Assignments | Institute for Social Concerns

Assignments

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Philosophy

Assignment: Intellectual Responsibility

Using at least three reputable news sources, students describe a real-world case involving a controversial use of data by AI, consider the ethical implications of how data is being used, and recommend ways to avoid unethical data practices.

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Business

Assignment: Foundations of Ethical Behavior

Business students analyze ethical dilemmas from the textbook using a structured decision-making model, and focusing on virtues like integrity, empathy, and courage.

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Engineering

Assignment: Civic Professionalism Reflection

First-year engineering students explore civic professionalism, humility, and the responsibilities engineers may have to support democratic and ethical change.

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Computer Science

Assignment: A Thought Experiment Career Pitch

A computer science ethics assignment in which students imagine a future career role and pitch a technology project that demonstrates how their work can serve the common good.

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Business

Assignment: Futuring

A future-focused business assignment in which students apply hope and curiosity to imagine strategic opportunities, using reflection, discussion, and a collaborative “Thing from the Future” exercise.

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mathematics

Triangles on Grids

Students count and generalize triangles on square grids, using curiosity, beauty, and perseverance to explore mathematical patterns and extend them into new questions.

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Philosophy

Assignment: Curiosity

A reflective philosophy assignment in which students track their social media use to examine how technology shapes curiosity, attention, and self-awareness.

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Engineering

Assignment: Imaging & Richard Feynman

Students explore Richard Feynman as an exemplar of intellectual wonder, using curiosity and imaginative questioning to consider how new tools can expand the limits of scientific discovery.

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Physics

Assignment: Cecilia Payne’s PhD thesis

An astrophysics assignment in which students examine Cecilia Payne’s landmark thesis and Henry Norris Russell’s response to it, considering how curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual courage shape scientific discovery.

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Education

Assignment: Teacher Observation Role Play for Leaders

A leadership role-play assignment in which aspiring school administrators practice teacher observation and post-conference feedback, using courage and integrity to support meaningful professional growth.

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Engineering

Assignment: Spectroscopy & Rosalind Franklin

A science discussion assignment in which students examine Rosalind Franklin as an exemplar of moral courage, intellectual attentiveness, and integrity in research.

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Philosophy

Philosophical Living: Courage

Students practice courage by writing an op-ed on an issue that matters to them and reflecting on how they applied effective public argument practices.

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Business

Assignment: Failing Wisely Paper

A case study assignment in which entrepreneurship students analyze a failed venture or founder, identifying the decisions, conditions, and missing virtues that shaped the failure and what it means to fail wisely.

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Philosophy

Assignment: Attention and Empathy

A reflective philosophy assignment in which students practice “philosophical living” through focused attention, listening, dialogue, and empathy, then connect those experiences to the virtues of hopeful citizenship.

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English

Assignment: Ethics Journal

A reflective journaling practice in which students use fiction to examine ethical questions, moral exemplars, and the habits of compassion and empathy in literature and in their own lives.

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Civics

Assignment: Campus Speech Policy

A team-based assignment in which students design a campus speech policy that balances First Amendment principles, Duke’s institutional values, civil discourse, and the virtues of compassion and empathy.

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Philosophy

Assignment: Philosophical Living - Humility

Students practice intellectual humility by evaluating a partisan article they tend to agree with, cross-checking its claims against reliable sources with differing perspectives, and reflecting on disagreement, viewpoint diversity, and responsible media engagement.

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intellectual humility

Assignment: Intellectual Humility Quiz

This quiz is a useful tool to start a conversation about humility and its connection to learning and living well within diverse communities.

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Engineering

Assignment: Data Analysis & Jean Duhamel

Students write responses to thought-provoking questions in the associated online class discussion board, and also provide a thoughtful response to two of their peers.

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Humanities

In-Class Activity: Active Listening

Active listening involves dedicated time for pairs of students to engage in a structured conversation. Then, students reflect on how seeing through another’s eyes impacted taste & interests in light of the discussion of virtues.

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