Philosophy 330: Ethics Fall 2010 CRN 4023 Thursday 6:00-8:50 Location: Serra Hall 314 Instructor Information Dr. Ian M. Duckles
Office: Founders Hall 168A
Email: imduckles@gmail.com Office Hours: Thursday 5:00-6:00 or by appointmentCourse Objectives: Students should be able to:
Methodology: In an effort to make the class more effectively reflect your own interests, much of the course will be designed by the students. After the introductory material is covered in the first few weeks, students will then vote on which topics they want to read about and discuss next. Our text has eight topics from which to choose. Texts: There is only one text for the class, and all readings are from it. The text is: Contemporary Moral Problems, 9th edition. James E. White ed. Thomson-Wadsworth, 2009.
Reading assignments can be found on the schedule. Assignments: Your grade in the course will be based on your performance on three types of assignments:
Schedule All readings can be found in Contemporary Moral Problems 9th edition. James E. White ed. Thomson-Wadsworth, 2009. Page numbers refer to this edition. Reading assignments are subject to change and are expected to be completed for the day on which they are assigned. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 September 30: Dworkin, "Paternalism" PDF Download; Szasz, "The Ethics of Addiction" (pp. 281-288) For next week, write a journal in which you consider why we have the drug laws in the US that we do. What purpose or goal is the law trying to achieve? Do the laws we have actually achieve those goals? Also, please obtain a copy of the CA Voter Information Guide for the November 2, 2010 election. These are readily available in a variety of locations and online at www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov We will focus on the material for Proposition 19. Week 6 For next week, write a journal in which you explore the arguments and rebuttals in the CA Voter Guide for and against Proposition 19. In particular, pay attention to the factual claims about the Proposition made by each side. Are these claims true? Does the argument misrepresent something in the Proposition? What is your opinion about this Proposition? The voter guide can be obtained at the link above. Week 7 Week 8 October 21: Continue Death Penalty, watch film in class, The Thin Blue Line. Week 9 October 28: Ernest van den Haag, "The Ultimate Punishment (pp. 212-217), Jeffrey H. Reiman, "Justice, Civilization, and the Death Penalty" (pp. 218-228) Week 10 For next week, pick a topic we haven't discussed in class and explore the morality of that topic using one of the philosophers we have studied in class. Week 11 Week 12 Week 13: NO CLASS, ENJOY THANKSGIVING Week 14 Week 15 The remaining content will be determined in class by students. The Final Exam is due Thursday, December 16 at 10:00 PM via email. Academic Integrity and Conduct: Plagiarism, cheating and poor student conduct will not be tolerated. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the USD Integrity Policy. This can be found at http://www.sandiego.edu/honorcouncil/integrity.php. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and Disability Services. Information can be found at http://www.sandiego.edu/disability/. |
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