundraising activities, including grant writing. Together, students will collaborate with the founder of Court Street Place to secure financial support and food supplies for residents, as the local emergency shelter and food pantry have been closed.

National Alliance on Mental Illness, Finger Lakes, NY - NAMI FL offers free support services through peer-led volunteers and life-experienced staff. The demand for mental health support has risen, but the current system struggles to meet it. This project seeks to connect NAMI Finger Lakes with primary care physicians to deliver essential resources for caregiver mental health support and education in their offices, which are often the first point of contact for families and caregivers seeking holistic health support. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate with an intern team on outreach, publicity, and the creation of communication materials for print and web, as well as designing social media campaigns and exploring other forms of engagement based on their interests while they become familiar with the organization.

Prisoner Express @ Durland Alternatives Library - PE provides educational programs for incarcerated individuals. Students will have the chance to develop original programming for prisoners; for instance, one former student created a packet on Rhythms and Drumming, while another designed a lesson on Meditation and Recovery. Both programs reached hundreds of incarcerated men and women. Students can also opt to take a leadership role in one of the ongoing creative writing, art, or educational programs. Students start by reading incoming mail from prisoners, which provides a clear understanding of how our programs can benefit the incarcerated population served.

Second Wind Cottages - Second Wind is a supportive community for unhoused people that values human connection. Staff members and volunteers work alongside the folks that live in the Second Wind community throughout their housing recovery. Together, they develop honest and authentic relationships and seek to encourage and engage whenever possible. Specific projects will be developed in collaboration with the students. (NOTE:Volunteer must have a car to get to and from Second Wind.)

Thrive Ithaca, Ecovillage Education Center - The Ecovillage at Ithaca is an experiment in intentional living. Residents built the community collaboratively over two decades using the latest green technologies and they now steward 175 acres of land to support habitat restoration and sustainable food production. Thirty years after the community’s founding, the landscape has changed. Climate change and social inequities demand a new look at what it means to be a sustainable, resilient community. Students will create an oral history project on themes of community resilience and help bolster Thrive’s social media presence.  (NOTE:Volunteer must have a car to get to and from Ecovillage.)

Questions?

For more information contact:
Julie Simmons-Lynch, Program Manager
278A Uris Hall
E-mail: jes257@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-6431
Web: Moral Psychology

• Vanessa Bohns (ILR)
• Anthony Burrow (Dept. of Psychology)
• John Doris (Dyson School & Dept. of Philosophy)
• Tom Gilovich (Dept. of Psychology)
• Rachana Kamtekar (Depts. of Philosophy and Classics)
• Shaun Nichols (Dept. of Philosophy)
• Laura Niemi (Dept. of Psychology)
• Derk Pereboom (Dept. of Philosophy)
• David Pizarro (Dept. of Psychology)
• Valerie Reyna (Dept. of Psychology)
• David Shoemaker (Dept. of Philosophy)
• Joe Thomas (emeritus, SC Johnson)

• Angus Hildreth (SC Johnson)
• Ravi Kanbur (Dyson School)
• Kevin Kniffen (Dyson School)
• Kate Manne (Dept. of Philosophy)
• Julia Markovits (Dept. of Philosophy)
• Tony Simons (Hotel School)
• Simone Tang (Hotel School)