Morals and Rights |
SYLLABUS |
Nelson Pole |
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PHL 211 |
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Fall 2009 |
MC 305 on TuTh, 1:00 to 2:50
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Instructor: |
Nelson Pole |
RT 1927, use 216.523.7179 for phone mail |
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Office hours: |
TuTh, 12:00 to 1:00, or by appointment |
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Homepage: |
http://academic.csuohio.edu/polen/home/ |
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Text: MacKinnon, Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, 6th edition |
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GENERAL EDUCATION: PHL 211 satisfies the General Education requirement for an Arts & Humanities course in the two skill areas of critical thinking and writing. See the last page for a description of the requirements.
GOALS: To understand and discuss basic concepts of Western theories of appraising human behavior including choice, virtue, right, wrong, obligation, consequence, rule, autonomy, self, commandment, and piety. And to use these concepts in understanding and discussing contemporary moral concerns raised by the daily news such as ones about the environment, legal punishment, discrimination, sexuality, property, and war.
PEDAGOGY: The human acquisition of knowledge is a cooperative affair. My job is to make the material accessible to you and to enable you to evaluate your progress. Your job is to learn the material and to keep me informed of difficulties as they arise. You should read the assignments beforehand to get a general overview but do not expect to understand a great deal of the material. Come to class prepared to ask many questions from ones merely intended to confirm that you do understand to ones of general puzzlement. After class, reread the text to grasp the fine points. And, keep asking whether you should accept, reject, or suspend judgment about the views being defended. Focus on the reasons for making your choices.
Keep in mind that there is no way will be able to cover all of every chapter. Much of what we do in class will be driven by your interests in, your comments about, and your questions concerning the assigned material and cases. In particular, the class will decide to which current issues we will apply our understanding of Western ethics.
On a personal basis, I am teaching this course more because I want to learn and study the issues than because I am already an expert on them. We are very much in this together. It may well be the case that you, or someone else in the class, knows far more about a particular contemporary issue than do I—that knowledge should also "drive" the class.
GRADING: There will be an in-class short essay exam during week 8 on moral theories and a final exam that will ask you to apply the theories to cases discussed in class. You also need to write 2 short reading assignment synopses. In addition, for extra credit, students may make a formal oral presentation to the class on any issue or case in the text.
Western philosophy is a dialogue among philosophers and eras. As such, the worst philosophical sin is to ignore the work of another philosopher. If you disagree, you need to explain why. But, if you agree, you also need to explain why! The sin is to "pretend" that the other does not exist. So, to get the best possible grade, defend not only your own views but also why you accept or reject those of the philosophers covered in class and in our readings.
The 2 reading topic summaries are of 800-1000 words each. You chose the topic, but a synopsis will be accepted only at the start of the first class meeting of the week for which the reading is assigned. State the philosopher, the philosophical problem and the central argument(s) or approaches. Some students may be asked to read theirs to the class. The two synopses may be re-written for additional credit (if it is of at least two-thirds of a letter grade-for example from a B to an A- but not to from a B to a B+).
Essays that have not been at least spell-checked will not be accepted. They will be returned for correction.
Note: On my home page, at http://academic.csuohio.edu/polen/home/CitationStandards.htm, there is a handout that explains special formats for citing Internet resources. The internet posting facilitates following the links used for illustration.
Deadlines:
Each essay is to be submitted in two formats, by a typed, paper copy and as a file attached to an email. However, attachments need to be carefully named. Improperly named files will not be opened. Suppose that the topic of Mary Jones' essay is professionalism. The title of her printed paper might be Professionalism but the name of her computer file is to start with her name, for example:
MaryJonesProfessionalism.doc or MaryJonesProfessionalism.rtf
On your own machine, a file called PhilosophyEssay1 might make sense, but on my machine the file name is obscure, especially if a dozen different students send the same title! Avoiding this problem is the reason for the naming rules.
Note: Any email message to me about this course should have a subject header that starts with 211. This is to help separate your email from spam and other forms of fraud.
Guidelines For Writing A Topic Summary
The purpose of a Topic Summary is to become an expert on what the text states about one central point. Think of it as a take-home exam on a topic that you choose. It is evaluated on the basis of its understanding of the issues raised, the importance of the topic that was chosen and the quality of the written expression.
Features of an A-essay are that
PARTICIPATION: Think of the class as a job. You were hired because your employer and your fellow employees need you and the services that you perform. So, you are expected to be there every day as scheduled. Of course, there are unavoidable times when you cannot make it. To keep on the good side of your boss, you arrange for a substitute and you keep your boss informed. But, if it happens too often, you will be fired. Similarly, your classmates and your instructor need you. Think of me as your boss—you want to keep on my good side. Let me know if you cannot make it. But, if it happens too often, your grade will suffer and it might even become a failure.
Any absence considered an excused absence according to CSU policy will be excused. All other absences may be excused at my discretion. In either case, making up missed assignments and keeping up with classroom activities is the obligation of the student. Leaving class early or arriving late may result in an unexcused absence. Use email to keep me apprised of anticipated complications.
In class, show that you are attentive. Cell phones, open laptops, iPods and the like are to be put aside. If your cell phone rings, take it out to the hall. If it happens more than once or if you answer it in class, you may be asked to leave for the day. On the other hand, from time to time, I may ask someone, or even everyone, to open their laptop and look at particular sites. If I find that you are wandering from the designated sites, again, you may be asked to leave for the day. Technology is wonderful but some people cannot keep from paying more attention to it than to the more important scholarly tasks. For the same reasons, if I find you in class doing reading or writing that is not course related, you may be asked to leave for the day.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disability should inform the instructor during the first week so that necessary accommodations can be discussed. Educational access is the provision of classroom accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of their disability. Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services at (216) 687-2015. The Office is located in MC 147. Accommodations need to be requested in advance and will not be granted retroactively.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: Adherents to any religion may seek to be excused from class for religious reasons. Expect to provide a schedule of religious holidays that 09:07 7/9/2009 you intend to observe. This is to be done in writing before the completion of the second week of class. Students will always be allowed to make up work scheduled on dates during which they observe the holidays of their religion.
For all stated policies and deadlines, exceptions will be granted on a case by case basis. If you have any sort of special need, feel free to discuss it with me.
COURSE
CALENDAR—PHL 211, Fall 2009 AUG 24 Week 1—Moral Complexity Text assignment: Preface; Chapter 1 Tuesday Course goals & basic concepts Thursday Can Ethics be taught? AUG 31 Week 2—Relativism Text assignment: Chapter 2 Tuesday Facts Thursday Pluralism SEP 7 Week 3—Egoism Monday CSU Closed—Labor Day Text assignment: Chapter 3 Tuesday Psychological Egoism/Ethical Egoism Thursday The Truth? SEP 14 Week 4—Utilitarianism Text assignment: Chapter 4 Tuesday The Principle of Utility Thursday Costs and Benefits SEP 21 Week 5—Kant Text assignment: Chapter 5 Tuesday The Categorical Imperative Thursday Obligation/Duty Election of Topics for
Weeks 9-14. SEP 28 Week 6—Natural Law and Natural Rights Text assignment: Chapter 6 Tuesday Aristotle Thursday Inalienable Rights OCT 5 Week 7—Virtue Ethics Text assignment: Chapter 7 Tuesday Everyday Life Thursday Masculine and Feminine OCT 12 Week 8—Midterm Exam Text assignment: Reread Chapters 1-7 Monday CSU Closed—Columbus Day Tuesday Review Thursday Exam OCT 19 Week 9—Topic OCT 26 Week 10—Topic Friday LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW—Thinking about dropping? Talk
it over first with Professor Pole. Maybe he can find a way around your
difficulty. NOV 2 Week 11—Topic NOV 9 Week 12—Topic Wednesday Veterans Day-CSU open but NO classes NOV 16 Week 13—Topic NOV 23 Week 14—Topic Thursday CSU Closed—Thanksgiving Friday CSU Closed—Thanksgiving NOV 30 Week 15—Review and summary Text assignment: Reread everything Tuesday My Last Comments Thursday Your Last Comments DEC 7 Week 16
Finals Week! Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday, DEC 15th, scored finals, with course grades indicated, will be
available after
General Education Requirements
Arts and Humanities
1. Courses must be offered at the 100/200 level
in an arts and humanities discipline including but not limited to English,
History, Philosophy, Art History, Music History, Religious Studies, or Modern
Languages. Courses offered in other
disciplines may be approved if they meet the other conditions indicated below.
2. Courses must provide students with background
knowledge and analytical skills that will allow them to:
a.
Demonstrate
understanding of how human beings interpret, translate, and represent diverse
experiences of the world through language, literature, the historical record,
philosophical systems, images, sounds, and performances.
b.
Apply that
understanding to the study of the human condition, cultural heritage, cultural
artifacts, creativity, and history.
**Additional criterion for
courses NOT specifically focused on Asia, Latin America, Africa or the
Courses
must be survey courses that provide an overview of a broad topic or field of
knowledge.
**Additional criteria for courses
focused on Asia, Latin America, Africa and/or the
1. The primary focus of the course must be on a society
or societies in Asia, Latin America, Africa and/or the
2.
Content must be
presented from the perspective(s) of the societies being studied, not simply
European and/or American perceptions of those societies.
SKILL AREA OF WRITING
To qualify in the skill area of writing a course must:
Writing-to-learn helps students use writing to
explore many aspects of the course as well as their own reflections; these
activities should foster learning at deeper levels than memorization or
recitation. Writing-to-communicate emphasizes
aspects of writing (style, grammatical correctness, coherence, focus) that
allow a reader to navigate the writing as he or she wishes.
SKILL AREA OF CRITICAL THINKING
To qualify in the skill area
of critical thinking a course must: