SYLLABUS
Ethics
Phil A301, Section 301 - Summer 2001
William Jamison
THEME: An introduction to the great moral thinkers of Western civilization and the use of their ethical systems in an attempt to resolve contemporary issues such as abortion, euthanasia, equal rights, civil disobedience, and professional ethics.
TEXTS: Philosophical Ethics, Tom L. Beauchamp, McGraw-Hill
Matters of Life and Death, Tom Regan, McGraw-Hill
OFFICE: Hours: Check news. Room K219, Phone: Philosophy Department Secretary 786-4455. My home phone is 694-1023. My e-mail address is: wsjamison@uaa.alaska.edu and my web page is http://wsjamison.uaa.alaska.edu which has links to other sources not included in the text. Please include your name in the e-mail since I may not be able to match student name to e-mail address. (Sorry for this, but we all experience "Duh" every so often!) The best way to get a message to me is via e-mail. Please feel free to call my home phone. All papers can be turned in using e-mail, IBM floppy disk or typed on paper.
CLASS: Hours: MTWR 1:30P- 4:P Room ESB 214
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Course grades are based on:
50%
of the grade will be based on essay tests, equally weighted, showing an
understanding of the materials covered in the assigned readings,
25%
of the grade will be based on a
term paper,
25%
of the grade will be based on daily quizzes.
SCHEDULE and REQUIRED READING:
May 29: Introduction to the course, description of course requirements and overview of Ethics.
May 30: 1st half: Morality and Moral Philosophy, pp. 3 - 19 in Philosophical Ethics.
2nd half: Relativity and Diversity in Morals, pp. 21 - 54 in Philosophical Ethics.
May 31: Justification and Truth, pp. 57 - 95 in Philosophical Ethics.
June 4: Mill and Utilitarian Theories pp. 101 - 137, in Philosophical Ethics.
June 5: Kant and Deontological Theories pp. 140 - 175, in Philosophical Ethics.
June 6: Hegel’s impact. The Postmodern view of metanarratives.
June 7: Aristotle and Virtue Theories pp. 180 - 216, in Philosophical Ethics Addendum. Take home test one distributed.
June 11: Hume and Communitarian Theories pp. 220 - 258, in Philosophical Ethics. Test one due.
June 12: Summary of Ethical Theories. Presentation of some contemporary work.
June 13: 1st half: Dialogue, conversation and argument: some ground rules for class discussions.
2nd half: Dialogue example - What is a person?
June 14: 1st half Justice pp. 305 - 345, in Philosophical Ethics.
2nd half: Discussion on current events. Take home test two distributed
June 18: 1st half Euthanasia pp. 30 - 66, in Matters of Life and Death.
2nd half: Discussion on current events. Test two due.
June 19: 1st half Suicide pp. 69 - 113, in Matters of Life and Death.
2nd half: Discussion on current events.
June 20: 1st half Morality and Violence pp. 121 - 158, in Matters of Life and Death.
2nd half: Discussion on current events.
June 21: 1st half Capital Punishment pp. 160 - 191, in Matters of Life and Death by Bedau.
2nd half: Discussion on current events.
June 25: 1st half Abortion pp. 195 - 230, in Matters of Life and Death.
2nd half: Discussion on current events..
June 26: 1st half Ending World Hunger pp. 235 - 275, in Matters of Life and Death.
2nd half: Discussion on current events.
June 27: 1st half Animals and the Value of Life pp. 280 - 316, in Matters of Life and Death
2nd half: Discussion on current events
June 28: 1st half The Search for an Environmental Ethic pp. 322 - 376, in Matters of Life and Death
2nd half: Discussion on current events
Take home test three distributed. Term Papers are due.
July 2: Last class meeting and discussions. Test three due.
Tests: The three tests are posted on the web from the links above. Answer your choice of three of the six essay questions.
Paper: The term paper requirements are posted at this link.
Both tests and papers must be e-mailed to wsjamison@uaa.alaska.edu by midnight of the due date. My preference is that you include the text of the test essays and paper in the body of the e-mail itself rather than in an attachment. In any case, MAC OS attachments will not open on my computer. If e-mail is a problem we can discuss alternatives.
Quizzes are to encourage attendance and for feedback purposes. They will be pass/fail.
This syllabus may be adjusted at any time to meet the class or instructor’s requirements upon one week’s notice to students.