When, if ever, is it ethical to lie? Under what circumstances, if any, should a physician participate in taking a human life? Is voluntary abortion ever a proper moral choice? These are some of the questions freshmen will be analyzing this fall with guidance from legal scholar John Poulos, professor of law at UC Davis. Fifteen first-year students will meet once a week for a quarter in the home of Poulos for an evening of discussion and analysis in a course titled "Ethics in American Life." "I want to help these students learn how to develop and present logical arguments," says Poulos. "My goal is to assist the students to clarify their own thinking about contemporary moral issues." Of the 10 courses offered fall quarter to first-year students in the Freshman Seminar Program, this course was the most popular. Initiated on the Davis campus in 1988, the seminar series offers about 30 seminars per year, covering a wide spectrum of topics and issues and giving freshmen the opportunity to work closely with some of UC Davis' most accomplished faculty in an informal setting.