COURSE SYLLABUS FOR PHL 1002-01: ETHICS
Spring 2018 R 6:30-9:15 pm A331
Instructor: Jason A. Beyer
E-mail:
Webpage: www2.ivcc.edu/jbeyer
Office: A309 phone number: 224-0583
Office hours: MWF 10-11am, 1-2 pm; TR 11:00-12:30; R 6-6:30; other office hours by appointment
Texts
Anthony Weston; A Practical Companion to Ethics, 4th ed.
Louis Pojman & James Feiser; Ethics, 8th ed.
There are a couple of pieces on reserve for the course as well
Course Description
This course examines moral principles and moral issues. The course focuses on the nature and ground or moral obligation. It introduces major ethical systems and tests those against selected contemporary moral problems.
Course Objectives
The main goal of the course is to improve our moral decisions by (1) learning better reasoning techniques, (2) applying moral theory, and (3) learning more about alternative perspectives and evidence. By the end of the course you should be able to comprehend several major moral theories, be able to identify some of their strengths and weaknesses, and be able to apply them to practical decision-making. You will also have learned methods for making more careful moral decisions, and have a fuller recognition of the complexities of moral problems.
Course Requirements
Your grade will be based on four types of coursework: the case analyses, the take-home assignments, the reading quizzes, and the term paper.
First, there will be up to 6 take-home case analyses, one following each of the major ethical theories we cover. In each, you will be asked to address the case using the specific theory in question. They should be around 1-2 pages in length and will be due one week after being handed out. The combined average of the case analyses will constitute 30% of your final grade.
Second, there will be up to 5 take-home assignments that will be assigned following the material on critical reasoning, Relativism, Utilitarianism, Kant and Deontological Ethics, and Virtue Ethics. Each of these should be around 2 pages in length and will be due one week after they are handed out.
Late work will be penalized one grade for each class period past the due date, and will not be accepted more than two weeks after the due date without my prior approval. The combined average of the assignments will constitute 30% of your final grade.
There will be up to 5 in-class quizzes on the reading material that will be given at my discretion and not announced in advance. They will consist of answering one short essay question about the assigned reading material. The reading quizzes cannot be made up unless I know in advance that you will not be present. The combined average of these will constitute 10% of the final grade.
Lastly, there will be a term paper, of about 5 pages in length, which is due by the last day of scheduled class (May 3rd). In this paper, you will be defending a position on an applied ethical issue of your choice. I have provided a list of pre-approved topics; topics not on the list must be approved with me. See the attached guideline sheet for more specific requirements and suggestions. The term paper will constitute the final 30% of your grade.
Except for the reading quizzes, coursework can be turned in as a joint project if you so choose. Keep in mind, however, that everyone whose work it is will receive the same grade, regardless of the strength of individual contributions.
Attendance is required. More than 5 absences may result in one grade docked off of one’s final grade. More than 10 absences may result in withdrawal from the course.
Anyone who has not attended since the first week or has less than half of the assigned coursework completed by the time I need to do the mid-term verification form may be withdrawn from the course. If you need to withdraw for any other reason, please see me. Please keep in mind that withdrawing from the course may affect any financial aid you receive.
Grading
All assignments will receive a traditional letter grade; each grade will be treated as its numerical equivalent (A=4.0, A-=3.67, B+=3.33, B=3.0, etc.). Your final grade will be given on the following scale (note that IVCC does not allow + or – on final grades): 3.51-4.00=A; 2.67-3.50=B; 1.67-2.66=C; 1.00-1.66=D; below 1.00=F.
Plagiarism Statement
It is expected that all work turned in will be your own. While joint work is acceptable on everything but the reading quizzes, falsely presenting joint work as your own individual work (or vice-versa) is not. It is also worth noting that while you are allowed to make use of both the text and other material in your coursework, simply lifting material word-for-word from the text or that other material does constitute plagiarism. Plagiarized material will automatically receive an F. More than one case, or plagiarism on the final applied ethics paper, will result in an F for the course, and will be forwarded to the V.P. of Student Services for possible disciplinary action.
Extra Credit
I allow good class participation as an extra credit possibility. Students that have earned this extra credit will receive up to 5 extra credit points. If you choose to do the in-class presentation on your applied ethics paper, you can receive up to an additional 3 EC points. I will also allow additional extra credit points for attending certain IVCC events. I will notify you of these as they come up and post information about them on my homepage. Typically they will be those events and programs relevant to the course objectives and material. Each EC point adds .05 to your final calculated average. For example, suppose your final average is 3.44, which is a B. If you had 3 EC points, this would add .15 to this, for a total of 3.59, which is an A.
Classroom Rules
I am exercising my right to ban cell phones and like technology from my classroom unless they are being used for course purposes. Texting, cell phones ringing and iPods playing during class are both distracting and disrespectful to me and to your classmates. If you have some special need that requires you to make use of some piece of technology, please see me about it right away. I am fine with recording class sessions. You may also bring a laptop for taking notes if you wish. However, it is expected that laptops will be used in class for course purposes only. We are in college, and I and your classmates expect all of us to act like it by adhering to IVCC’s core values of responsibility, caring, honesty, fairness and respect. If I need to ask you to leave because you are disrupting class, you will be counted as absent for that day. Continued disruption will be handed over to the V.P. of Student Services for further action.
If you have any special needs, please feel free to contact me. If these involve assistance due to disability, please also see the Special Populations office in C211 or call Tina Hardy at 224-0284.
Tentative Course Outline and Schedule
I. Introduction to Ethics
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch.1
Appiah, “What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For?”; on reserve
II. Ethical Reasoning
Readings: Weston, Chs. 1-5
Assignment: critical reasoning assignment
III. Relativism v. Objectivism
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch. 2, Ch. 3 (pp. 28-9, 36-42)
Assignments: Relativism case analysis; Relativism assignment
IV. Utilitarianism
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch. 4 (pp. 44-50), Ch. 7
Assignments: Utilitarianism case analysis; Utilitarianism assignment
V. Kant and Deontological Ethics
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch. 8
Recommended Reading: James, “The Importance of Being Recognized”; on reserve
James, “What is It to Be an Asshole?”; on reserve
James, “The Moral Asshole”; on reserve
Assignments: Kant case analysis; Kant assignment
VI. Divine Command Theory and Natural Law Theory
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch. 3 (pp. 30-6); Ch. 12; Ch. 13 (pp. 213-5)
Recommended Reading: Zizek, “Defenders of the Faith”; on reserve
Assignments: DCT and NLT case analyses
VII. Virtue Ethics
Readings: Pojman & Feiser, Ch. 4 (pp. 55-8); Ch. 9, Ch. 11 (pp. 181-6)
Assignments: Virtue Ethics case analysis; DCT/NLT/VE assignment
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