Philosophy
104: Introduction to Ethics
Chapman
University
Department
of Philosophy
Winter
Intersession 2011
Course Description
Students examine
some of the most urgent contemporary moral problems, based on the insights of
major thinkers in the history of philosophical thinking about morality. Practical topics may include abortion,
the death penalty, world hunger, and the environment. 3 credits.
Course Information
|
Meeting
Times.................................. |
Mondays,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 4:00PM to 7:15PM |
|
Meeting
Location............................. |
Wilkinson
Hall, Room 221 |
|
Website............................................. |
|
|
Instructor........................................... |
Christopher
Lay, Ph.D |
|
Contact.............................................. |
|
|
Office
Location................................. |
Wilkinson
Hall, Room 221 |
|
Office
Hours..................................... |
Mondays,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 7:20PM to 7:50PM |
Course
Goals and Objectives:
1. Gain familiarity with key historical and
contemporary ethical texts.
2. Understand the themes found in the
respective texts, drawing upon ideas from the history of philosophy where
necessary and relating to contemporary issues when possible.
3. Develop students' critical thinking
capacities by:
a)
identifying main theses,
b)
identifying what supports those theses,
c)
evaluating the strengths of that which supports those theses,
d)
evaluating the validity of the reasoning that takes the reader from that which
supports those theses to the theses themselves,
e)
raising objections,
f)
answering those objections, and
g)
defending alternative conclusions.
4. Develop the skills needed to represent
other's viewpoints.
5. Develop skills needed to arrive at your
own position, and the skills needed to represent that position, and the skills
needed to support that position with good reasoning.
6. Learn to effectively deal with differing
perspectives.
Textbook
The Moral Life: An Introductory
Reader in Ethics and Literature, Fourth Edition, edited by L.P. Pojman and L. Vaughn,
published by Oxford University Press.
http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/
9780195396256/student/?view=usa
Course Grade and Assignments
|
Participation
|
10%
of course grade |
|
First
Take Home Essay |
20%
of course grade |
|
Second
Take Home Essay |
30%
of course grade |
|
Third
Take Home Essay |
40%
of course grade |
Pass/No Pass
Chapman
University policy states that for students taking courses PASS/NO PASS must
receive at least a ÒCÓ to get a Pass (not a C-).
Participation
Participation
in philosophy instruction is essential.
You are expected to do the readings on schedule (i.e. before the class
period indicated) and come to class prepared to discuss them. Class participation will decide
borderline grades, either up or down, and in rare cases, extraordinary class
participation can boost your final grade up a third (e.g., from 'B' to
"B+").
Talking
about the substantive issues of the course in office hours and via email will
also count as class participation.
Essays
You
will be given a prompt for each essay, and approximately a week to complete
it. The essays for this class must
be philosophical. In line with the
Course Goals and Objectives (detailed above), you will have to represent some
thesis from a text, and then critically engage with it. As such, your own essay must have a
thesis and support for that thesis.
To succeed in writing an essay in this philosophy course, you will need
to constantly and clearly differentiate the point of view expressed in the text
in question from your own point of view.
And once you have shown that you can critically engage with the
philosophical insights found in the texts in question, which requires you to
represent the point of view in question, you will be encouraged to express your
own philosophical insights. Other,
specific expectations for the essay will be spelled out in the essay
prompts. Also, you will be expected
to correct errors in mechanics, usage, grammar, and spelling.
Late Paper Policy
If you have a credible excuse (e.g., doctor's note, jury
summons, obituary notice, etc.) late take-home assignments will be
accepted. Extensions for take-home
assignments will be given only when 1) a compelling reason is given and 2)
permission is sought at least three days before the normal deadline. Without a credible excuse, late
assignments will be given a third of a letter grade penalty for each day the
assignment is late.
Students with Disabilities
In
compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either
permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this
class are encouraged to inform the instructor at the beginning of the term. The University, through the Center for
Academic Success (1st floor DeMille Hall; 714-997-6828), will work with the
appropriate faculty member who is asked to provide the accommodations for a
student in determining what accommodations are suitable based on the
documentation and the individual student needs. The granting of any accommodation will
not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of
the course.
Chapman University Academic
Integrity Policy
Chapman
University is a community of scholars that emphasizes the mutual responsibility
of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their
own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by
the instructor and referral to the university's Academic Integrity Committee,
which may impose additional sanctions up to and including dismissal. (See the Undergraduate Catalog for the
full policy.) To avoid plagiarism,
see the helpful examples offered by Prof. Earl Babbie, Dept. of Sociology, in
his website:
http:www1.chapman.edu/~babbie/plag00.html . He makes clear when someone is staying
so close to an author's ideas (even without exact quotes) that it's
plagiarism. Severe penalties for
plagiarism and cheating include an automatic F for the assignment, an automatic
F in the course, or even expulsion (depending upon the severity of the offense
and whether the student has previously been academically dishonest). All instances of plagiarism will be
reported to the ProvostÕs Office and recorded in the studentÕs file.
Schedule of Readings and
Assignments
(All
readings are from the textbook, unless noted otherwise)
|
Week
One |
Virtue
Theory, & Utilitarianism |
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Tuesday,
January 3rd |
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Wednesday,
January 4th |
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Thursday,
January 5th |
|
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Week
Two |
Duty
Theory, Moral Luck, & Existentialism |
|
Monday,
January 9th |
|
|
Tuesday,
January 10th |
|
|
Wednesday,
January 11th |
|
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Thursday,
January 12th |
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Saturday,
January 14th |
First Essay Due |
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Week
Three |
Relativism,
Sex, & the Environment |
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Monday,
January 16th |
MLK
Day |
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Tuesday,
January 17th |
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Wednesday,
January 18th |
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Thursday,
January 19th |
Robert Heilbroner,
"What Has Posterity Ever Done for Me?" and William F. Baxter,
"People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution" |
|
Saturday,
January 21st |
Second Essay Due |
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Week
Four |
Abortion |
|
Monday,
January 23rd |
The U.S. Supreme Court,
"Roe v. Wade (1973)" (Online), and John T. Noonan Jr.,
"An Almost Absolute Value in History" (Online) |
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Tuesday,
January 24th |
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Wednesday,
January 25th |
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Thursday,
January 26th |
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Friday,
January 27th |
Third
Essay Due |