THIS COURSE HAS CURRENTLY FILLED FOR FALL 2025.
What makes human beings do bad things? Are some people born immoral, or does a negative environment turn innocence into wickedness? This course will explore the roots of evil, from genetic, societal, and psychological perspectives.
Students read from a wide variety of sources (both fiction and nonfiction) regarding the important topic of why people perpetrate evil. They consider many accounts of where evil comes from (e.g., genes, psychopathy, cultural/societal influences) and argue which of these explanations best applies to particular examples of evil. The class periods are almost entirely discussion based and students are assigned dates to lead those discussions. There is also a game component where students form groups and use game design to consider what the crossroads are where a person can either move more toward an evil developmental trajectory, or toward a less harmful outcome. This activity promotes students synthesizing material from many sources and thinking through issues in a new and creative way. The group then presents their ‘game’ to the class and students have a chance to try out the games. Formal speaking experience comes from each student presenting a summary of his or her final topic to the class at the end of the semester. There is a strong emphasis on primary source readings – not just those assigned weekly, but also books and journal articles required for the final paper. To aid students in developing their critical thinking and writing skills, Dr. Mackintosh meets with each student individually halfway through the semester (and throughout as necessary) to discuss their project, have them complete an annotated bibliography, and turn in a draft of their paper for editing. This is a challenging course, but students find it interesting. Who hasn’t wondered, “How could someone do such a terrible thing?!”