Transcript
M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Contemporary Moral Issues Proposal for first-year level course in a 15 week semester.
Course Time: TBA Course Location: TBA
Instructor: Bennett McNulty
Office Hours: I am here to assist you make sense of course material on your own terms and develop your skills of critical reading, writing, and argumentation. So please meet with me if you have any questions or difficulties. My office hours will be on Mondays, 15:00 – 16:00, and Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:00. If these times don’t work for you, please email me or approach me after class. I am happy to schedule an alternative time to meet. Office: TBA
Course Description: This course provides students with the intellectual and social skills to discuss moral issues of contemporary importance in a respectful and persuasive manner. In the first portion of the class, we examine classic, important philosophical frameworks for deciding moral issues. Afterwards, we apply these frameworks to moral problems in contemporary society. These issues include world poverty, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, the extent and reach of laws, drug use, and human enhancement. Throughout the course, we connect relevant philosophical texts with other works in media that bear on these moral issues.
Course Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
i. ii. iii. iv. v.
Describe and apply utilitarian, deontological, virtue, and feminist ethical frameworks. Discuss ethical issues rationally and respectfully. Charitably understand and reconstruct ethical views with which they disagree. Justify ethical claims with persuasive, rational argumentation. Summarize philosophical texts.
These skills are useful no matter your background or future plans. In almost any profession, you will find yourself needing to discuss issues and to support your claims clearly, respectfully, and convincingly. Furthermore, any member of our society ought to have well-established and justifiable views on the ethical issues of our day.
To achieve or improve skills, students must practice them. So, to achieve these outcomes students will engage in a variety of assignments and activities. In class, we have many large 1
M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
and small group discussions, which allow students the opportunity to improve their own abilities of comprehension, communication, and argumentation.
Required Texts: • Russ Shafer-Landau (ed.). The Ethical Life: Fundamental Readings in Ethics and Moral Problems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199997275.
All other readings will be posted to the course webpage.
Student Expectations and Evaluations: (1) Attendance and Participation: Attendance is mandatory. Since the course goals involve expressing one’s ethical views persuasively, we will have discussions on course topics nearly every class. It’s important that each student engage in these conversations and practice the intended skills. Attendance and participation will constitute 20% of one’s final grade. This expectation primarily serves learning outcomes ii and iv.
(2) Short Papers: During the quarter, students will write two short papers (approximately 1,500 words). For the first paper, students will explain, in their own words, one of the ethical frameworks we present in the first unit of the course. The aim of this assignment is to allow students the opportunity to practice writing clearly about philosophical ideas. For the second paper, students will describe one of the ethical issues that we discuss in class and argue clearly and precisely for a particular view on this topic. (A student may not write a short paper on the same topic that she presents on.) These papers will be evaluated for clarity, rationality, and comprehensiveness. The two papers constitute 30% of one’s final grade. This expectation primarily serves learning outcomes i, iii, and iv. (3) Online Discussions: Discussions of issues of contemporary relevance don’t only occur in formal, in-person settings. People regularly discuss such issues online: on facebook, article comment threads, message boards, reddit, youtube comments, and so on. However, such discussions (especially those on, say, youtube) are hardly paradigms of rational, respectful conversation. In this course, we will also discuss ethical issues in online venues, so that students can practice expressing their views in such settings. Students will be required to post a determinate number of times per unit, although extraordinary engagement with online discussions may be grounds for extra credit. Requisite engagement with online discussions will constitute 20% of one’s final grade. This expectation primarily serves learning outcomes i, ii, and iv.
(4) Presentation: During each class meeting on a contemporary moral problem, a small group of students will be required to begin the class with a short presentation. In the course of this presentation, students will introduce the problem we are considering and briefly present arguments for and against the moral permissibility of this topic. These presentations will serve to lay the foundation for a class-wide discussion of the issue. Group members will be asked to evaluate their peers’ contributions to the group work, and a portion of each student’s grade will be determined by her peers’ evaluations. The presentation will constitute 30% of one’s final grade. This expectation primarily serves learning outcomes i, iii, and v.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Grading: 93.5 90 86.5 83.5 80 76.5 73.5 70 66.5 63.5 60
> > > > > > > > > > >
A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F
Contemporary Moral Issues
≥ 93.5
≥ 90
≥ 86.5
≥ 83.5
≥ 80
≥ 76.5
≥ 73.5
≥ 70
≥ 66.5
≥ 63.5
≥ 60
There will be no curve.
Your final grade will be computed as follows:
All grade boundaries are strictly enforced. (E.g., a 89.5 is a B+, not an A-.)
Attendance and Participation: Short Papers: Online Discussions: Presentation:
20%
30%
20%
30%
Additionally, exceptional participation in class or in online venues can have a positive influence on one’s final grade in the case that one’s grade is on the cusp between two letter grades.
Policies: ✴ Attendance: Attendance is mandatory and will be taken during each course meeting.
✴ Late Work: For each day that an assignment is late, you will lose 10% on the assignment.
✴ Missing Assignments: Immediately following the end of the final examination, all missing assignments will receive a score of 0.
✴ Make-Up Work: If you must miss a day of class, please notify me as soon as possible. In the case that there are documented extraordinary circumstances which force you to miss a class, your missing attendance score will be dropped.
✴ Regrading Policy: There will be absolutely no regrading of assignments. All grades are final. That said, it is important that you understand why you receive the grades you do. I am happy to discuss the feedback you receive on assignments.
✴ Extensions: There will be absolutely no extensions on homework assignments.
✴ Email Policy: I am more than happy to respond to your emails throughout the quarter, If you send an email during the week, you can expect a response within 24 hours. If you send an email during the weekend, you can expect a response within 48 hours.
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✴ Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: Any violation of academic integrity—including but not limited to plagiarism and cheating—will be punished according to university policies. Please acquaint yourself with these policies. ✴ Disabilities and Special Needs: I will make every attempt to accommodate special needs of students. If you would like special accommodations, please contact the university’s center for disabilities services. ✴ Syllabus Revisions: The syllabus may be revised throughout the semester. Please check it whenever a question comes up during the course of the semester. Meetings: Students can expect the following in course meetings. My lectures are meant to engage and involve students as well as provide students the opportunity to practice the skills necessary for success in the course. As such, course meetings will involve various activities—discussing topics with classmates, determining the best reconstruction of an argument, completing a worksheet, and so on. Emphasis will also be placed on students giving and receiving immediate feedback on these activities. Given all of this, students ought to come prepared to class and ready to engage with the course material and their fellow students. Online Behavior: There is a facebook page associated with the class. Reminders and interesting, class-related links will be posted on this page. In addition, we will also discuss moral issues on the facebook page and class discussion board. Please recognize that, though these pages are online, they are educational resources and forums. Show appropriate behavior and decorum. Respect your fellow students. Use appropriate (and comprehensible) language. Only post material and links associated with the class. Inappropriate behavior may result in your post being deleted, being banned from further posting, and further disciplinary action. Remember, one of the goals of the course is to improve our abilities to discuss rationally, persuasively, and respectfully in online venues. Hence, your success in the course depends upon your achievement of these skills!
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Contemporary Moral Issues
Schedule and Outcomes Unit 1 Introduction to Ethical Theories
Sessions and Readings Week 1: Introduction and Argumentation • Handout on Argumentation During the first week, we’ll briefly discuss a few ethical issues to give students a feel for the course, then we will consider what makes for convincing argumentation as well as examples of good and bad arguments Week 2: Utilitarianism and Deontology • John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (selections) • J.J.C. Smart, “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism” • Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (selections)
Outcomes After this unit, students will be able to • Describe some of the aspects of good arguments. • Explain classic ethical frameworks— namely, utilitarianism, Kantianism, virtue ethics, and feminist ethics. • Support arguments for and against ethical relativism. This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: i, iv, and v.
Week 3: Virtue and Feminist Ethics • Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (selections) • Hilde Lindemann, “What is Feminist Ethics?” • Alison M. Jaggar, “Feminist Ethics: Projects, Problems, Prospects” Week 4: A Fool’s Errand? • David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Book III, Section II, “Moral Distinctions Not Derived from Reason” • Alfred Jules Ayer, “A Critique of Ethics” • J.L Mackie, “The Subjectivity of Values” • Herry Gensler, “Cultural Relativism” • David Enoch, “Why I am an Objectivist about Ethics (And Why You Are, Too)” • Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 2 Poverty & Hunger
Sessions and Readings
Outcomes
Week 5: Poverty & Hunger, pt. 1 • Peter Singer, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” • Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” • Jan Narveson, “Feeding the Hungry” • Peter Unger, “Living High and Letting Die”
After this unit, students will be able to • Describe Peter Singer’s argument for why we ought to give the vast majority of our money to charity. • Explain how Singer’s argument connects with the tenets of utilitarianism • Support and attack Singer’s argument.
Week 6: Poverty & Hunger, pt. 2 • Garrett Hardin, “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor” • David Miller, “Distributing Responsibilities” • Onora O’neill, “Rights, Obligations, and World Hunger”
This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: ii, iii, and iv.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 3 Dying at the Hands of Another
Sessions and Readings
Outcomes
Week 7: Euthanasia • James Rachels, “The Morality of Euthanasia” • James Rachels, “Active and Passive Euthanasia” • Pabst Battin, “The Case for Euthanasia” • John Hardwig, “Is there a Duty to Die?” • John Harris, “The Survival Lottery” • Recommended: Watch Million Dollar Baby
After this unit, students will be able to • Distinguish passive and active euthanasia and explain how the distinction bears on the question of its morality. • Affirm and deny the morality of euthanasia with justification. • Explain how different ethical frameworks judge the morality of death. • Affirm and deny the morality of capital punishment with justification.
Week 8: Capital Punishment • Ernest van den Haag, “The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense of Capital Punishment” • Jeffrey Reiman, “Why the Death Penalty Should be Abolished” • Christopher Morris, “Punishment and Loss of Moral Standing” • Watch: Into the Abyss
This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: i, ii, and iii.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 4 Animals
Sessions and Readings
Outcomes
Week 9: On Eating Animals • Alastair Norcross, “Puppies, Pigs and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases” • R. G. Frey, “Moral Standing, The Value of Lifes, and Speciesism” • Peter Singer, Animal Liberation (selections) • James Rachels, Created from Animals (selections)
After this unit, students will be able to • Explain the sense in which animals may be relevantly similar to humans, so as to deserve moral consideration. • Affirm and deny the moral permissibility of eating meat and animal testing with justification. This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: ii, iii, and v.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 5 Abortion
Sessions and Readings
Outcomes
Week 10: Abortion, pt. 1 • Judith Jarvis Thomson, “A Defense of Abortion” • Don Marquis, “Why Abortion is Immoral” • Philippa Foot, “Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect”
After this unit, students will be able to • Explain different views on personhood and how they bear on the question of the morality of abortion. • Affirm and deny the moral permissibility of abortion with justification.
Week 11: Abortion, pt. 2 • Baruch Brody, “Opposition to Abortion: A Human Rights Approach” • Mary Anne Warren, “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion” • Bonnie Steinbock, “Why Most Abortions are Not Wrong”
This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: i, ii, iii, and iv.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 6 Limits of the Law
Sessions and Readings Week 12: Legal Punishment • Igor Primoratz, “Justifying Legal Punishment” • Stephen Nathanson, “An Eye for an Eye?” • Martin Luther King, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” Week 13: Drugs & The Prison System • Michael Huemer, “America’s Unjust Drug War” • Watch: The Wire (selections from season 3) • Watch: The House I Live In
Outcomes After this unit, students will be able to • Explain different views on the justification for legal punishment. • Describe and justify their own views on the limits of the justification for legal punishment. • Affirm and deny the morality of the war on drugs with justification. This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: ii, iii, and iv.
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M. Bennett McNulty
Contemporary Moral Issues
Unit 7 More Human than Human
Sessions and Readings
Outcomes
Week 14: PEDs • Brent Kious, “Philosophy on Steroids: Why the Anti-Doping Position Could Use a Little Enhancement” • Megs Gendreau, “Who? Moral Condemnation, PEDs, and Violating the Constrains of Public Narrative” • Jonathan Gayles, “Steroids and Standardised Tests: Meritocracy and the Myth of Fair Play in the United States" • Recommended: Bill Simmons, “Daring to Ask the PED Question” in Grantland • Recommended: Brad Allanby, “Is Human Enhancement Cheating?” in Slate
After this unit, students will be able to • Explain why Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) use in sports is viewed negatively. • Affirm and deny the morality of euthanasia with justification. • Describe how human enhancement may effect our values. • Affirm and deny the morality of human enhancement, including genetic engineering, with justification. This unit also especially supports the following course-long objectives: i, ii, and iii.
Week 15: Enhancement • Michael Sandel, “The Case against Perfection” • Julian Savulescu, “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings • Nick Bostrom, “Transhumanist Values” • Recommended: Watch Gattaca
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