Introduction
to Ethics
Philosophy 1600
Fall 2004
Monday and Wednesday Lectures:
UMT 15 (University Mall Theater
#15)
Office
hours: Tuesdays
bsadler@chuma1.cas.usf.edu Office phone:
813-974-5518
All email concerning this course should read “Intro
Ethics” in the subject line.
Students may NOT
switch discussion sections without changing their registration.
Section #001: F
Section #003: F
Section #004: F
Graduate Teaching Assistant: Graduate Teaching Assistant:
Mr. Peter Kahn Mr. Benjamin Young
Office:
813-974-5545 813-974-5870
pkahn@mail.usf.edu bsyoung2@mail.usf.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays
This course examines several issues of moral importance in
contemporary life from a philosophical perspective. Among the questions we will
ask are the following. Do we have a moral obligation to assist the peoples of
other nations? Is capital punishment ever morally justified? Is abortion
morally permissible? What is the ethical status of non-human animals? How one answers
such questions will affect not only one’s individual ethical choices, but also
one’s perspective on matters of public policy and law; hence, these issues have
both public and personal significance. Students will learn to recognize,
formulate, and evaluate ethical arguments and to analyze philosophical texts.
Students will gain familiarity with some of the central ethical theories and
concepts that structure ethical arguments. Students will be encouraged and
expected to address the ethical questions with an open mind and to engage in
critical thinking in discussion and in writing.
· Hugh LaFollette, ed., Ethics in Practice. 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishers, 2002.
ISBN#
0-631-22834-9. Available
at the USF Bookstore.
· Additional required readings will be available online through USF library’s WebLuis. Click on “Course Reserves” and search by course number or professor’s name. Print paper copies of the essays from the online site.
Your grade for this course will based on the following:
Quizzes:
· There will be a total of four quizzes. Each quiz will take between 20 and 50 minutes to complete.
· Quizzes may cover material given in BOTH lectures AND readings.
· Quizzes will have a variety of question types including, but not limited to, true/false, short answer, fill in the blank, multiple choice, and identification/explanation of passages of text.
· Quizzes will be graded by points. You must earn each point. For instance, if you answer every question incorrectly, you will receive 0 points for that quiz. If you answer every question correctly, you will receive the maximum number of points=25.
·
Your combined score on quizzes will
constitute 30% of your course grade.
Papers:
· There are THREE required papers for this course.
·
Paper #1:
approximately 4 pages = 20% of course grade
Paper #2: 4-6 pages = 20% of course grade
· You may NOT make up your own essay topics. You must choose one of the essay topics provided by the Professor. Details about essay topics and instructions on how to write a successful philosophy paper will be provided as the semester progresses.
· These papers are NOT research papers. Not only is no research recommended, additional research is prohibited by the terms of the assignments. With the sole exception of a dictionary, you may not consult, cite, or otherwise use any sources not assigned for this course in writing your papers. You may not consult or cite Internet resources in preparing or writing your papers.
·
Your
essays must be your own original work. Buying, renting, or copying anyone
else’s work is considered academic dishonesty or plagiarism and will be
severely penalized. See below on Academic Dishonesty and Disruption.
Participation:
· Participation in your discussion section will constitute 10% of your course grade. Note that your participation grade can mean the difference between an A and a B in the course!
· The graduate Teaching Assistant for your discussion section, in consultation with the Professor, will determine your participation grade.
·
Participation
grades range from A to F. To receive an A for
participation, you must both attend
class regularly and contribute
intelligently and regularly to discussion. To contribute intelligently, you
must read and be prepared to discuss the assigned texts.
Grade Scale: Course grades will use the plus/minus scale: A+, A, A-, B+
. . . .
Attendance:
· Regular attendance of both lectures and discussion section is mandatory. If you must be absent, you should notify your Teaching Assistant in advance of the missed class whenever possible. Notification does NOT mean that your absence is automatically excused.
·
If you plan to miss class in order to observe a religious
holiday, your absence will be excused if and only if you notify the
Teaching Assistant by the second meeting of your discussion section of the name
and date of the holiday.
·
This course WILL MEET on Wednesday, November 24th,
the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Absences due to travel plans will not
be excused.
Assignments:
· If you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to find out the reading or other assignments by asking another student or emailing your Teaching Assistant.
Tardiness:
· BE ON TIME! This class only meets for 50 minutes, so it is especially important that you arrive on time. YOU MUST ALLOW EXTRA TIME FOR TRAVEL TO UMT: BUILD THAT INTO YOUR SCHEDULE. Recurrent tardiness will lower your participation grade.
Preparedness:
·
You are expected to bring your book or the
assigned reading to every class meeting. You are expected to read every
assignment.
Etiquette:
· You may consume beverages, but not food in class.
· You may not talk with other students during lectures or discussion. You are expected to give your undivided and respectful attention to whoever is speaking, whether that is the Professor, the Teaching Assistant, or another student in your discussion section who has been called upon to offer a question or comment.
Cell phones and
other electronic devices:
· TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES, PAGERS, PALM PILOTS, HEADPHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES BEFORE ENTERING CLASS.
· If your cell phone or pager rings or beeps in class, one point will be deducted from your overall course grade at the end of the semester for each occurrence! For example, if on a given Monday, your cell phone rings in class, one point will be deducted from your final course grade; if it rings again on Friday, another point will be deducted. If your phone rang only on these two occasions and your course average is a 90, it will drop to an 88.
·
Audio
and/or video recordings of lectures are strictly prohibited. You may not
record, circulate, sell, lease, or otherwise distribute transcripts of lectures
or lecture notes for this course.
Email:
· When you email the Professor or your Teaching Assistant with questions regarding this course, please put “Intro Ethics” in the subject line.
Learning
Disabilities:
· If you have a learning disability that you believe requires special accommodation in this course, you must SPEAK in person to the PROFESSOR no later than the third lecture. Be prepared to provide the appropriate documentation from the USF Office of Student Disability Services.
Academic
Dishonesty and Disruption:
· The Professor for this course has no tolerance for academic dishonesty and disruption. You are expected to observe USF policies regarding academic dishonesty and disruption. There are serious penalties for violating university policies. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing in this course, the minimum penalty will be an F for your course grade. To read USF policies, go to the USF Undergraduate Catalog at: http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0405/adadap.htm
· Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism. If you have any doubts about what constitutes cheating on a given assignment or quiz or about what plagiarism is, you should consult the Professor and/or the Teaching Assistant before it is too late!
·
The
· Hugh LaFollette, “Theorizing About Ethics” 3-11
· Hugh LaFollette, “Reading Philosophy” 12-15
· Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” 572-581
· Onora O’neill, “Kantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems” (reserve)
· John Arthur, “Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code” 582-590
· Thomas Pogge, “The Moral Demands of Global Justice” (reserve)
· James Rachels, “Punishment and Desert” 466-474
· Jeffrie Murphy, “Repentance and Criminal Punishment” 475-480
· Louis Pojman, “In Defense of the Death Penalty” 489-502
· Jeffrey Reiman, “Against the Death Penalty” 503-510
· Hugo Adam Bedau, “The Death Penalty Is Not Morally Permissable” (reserve)
· Judith Jarvis Thomson, “A Defense of Abortion” 63-71
· Don Marquis, “An Argument That Abortion is Wrong” 83-93
· Mary Anne Warren, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion” 72-82
· Rosalind Hursthouse, “Virtue Theory and Abortion” 94-103
· Peter Singer, “All Animals Are Equal” 107-116
· Bonnie Steinbock, “Speciesism and the Idea of Equality” (reserve)
· Michael Allen Fox, “The Moral Community” 117-127
· R.G. Frey, “Moral Standing, the Value of Lives, and Speciesism” 128-139
· Tom Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights” 140-146
·
John P. Gluck, “Learning to See the Animals
Again” (reserve)