Syllabus
PUAF 650 - Moral Dimensions of Public Policy
Fall 2011, Thursdays 7:00-9:30 pm
University of Maryland School of Public Policy
Instructor: Thomas C. Hilde
Office: VMH 3111F
Phone: MSPP main office (or cell: 202-321-7384)
E-mail:
Required Texts
· Hugh LaFollette, ed. Ethics in Practice: An Anthology. Blackwell, 3rd edition.
· Jonathan Glover. Humanity. Yale University Press, 1999.
· Harry Frankfurt. On Bullshit. Princeton University Press, 2005 (orig. paper 1986).
· Handouts.
Recommended Texts
· John Bolender. The Self-Organizing Social Mind. MIT Press, 2010
· Philip Kitcher. The Ethical Project. Harvard University Press, 2011.
· Jack Knight & James Johnson. The Priority of Democracy: Political Consequences of Pragmatism. Princeton University Press, 2011.
Summary
This course examines moral and ethical issues underlying public policy practices, decision-making, and policy objectives. Public policy is necessarily normative. It is not only a matter of sound procedures and politically or economically feasible outcomes, but also of questions regarding good conduct and right action, individual and collective responsibility, and critical analysis of methods and goals. The aim of this course is to provide an overview of selected moral and political issues and methods of ethical judgment and argument.
Requirements
60%: Public Policy Memoranda
Each participant will write four policy analysis memoranda (3-4 pages). The topics of these policy papers will be introduced by the instructor or by participants in agreement with the instructor. Policy memos will generally address a current issue or problem related to the topics discussed in the course. See accompanying handout.
40%: Class Participation and Analytical Reading Questions
a) Participation. The course will maximize discussion and minimize lecture. Read the texts as carefully as you can for each class in order to participate fully in class discussions.
b) Analytical reading questions. Half-page, typed analytical questions over the readings for the day, collected only at the beginning of class. These assignments should pose a well-developed, analytical question regarding a key argument/problem/omission in one of the texts assigned for that day. These are due at the beginning of class. I will take up the reading questions without advance notice five times during the semester (the best four counting towards the final grade) and only from those who are in class that day.
Tentative Schedule of Readings
September 1: Introduction
September 8: Moral Belief and Action
· Glover, Humanity, chapters 1-7.
· Skim: Hugh LaFollette, “Theorizing About Ethics.”
· Recommended: LaFollette, ed. Chapters 1-3.
September 15: Making Sense of Observed Behavior: Nature, Society, Politics
· Handouts.
September 22: Ethics and War
· Glover, Humanity, chapters 8-13.
· Joseph Boyle, “Just War and the Military Response to Terrorism.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 64.
· Handouts.
September 29: Retributive Justice: Capital Punishment
· James Rachels, “Punishment and Desert.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 47.
· Louis Pojman, “In Defense of the Death Penalty.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 50.
· Jeffrey Reiman, “Against the Death Penalty.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 51.
October 6: Distributive Justice: Rawls, Nozick, and Young
· John Rawls, “A Theory of Justice.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 52.
· Robert Nozick, “The Entitlement Theory of Justice.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 53.
· Iris Marion Young, “Displacing the Distributive Paradigm.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 54.
October 13: Liberty I: Freedom of Action
· J.S. Mill, “Freedom of Action.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 28.
· Lester Hunt, “On Improving People by Political Means.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 29.
· Wilson and Husak on legalization of drugs. LaFollette, ed. Chapters 30, 31.
October 20: Liberty II: Freedom of Speech
· J.S. Mill, “Freedom of Thought and Discussion.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 34.
· Arthur and Altman on free speech, LaFollette, ed. Chapters 37, 38.
October 27: Global Justice I: World Poverty
· Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 56.
· Thomas Pogge, “Eradicating Systemic Poverty.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 58.
· Handouts.
November 3: Global Justice II: Humanitarian Intervention
· Glover, Humanity, chapters 42, 43, Epilogue.
· Charles Beitz, “The Justifiability of Humanitarian Intervention.” LaFollette, ed. Chapter 66.
· Handouts.
November 10: Tribalism, Speciesism
· Glover, Humanity, chapters 14-18.
· LaFollette, ed. Chapters 14, 15, 17.
· Handouts.
November 17: Environmental Ethics
· LaFollette, ed. Chapters 60, 61, 62.
November 24: Thanksgiving Break
December 1: An Ethics of Rhetoric
· Frankfurt, On Bullshit (all).
· Handouts.
December 8: Conclusion: Reevaluating Public Policy and Ethics
Helpful Links
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/
Ask Philosophers: http://www.askphilosophers.org/
Fallacy Files: http://www.fallacyfiles.org/