Philosophy 102B:
Introduction to Philosophy: Values
Spring 2010
CRN 92548 TTH 5:00-8:10 PM Location: MCASM 5305
Instructor Information
Dr.
Ian M. Duckles
Email:
imduckles@gmail.com
Office
Hours: By appointment
Course Objectives:
My goal in this course is to briefly introduce you
to some of the major, western ethical theories, and then explore in some
detail
how these ethical theories apply to contemporary problems that confront
us as
human beings and as citizens of the world. My hope is that this will
lead you
to see the importance and relevance of ethical inquiry, and the ways in
which
such inquiry helps you to lead an authentic and meaningful human
existence.
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. You can also
use the 8th
edition of the text. Special accommodations for users of the 8th
edition will be presented in class.
Assignments: Your grade in the course will be based on your
performance on three types of assignments:
- Weekly
Quizzes: Almost every week
there will be
a quiz at the beginning of class on the material we covered the previous
week.
These quizzes will collectively be worth 20% of your grade. These
quizzes cannot be made up if missed.
- Class
Participation: This is worth 10%
of your
grade and is based on attendance and participation in class activities.
Student who are
very tardy or who leave early will be considered absent.
- Exams: In addition to the first midterm
there will be an exam for each unit covered in class. Each exam will
count the
same for a total of 40% of your grade in the course.
- Final
Exam: The final exam will be
comprehensive, and count for 20%
- Final Essay: All students will complete a final essay
during the last few weeks of the course. Though this project is only
worth 10% of your grade, failure to complete the project will result in
an F in the course. More details about the project will be announced in
class and on this site at a later date.
Grade Scale:
≥ 90 = A
≥
80 = B
≥ 70 = C
≥ 60 = D
< 60 = F
Academic Integrity and Conduct: Miramar College students are bound by the Student Code of
Conduct,
Policy 3100. In this
course, cheating, plagiarism, disruptions of instructional activity,
fraud
and/or lying will result in, at a minimum, a grade of “F” for the
assignment/test
with no make up permitted. Any of
these infractions may result in an “F” for the course as well and formal
disciplinary action by the Dean of Student Affairs as described in the
code (as
published in the catalog or online).
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who may need
accommodations in this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and
DSPS.
DSPS can be found at http://www.sdmiramar.edu/stu_svcs/dsps/index.asp
or they can be contacted by phone at 619-388-7312.
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
| March 23
| Introduction; Aquinas, “The Natural Law”; Hume, “Morality is
Based on Sentiment”; Shaw, “Ethical Relativism”; Mill, “Utilitarianism”
(pp.
27-44).
|
| March 25
| Kant, “The Categorical Imperative”; Aristotle,
“Happiness and Virtue"; Rawls,
“A Theory of Justice”; Grimshaw, “The Idea of a Female Ethic” (pp.
44-73). |
| March 29-April 2
| SPRING BREAK!!
|
Week 2
| April 6
| Continue Previous Discussion Review for Exam
|
| April 8
| Midterm 1
|
Week 3
| April 13
| Drugs and Addiction Introduction Mill,
"On Liberty" PDF Download |
| April 15
| Dworkin, "Paternalism" PDF Download Szasz,
"The Ethics of Addiction" (pp. 281-288) |
Week 4
| April 20
| USDEA, "Speaking Out Against Drug Legalization" (pp.
289-298) PDF
Download Shapiro,
"Addiction and Drug Policy" (pp. 298-304) |
| April 22
| Midterm 2
|
Week 5
| April 27
| Capital Punishment, an Introduction US Supreme Court, Gregg v. Georgia (pp. 200-209)
|
| April 29
| Kant, "The Retributive Theory of Punishment (pp. 210-212) Ernest van den Haag, "The Ultimate Punishment (pp. 212-217)
|
Week 6
| May 4
| Jeffrey H. Reiman, "Justice, Civilization, and the Death Penalty" (pp. 218-228) David Gelernter, "What do Murderers Deserve?" (pp. 229-233)
|
| May 6
| Midterm 3
|
Week 7
| May 11
| Introduction of Paper Topic Lecture on Food and US Food Policy
|
| May 13
| TBD
|
Week 8
| May 18
| In-class Peer Editing (Bring two drafts of your paper to class)
|
| May 20
| Final Exam Final Paper Due
|