L30 PHIL 131F Present Moral Problems

Transcription

1 L30 PHIL 131F Present Moral Problems Summer 2014 (June 9 - July 11) MTWThF 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Cupples II L001 Instructor: Christiane Merritt Office: Wilson Hall 116 Office hours: Whispers Café (in Olin Library), 1:00-2:00 p.m. TTh, and by appointment. I m flexible and I m generally in Wilson 116 before and after class (but please or talk to me before dropping by). c.merritt@wustl.edu Required text: Analyzing Moral Issues (AMI) 6th edition (2013), Judith A. Boss Required readings that are not in AMI will be available on Blackboard. Goals: The major goal of this course is to get a clearer grasp of some of today s most pressing moral problems. A first step is reading things that other smart and well-informed people have written about these problems. Another step is analyzing those arguments ourselves by using philosophical tools. Finally, I want all of us to go beyond what others have said and to construct smart, well-informed arguments of our own. To that end, I want us to use our philosophical tools to try to sincerely answer the following question in a variety of contexts: What is the right thing to do here? Here is an explanation of how readings, activities, and assessments address our goals: Goal: As a result of taking this course you will: Better understand contemporary moral problems Improve your skill in reading sometimes difficult philosophical texts Improve your skill in critical thinking and developing your own views Activities: Some of the things that we will do to promote this goal are: Reading and discussing a variety of philosophical texts and case studies We will read excerpts or the full text of challenging articles by Peter Singer, Charles Mills, Tommie Shelby, Carol Gilligan, Stanley Fish, Elizabeth Anscombe, and others Many of the issues that we will read about and discuss involve complex reasoning and critical thinking. The term paper will require going beyond information presented in class. Assessment: We will know how well you have done on this goal by evaluating your work on: Quizzes, class discussion, Blackboard posts, papers Quizzes will test basic comprehension; papers will require detailed understanding of these texts Papers, class discussion, Blackboard posts

2 Improve skills in oral discussion Improve philosophical writing skills Discussion classes, group work Writing exercises and assignments Small-group discussions and class discussions Occasional in-class responses and reflections; Blackboard posts; papers Assignments Readings - Read with care. You should be able to discuss and comment on the readings during class. Familiarity with the readings will be noted and will contribute to the participation grade. Quizzes - 18 quizzes throughout the term, given at the beginning of class. Each quiz will have three straightforward true/false or multiple choice questions to test basic comprehension of readings. Open notes policy to be discussed in class. The three lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Daily questions - Please bring to class a note card with a couple thoughtful questions or comments about the day s readings. A thoughtful question or comment is one that demonstrates understanding of the reading and goes beyond the content of the reading in some way. For example, you might ask about something you found confusing, raise a possible criticism, or note an interesting connection to a previous reading or to some current event. You can skip up to three days of questions with no penalty. NO DAILY QUESTIONS ARE DUE IF A BLACKBOARD POST OR A PAPER IS DUE THAT DAY. Blackboard postings/case studies - At times during the term, I will ask you to comment briefly (3-4 sentences) on a case study on our Blackboard discussion forum. Responding to other students comments is encouraged, and thoughtful engagement with other students will earn top points. Please post by 10 a.m. on the due date and read other students posts (these will inform our discussion on case study days). Details will be discussed in class before the first posting is due. Three short papers to develop philosophical writing skill: Paper 1 - A 1-2 page explication of the author s argument. Paper 2 - A 2-3 page explication of the author s argument and of one objection to that argument, plus your assessment of how successful the author is in rebutting the objection. Paper 3 - A 3-4 page final paper incorporating the skills developed in Papers 1 and 2, plus more original thought of your own. You will have several topics to choose from and there will be opportunities to get feedback before you turn in your final draft. Details to be discussed in class.

3 Grades Daily questions/participation points Quizzes points Blackboard postings points Paper 1-50 points Paper points Paper points Final grades will be calculated from percentage of points earned and will be at least as generous as the standard scale (97% A+, 93% A, 90% A-, 87% B+, etc.). Class attendance and participation contributes a significant percentage of your final grade. Plan to attend every class. If you miss a class for any reason, you MUST turn in, by the beginning of the next scheduled class session, a one-page, double-spaced essay (about words) in which you (a) summarize at least one of the readings for that day and (b) critically respond to the author s argument. Late work and requests for extensions: Late work will be penalized by 10 points for each 24 hours late or portion thereof. Only in extraordinary circumstances will exceptions be considered. Academic Integrity Policy: Violations of academic integrity are extremely serious and will not be tolerated. Suspected violations will be reported for appropriate action. Plagiarism, cheating, using another s work without proper citation, etc. will be met with a grade of 0 for the assignment and may result in a failing grade for the course. Students are expected to be familiar with Washington University s policies: Accommodations/Disability Resources: Washington University is committed to providing accommodations and/or services to students with documented disabilities. Students who are seeking support for a disability or a suspected disability should contact Disability Resources at Disability Resources is responsible for approving all disability-related accommodations for WU students, and students are responsible for providing faculty members with formal documentation of their approved accommodations at least two weeks prior to using those accommodations. I will accept Disability Resources VISA forms by and personal delivery. If you have already been approved for accommodations, I request that you provide me with a copy of your VISA immediately. See Civility: No kind or degree of incivility in the classroom (or online) will be tolerated. It is essential to the objectives of this course that students feel comfortable expressing views, exploring alternatives, raising challenges, and asking questions in an atmosphere of open but respectful dialogue.

4 Schedule (subject to change; check your !) Introduction Mon., June 9 Week 1 (Syllabus review; class requirements and expectations; what is ethics?) AMI 1-11 Confronting Controversies and Remaining Friends ( ed) Justice: Local, National, Global Tues., June 10 Background: AMI Peter Singer, Famine, Affluence, and Morality Wed., June 11 Thomas Pogge, World Poverty and Human Rights (AMI ) Garrett Hardin, Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor Thurs., June 12 **First Blackboard post due 10 a.m.** Background: AMI John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (AMI 60-63) Fri., June 13 Background: AMI Susan Moller Okin, Justice as Fairness: For Whom? (excerpts, Blackboard) David Benatar, The Second Sexism (excerpts, Blackboard) Week 2 Mon., June 16 Background: AMI Charles W. Mills, Retrieving Rawls for Racial Justice? A Critique of Tommie Shelby (excerpts, Blackboard) Tues., June 17 Background: AMI Bernard Boxill, The Color-Blind Principle (AMI ) Tommie Shelby, Is Racism in the Heart? Wed., June 18 Background: AMI 12-14

5 Nel Noddings, Caring (AMI 66-69) Carol Gilligan, Images of Relationship Environmental Ethics, Animal Ethics, Genetic Engineering Thurs., June 19 Fri., June 20 Background: AMI (for next few classes; skim for now) Aldo Leopold, The Land Ethic (AMI ) Bill Devall and George Sessions, Deep Ecology (AMI ) **Second Blackboard post due 10 a.m.** Kathleen Dean Moore, Toward an Ecological Ethic of Care Case studies: Asthma and the inner city: East St. Louis children struggle with life-threatening disease Bridgeton Landfill neighbors seek action after surface fire, more odors Week 3 Mon., June 23 **First paper due** Tom Regan, The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism (AMI ) Jan Narveson, Animal Rights Revisited (AMI ) Tues., June 24 Peter Singer, Animal Liberation (AMI ) Wed., June 25 Background: AMI Julian Savulescu, Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings (AMI ) Yin Ren, Designer Babies: The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering (AMI ) Thurs., June 26 Fri., June 27 Readings on deafness, Deaf culture, and elective disability Sound and Fury (In-class documentary screening) **Third Blackboard post due 10 a.m.** Deafness and disability cont d Liberty and Free Speech Week 4 Mon., June 30 John Stuart Mill, excerpt from On Liberty (AMI )

6 Stanley Fish, There s No Such Thing as Free Speech (AMI ) Tues., July 1 Wed., July 2 Thurs., July 3 Fri., July 4 **Second paper due in class** Excerpts, United States of Secrets (In-class documentary screening) Cass R. Sunstein, The First Amendment in Cyberspace (AMI ) The Rights and Wrongs of Hacktivism (The Guardian) **Fourth Blackboard post due 10 a.m.** Sissela Bok, Secrets (excerpts) NO CLASS! Enjoy hot dogs or Smart Dogs (depending on your ethical stance)! War and Terrorism Week 5 Mon., July 7 Elizabeth Anscombe, War and Murder (AMI ) Tues., July 8 C. A. J. Coady, War and Terrorism (AMI ) Wed., July 9 Thurs., July 10 Fri., July 11 David Luban, The War on Terrorism and the End of Human Rights (AMI ) The Moral Case for Drones **Fifth Blackboard post due 10 a.m.** John Kaag and Sarah Kreps, The Moral Hazard of Drones Bradley Strawser, The Morality of Drone Warfare Revisited **Third paper due in class** More drones/catch-up/tba