Ethics Syllabus skip to: [ description ] [ goals ] [ class format ] [ texts ] [ high-tech ] [ requirements ] [ academic honesty ]
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The word ‘philosophy’ derives from Greek words meaning ‘love of wisdom’. So philosophy attempts to determine some of the deepest truths about our existence and the reality around us. What distinguishes philosophy is not just the issues that it addresses, since some of these are also addressed by other fields (like science and religion). What is distinctive about philosophy is the way in which it attempts to answer those questions: through reason. Philosophers attempt to justify their views with arguments, laying out the strongest reasons in favor of their positions and responding to the strongest objections against them. Ethics is the branch of philosophy
that considers what is right and wrong, good and bad in human activities
– in short, it tries to determine how we ought to live.
In this course, we are going to use philosophical reasoning to examine
what is a good or bad life, which actions we ought or ought not to take,
and how answers to those questions affect how society ought or ought not
to be structured.
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The ultimate goal of the course is to help you refine
and articulate your own moral viewpoint.
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Our class meetings will primarily focus on discussion
of the readings and the larger issues related to them. I will sometimes
also present important background or related views. As much as possible,
however, students will have a chance to apply and evaluate the ideas that
the texts present, and to propose and consider alternatives. In order
to achieve our ultimate goal for the course, it is essential that each
student actively engages the material. Pet Peeve No dozing in class! It is
extremely rude toward those who are speaking, and tends to dampen the
energy and involvement of the group as a whole. Research shows that someone
dozing off hardly retains anything anyway. So, if you find yourself that
drowsy, you should simply go home and nap instead of coming to or staying
in class. If I see anyone dozing off, I’ll interrupt class and ask
that person to leave.
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A good dictionary (you can't understand the readings if you don't know what the words mean!) Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Irwin, 2nd
edn. (Hackett) There are several additional readings that are on electronic
reserve ("e-reserve"), available here.
These are password-protected, to restrict access only to those in the
class.
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Participation
— 20% of your total grade Response Papers
— 40% of your total grade Research Project & Term Paper
— 20% of your total grade Oral Examination
— 20% of your total grade ** NOTE **
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All of the work that you submit in this course must be entirely your own. Of course, you can seek help in a variety of ways as you prepare your papers. So it is permitted for you: to consult additional readings, to search for material on the internet, to discuss your ideas with other students, to exchange notes with other students, and to read and to discuss drafts of each other’s papers. But it is not permitted for you to use someone else's words or ideas in your written work without giving proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. You have signed a statement indicating that you understand and will abide by the College policy on plagiarism. Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically fail the course, and may be expelled from the College. For more details, see the Student Handbook.
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