St. Petersburg College
Department of Applied Ethics
College of Policy, Ethics and Legal Studies
COURSE SYLLABUS
PHI 1631, Section 14
Blended Instruction
Studies in Professional Ethics
0475– Fall 2013
INSTRUCTOR:
Name: Emily Grime
Email:
Phone:(727)341-4335
Office Hours/Instructor Availability: Office hours before and after class or by appointment.
Office Location: EI 119
Instructor Web Page:
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT:
Applied Ethics Institute
Dean: Susan Demers
Office Location: SS 165, Clearwater Campus
Office Number: (727) 791-2501
Email:
Academic Chair
David Monroe
Office: St. Petersburg, Gibbs Campus EI 127
Office Number: (727) 341-4313
Email:
COURSE INFORMATION:
The course information includes C&I Committee approved Course Description, Major Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives.
Course Description:
Prerequisite: (REA 0002 and ENC 0020) or EAP 1695 or appropriate score on the SPC placement test. This is a practical overview of key issues, questions, and concepts in applied ethics. Special emphases are placed on the historical development of ethical thinking and ethical theories, and on multicultural aspects of ethics. Students will also examine a variety of personal, social, and professional ethical issues and problems, and learn methods of resolving them through the use of critical thinking skills, sound ethical reasoning, and legal and professional codes. The seminar format provides students with an active learning experience, increased student interaction, and opportunities for independent study into ethical issues of personal interest. This course has a substantial writing requirement. This course meets the college's general education requirement for applied ethics. Credit is not given for both PHI 1600 and any of the following courses: PHI 1602, PHI 1603, PHI 1631, PHI 2621, PHI 2622, or PHI 2649.
NOTE: This course is a blended format class, which combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning. It is crucial that you have access to a reliable computer and Internet connection. Blended courses involve a substantial amount of working time out of the classroom and basic computer competency. Because your access to technology is assumed (even if you have computer problems there are plenty on campus), I will not accept technology-related excuses.
Major Learning Outcomes:
1. The student will trace the historical development of ethical thinking, considering ideas from early Greek to contemporary philosophers.
2. The student will recognize and analyze a variety of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues.
3. The student will identify the multicultural aspects of ethics.
4. The student will apply critical thinking skills, ethical principles and logical reasoning processes to resolve ethical issues.
Course Objectives:
1. The student will understand the historical development of ethical thinking, considering ideas from early Greek to contemporary philosophies by: defining central ethical terms and describing major historical and contemporary theories of ethics.
2. The student will recognize and analyze a variety of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues by: distinguishing between moral and non-moral issues and statements, identifying a wide variety of personal, social and professional ethical issues and evaluating various points of view on a wide variety of personal, social and professional ethical issues.
3. The student will identify the multicultural aspects of ethics by: recognizing the relationship between the foundational values of a society and the quality and mode of life of that society, recognizing examples of ethical and unethical behavior within a society and describing the effort of unethical behavior on the individual and the society.
4. The student will identify and apply critical thinking skills, ethical principles and logical reasoning processes to resolve ethical issues by: describing methods of practical and ethical decision making, applying a wide variety of philosophical principles to resolve ethical dilemmas when presented with actual and hypothetical ethical issues found in personal, social and professional life, and describing and distinguishing characteristics emphases of a variety of professional codes of ethics (including the Florida Code of Ethics for Public Employees) and relating the codes to ethical issues in contemporary professional life.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & OTHER RESOURCE INFORMATION:
Required Textbook: This class requires the purchase or lease of Ethics Applied Edition 6.0
or Ethics Applied Edition 6.5 (Goree, Keith. Manias, Nicholas & Till, Jane.Pearson Education).
You may use either edition - 6.0 (2009) or 6.5 (2011). [Previous editions cannot be used for this course.] This book is available in four formats. All four have the same content.
Use only one of these – do not buy them all:
Traditional Book: ISBN 0558054544
Or
Ring Notebook with free eBook: ISBN: 125613113X
Or
eBook: ISBN 0558806201
Or
Bundle: ISBN 0558738931
Textbooks are also available at every St. Petersburg College library and must be read at the library.
Library:
MEETING INFORMATION:
Course Location:SP EI -118/Internet
Meeting Days:Wednesday
Class Times:5:30pm to 6:45pmas well as online
This class is a blended format meaning half of the class is online as well as in the classroom. You are required to participate online using Angel in order to maintain your attendance in this class. There will be weekly discussions online and activities outside the dedicated class time that are mandatory
IMPORTANT DATES:
Course Dates:8/20-12/13
Drop/Add:8/24
Withdrawal Date:10/25
Financial Aid:
DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC INFORMATION:
This class discusses controversial topics. It is required that you respect the ideas and opinions of other students while these topics are being discussed. Any behavior that does not follow the college policy will not be tolerated.
ATTENDANCE:
The college-wide attendance policy is included in the Syllabus Addendum: The policy notes that each instructor is to exercise professional judgment and define “active participation” in class (and therefore “attendance”), and publish that definition in each syllabus.
For this class, attendance is defined as showing up on time and ready to participate. This class includes points for participation in the active discussion; attendance is required to obtain these points.
If you have more than two unexcused absences by the 60% point of the semester (Oct. 25th), you will not have satisfied my criterion for "active participation", and I will recommend you receive a grade of WF for the course.
An unexcused absence is any for which you have not notified me in advance, or one for which you cannot furnish documentation of an emergency.
GRADING:
PHI 1600 is a Gordon Rule class (the Gordon Rule originated with the Florida Legislature). A Gordon Rule class requires students to demonstrate college-level writing skills through multiple assignments. SPC has designated the CTAP as one indication that the Gordon Rule has been fulfilled. In order to pass PHI 1600 and fulfill the general education requirements for Ethics, you must (a) successfully complete the CTAP assignment and (b) achieve a final grade of C or better in PHI 1600
Your final grade in this class will be based on the points you earn on assignments, papers, and exams. There are a total of 770 points available for the semester. The final grades will be determined as follows:
A = 100% - 90%770-693 pts.
B = 89% - 80%692-616 pts.
C = 79% - 70%615 -539 pts.STUDENTS MUST EARN 70% OR HIGHER TO PASS
D = 69% - 60%538-462 pts.
F = 59% and below461-0 pts.
This chart will allow you to keep tabs on your grade as the semester unfolds, or you can check your progress on Angel.
Assignment / Points Possible / Gordon Rule Words / My GradeFinal Exam / 100 points / 0
Quizzes / 100 points (20 pts per quiz) / 0
CTAP / 100 points for paper / 2000
Case Study Analysis / 100 total (20 pts per paper) / 0
Code of Ethics Paper
Presentation / 100 points for paper
25 points for presentation / 0
Gov’t Ethics Article Sum. / 100 points for paper / 0
Business Ethics Paper / 100 points for paper
Academic Honesty Quiz / 25 points / 0
Discussion Forum / 20 points total (10 options at 2pts each)
A note on due dates: Late work will be an automatic half off for points. You will have adequate time for each assignment and sufficiently defined due dates, so I expect you to work within those parameters. I am willing to be flexible in cases of extreme emergency, but only then with written proof.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Week One / Introduction to Course, Angel, Resources, Introduction to Ethics Discussion, Pre-surveyWeek Two / Chapter 1, Academic Honesty Quiz, Angel Work Time
Week Three / Chapter 2, Discussion, Quiz, Case Study 1
Week Four / Chapter 3, Learning Center, Library Resources
Week Five / Chapter 4, Discussion, Quiz, Code of Ethics Evaluation Assignment, Case Study 2
Week Six / Chapter 5, Discussion, Quiz, Extra Credit Available
Week Seven / CTAP Introduction, Chapter 6, Discussion, Quiz
Week Eight / CTAP Library Hours, Case Study 3
Week Nine / Chapter 16, Discussion, Quiz, Extra Credit Available
Week Ten / Chapter 17, Business Ethics Writing Assignment
Week Eleven / Chapter 18, Group Project, Case Study 4
Week Twelve / Group Presentations, Extra Credit Available
Week Thirteen / Chapter 21, Discussion, Quiz, Case Study 5
Week Fourteen / Chapter 22, State Sunshine Laws, Government Ethics Assignment
Week Fifteen / Case Study Analysis Paper, Final Exam, Extra Credit Available
Week Sixteen / Final Discussion, Post-survey, Close of class
1. Pre-Survey: 5 pts. extra credit
Please complete this short survey. Every student must complete this the first week of class. You will receive a confirmation message upon completion; highlight this message, right click with your mouse, and copy the message. To finish the assignment, paste (right click, select paste) the confirmation message into the pre-survey drop box under the Lessons tab on Angel. Click submit. If the link embedded in Angel does not work, you can find the pre-survey at under "student resources".
2. Post-Survey: 5 pts. extra credit
Please also complete the post-survey the week before Finals. The process is identical to the pre-survey.
3. Academic Honesty Quiz: 25 pts.
There will be a quiz over the SPC Academic Honesty Policy. The quiz is on Angel, and the due date is listed on the Angel Calendar.
4. Discussion Forums: 20 pts., 2 pts. Each.
For any ten forums, write a 200+ word discussion on the topic listed in the forum. The forums are located in the appropriate unit folder under the Lesson tab on ANGEL. Follow the directions provided and be sure to apply the concepts you learn in the chapter. There are more than ten possible discussion forums; I will only factor your top ten grades in your final tally. Below are guidelines for the forums and a general rubric for how I will score them:
A. The post must be relevant to the chapter for which you're posting, and address the provided prompt (where relevant).
B. The post should not be "emotive"; I don't want to know how you feel in your discussions. Rather, the post should represent your rational thoughts. Reflect on the material and tell us what you think.
C. Merely recapping information from the chapter does not count as a sufficient post. DO NOT SUMMARIZE. I want your thoughts.
D. Each post should be at least 200 words.
F. You must respond to at least one other classmates post for the week you choose. Debate is healthy and stimulates intellectual growth. However, all responses should be courteous, respectful, and insightful. Name-calling, rude or harassing posts will earn severe punishment. Note that simply responding to a classmate's post does NOT count as one of your ten posts; you must answer the question and respond for full credit.
G. Discussions are graded according to length, thoughtfulness, and clarity. This is not a chat room or blog, so I expect full grammatical sentences. No Internet shorthand. Please cite your work if necessary.
H. Finally, you must post for ten individual chapters; that is, you cannot "double up" on posts and only post for five chapters, etc.
I. Merely restating what you’ve read in someone else’s post is plagiarism. You will fail.
The grading rubric for discussion posts is as follows:
2 pts: Excellent post to which you've devoted significant reflection, expressed your ideas with depth and detail, and met the length requirements, responded to another student’s post with same amount of detailed reflection.
1.5 pts: A good post that reveals pretty good reflection, expression of thought with decent depth and met length requirements, responded to another student’s post with same amount of detailed reflection.
1 pt. A post displaying largely superficial reflection (e.g., a surface examination of the topic focusing on the obvious or banal points) and/or failing to express thought clearly or failing to meet length requirements, no response to a classmates post.
.5 pt.: Lacking in detail or substance; too short, no response to a classmates post.
0 pts.: Lack of any real effort, no response to a classmates post.
5. Code of Ethics Evaluation Assignment: 125 points total (100 for paper, 25 for presentation)
Select a code of conduct from an organization. Examine three to five ethical problems related to the selected code of conduct and, as a result of your research, revise or develop a code of conduct for each. If a code of conduct exists for the situation, describe where the code didn’t work and the necessary revisions. If no code of conduct exists, develop a code of conduct that addresses this ethical lapse in judgment. A one-page response is required for each of the three to five contemporary ethical problems. Submission Requirements:Submit a four- to five-page report in an MS Word document meeting MLA or APA requirements.
You will also be presenting your findings to the class. Be prepared to do a 5 to 10 minute speech on the code of conduct as well as answer any questions from your classmates. Presentations will be scheduled later in the semester, and you must present on your assigned day--barring a major emergency.
6. Government Ethics Assignment: 100 pts.
Find a newspaper or internet article concerning ethics in government or public service. The article can regard ethics at any level of government (local, state, federal); when you find the article, write a 2-3 page paper answering the following question, “If government officials were held accountable for their ethical actions by the public, would that reduce the amount of ethical breakdowns in society.” You need to answer this question with at least 2 sources and research from the text and library. Be sure to cite your article and format your summary according to MLA or APA standards.
7. Business Ethics Assignment: 100 points
Using the Library Resources, search for a case study related to any of the following unethical business practices: insider trading, inappropriate accounting practices, bribery, conflicts of interest, and fraudulent reporting of research findings. Provide a summary and analysis of the case study, as it relates to ethics in business today. Describe the behaviors and decisions that led to the unethical actions in your chosen case study as well as its implications on how businesses perform today.Submission Requirements:Submit a two to three page report in an MS Word document meeting MLA or APA requirements.
8. Critical Thinking Application Paper (CTAP): 100 pts.
You will be assigned a take-home critical thinking case study paper. This paper must meet a 2,000 word Gordon Rule requirement. Your papers must be turned in typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and formatted according to MLA or APA standards. If you have questions about formatting college papers, please let me know so I can assist you. The assignment will be passed out when we finish Chapter 6, and will be due two weeks from the distribution date. Because this is a Gordon Rule assignment, I will grade not only for content but also for form and grammar--be sure to use proper punctuation, spelling, etc. Proofread your papers with great care before submission. Be sure to use the Writing Center if needed.
The papers must be submitted as attachments via the drop box under the Lessons tab on Angel. Furthermore, papers must be saved in .rft, .doc., or .docx format before submitting.
9. Case Study Analysis Papers: 100 pts. total, 20 pts. each.
For any five chapters (of 7 in which the assignments appears) write a 500+ word discussion of the case study listed in the chapter Case Study Analysis. You will find them in the Chapter folders under the Lessons tab on Angel. In your analysis, be sure to apply the concepts you learn in the relevant chapter; specific instructions for a given assignment will accompany the case studies.
10. Quizzes: 100 points, 20 pts. each.
There will be quizzes at various points of the semester consisting of multiple choice, short answer, and matching questions. The quizzes are open book, open note timed quizzes on Angel or in the classroom. Each quiz will be open for time periods specified on the Angel Calendar.
11. Final Exam: 100 pts.