This course will explore the ethical imperatives, complexities, and challenges of public service, drawing on appropriate theories and using the case-study method to illuminate the issues.  One basic premise of the course is that the very nature of public service imposes distinctive moral and ethical imperatives on public officials, some of which are tied directly to democratic theory and principles.  On the theoretical side, it will draw upon the ideas of several eminent scholars, including Reinhold Niebuhr, J. Patrick Dobel. Lewis C. Gawthrop, Michael Walzer, and Sissela Bok. The case studies will cover classic challenges faced by public officials in the performance of their official duties, including deception and lying, ends-and-means, privacy vs. the public good, dissent and civil disobedience, and responsibility and accountability.  The course will be conducted in seminar style with intensive examination of the case studies and deliberate reflection on which theories best apply to each case study, and how to use them to probe the issues and discern better ways, of managing the situation.  The linkage between theory and practice is central to the course.