ETHICS Syllabus
RELP 2170 Spring 2006 MWF
Dr. Seth Holtzman
office: 308
Administration Bldg,
hours: MW
3-5; Th 10-11 (if no meeting); TTh 2-3, & by
appointment
phones: 637-4229 office; 636-9666 home; 637-4428 secretary
email: sholtzma@catawba.edu
Course summary:
This course provides an introduction to ethics. It is not an indoctrination course, not a
religious ethics course, and not an open and unguided debate about specific
ethical issues. Rather, the course examines
the realm of ethics: its scope, discourse, problems, theories, issues, and
nature. We will work to understand the
subject matter of ethics and the sort of thinking and reasoning specific to
ethics.
Roughly speaking, ethics is that
area of the culture that deals with what we ought (not) to be and to do as
persons (as the kind of being we are, versus as the individuals we are). Unlike, say, science, ethics is a highly
controversial and problematic area of the culture. Although we find ourselves committed to
ethical judgments and engaging in ethical discourse, many cultural critics have
pointed out that we are not really comfortable in the arena of ethics. We will see if we agree with the critics, and
if so, we will ask why ethics poses problems for us.
We will work out of our ordinary
understanding of ethics. We will read
stories, raise examples from real life, and consider how we actually think
about and employ ethics. We will
confront some abstract philosophical ideas, but they will tend to arise
naturally from the concrete ethical problems, issues and reasoning we consider.
Class format will be mostly lecture
and guided discussion.
|
Expected learning
outcome A successful student should be able to: |
Means of
Assessment |
|
Demonstrate an understanding of what the subject of ethics is |
Position paper, midterm, analytical paper, final exam |
|
Demonstrate an awareness that deep assumptions in the culture lead us
toward ethical relativism or subjectivism |
Midterm, final exam |
|
Demonstrate an understanding that only an ethical objectivism or
realism is tenable |
Midterm, final exam |
|
Demonstrate an ability to connect abstract ideas in ethics to concrete
ethical cases |
Midterm, analytical paper, final exam |
|
Demonstrate an improved ethical sensitivity and improved ability to
reason about ethics |
Position paper, midterm, analytical paper, final exam |
Requirements and grading:
1) Attendance
is required; you cannot learn the course on your own. In class I will sometimes elicit your grasp
of the readings, lecture, and course. Your
participation through questions and discussion is important, too. You need to be present, mentally active and
prepared. Class participation can raise
your final grade by up to 1/3 of a grade.
2) A 2-3 page position paper on a case
study of your choice. To be turned in at
any point no later than a week before the end of class. We may present these to the class. 15% of your grade.
3) A cumulative midterm exam, testing
your understanding of
the readings and of the issues and problems presented in the course. Tentatively, March 3; blue book
required and write in pen. 25% of your grade.
4) A 4-5 page analytical paper on an assigned
topic. Tentatively, the topic will be
handed out April 13, and the paper is due on Monday, May 1 (the final class). 25% of your grade.
5) A cumulative final exam. You will be tested for your overall grasp of
the course, not for memory of specific facts.
I might pass out a list of study questions a week or two in
advance. Blue book required; write in
pen. Exam date: Thursday, May 4, 3:00-6:00. 35% of your grade.
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Requirements for written work include these:
Responsiveness to the Assignment
Writing should fulfill the purpose of the assignment directly and
completely.
Content
Writing should reflect an understanding of the
subject. Your writing should make good
use of the relevant concepts, distinctions, positions, and reasons included in
course readings or brought out in lecture or in discussion. Writing should be organized so ideas are arranged
logically and clearly. Main points
should be supported by substantial and relevant details. Your work should be backed by
good reasons. Your claims and reasons
should be consistent with each other.
You should anticipate and respond to any reasonable objections.
Execution
Writing should use precise words and well-constructed
sentences that clearly represent the writer’s reasoning. Writing should adhere to conventions of
grammar, capitalization, spelling, and usage.
The writing style should be appropriate to the academy. Your work should be clearly
written, its claims precise, its structure clear, with an explicit overall
direction. It should be intelligible to
an interested student.
Citations and
Documentation
Writers must clearly differentiate their own
material from the source material. When
writers use material that is not their own, or that is not common knowledge,
they must document the source of the information using a standardized (i.e.,
either MLA or APA) method or abbreviated method allowed by their instructor.
Other requirements: in time, typed, paginated, tidy (stapled
or bound), standard margins and fonts, and dark print. Failure to meet these requirements will hurt
your assignment grades. Any papers
should have a cover page with your name, course name and number, date, my name,
and a title.
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Grading:
"A"
"B" Good
mastery
"C" Satisfactory achievement
"D" Less
than satisfactory achievement
"F" Unsatisfactory
achievement; Failure to achieve minimum competency
I use +/- grades, though A+ is not a
possible final course grade.
A+ 97-100 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A 93-96 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62
Grades can and should measure achievement only, not
effort.
Texts:
1) Morality Play, by Jessica
Pierce
2) a coursepack
in the bookstore
3) handouts
Reading and taking notes:
I expect you to do all readings; to
do well in the course, you will need to.
Some of the material is easy and accessible on your first attempt. Other assignments are quite taxing and will
probably require multiple readings. I
suggest the following strategy for any difficult reading: read it once quickly simply to get the gist;
then read it carefully for details, not worrying about the overall picture;
then read it normally, fitting the details into the overall picture.
Lectures can
track the readings but also range far afield.
Come to class having done the readings.
You are responsible for them all; the final exam will assume you have
read them. Since lectures cover material
not in the readings, this is another reason to attend class.
Most
students take sketchy notes. Perhaps
they think they cannot both take notes and listen, or perhaps they do not grasp
the value of taking notes. Learn to
write while you listen; it can be done, and it usually enhances your grasp of
what is said. Take as many notes as you
can, without losing too much of what is said.
Writing down only key terms and definitions is not enough in this class. Your notes are an invaluable resource for
understanding the course and for the final exam.
Absences and violations:
To
keep attendance--and to learn your names--I will institute a seating chart in
the first few classes. Choose a permanent
seat; see me to change it. I will use
the chart to check attendance promptly at the start of class. If late, you might be counted absent; if late
enough, you do count as absent. Avoid tardiness; if you are often late
(without good reason), I will choose to count you as absent. Sleeping
and other forms of mental disconnect in class count as an absence. When absent, you are responsible for missed
assignments and classroom material. Get
notes from a classmate. If you still
have questions, you may contact me.
No absences
are excused. After 3 penalty-free absences,
which you needn’t explain to me, further ones lower your final grade: minus 1/3 grade for 4-5 total absences, 2/3 for
6-8, minus 1 grade for 9-10. Missing class right before or after a vacation counts double. Over 10 absences for other than an emergency
is automatic grounds for an "F" (or an "I"), regardless of
your grades.
Respect the people and ideas in our
class. I don't care if you bring a drink
or sport a hat or wear rags. I care that
you pay attention to me and to others (so, no cell phones or activated
pagers/beepers/watches), that you are on time and ready to work, that you bring
a positive attitude to class even if you are struggling, and that you contribute
positively to class.
Cheating, working
with someone to complete individual assignments (unless specifically allowed), as
well as falsifying an emergency to skip class or an assignment, all violate the
Honor Code. So does plagiarism,
employing a writer's ideas (and even words) without giving the writer due
credit. See me for help about borrowing
someone's ideas or words for your use.
Schedule of
1) "Plato: Republic”
Glaucon asks Socrates to argue why ethics is
good for us. The story of Gyges'
ring is intended to back Glaucon's
claim that we wouldn't care about ethics if
we thought we could get away with what we do.
How does Socrates respond?
Does ethics go beyond what we take to be our
self-interest? How are ethics
and self-interest
related? What is the foundation for ethics?
2) E.M. Adams, "Persons and
Morality"
How does personhood relate to morality? What does moral discourse tell us
about living a
life? How does living a life require
that one have a self-image?
What
does
personhood?
Does it matter what sort of life we live? What are the two different
accounts of the
moral purpose of life? Which does
3) "The Good Life", pp.186- 98 (Aristotle)
What is Aristotle’s
view of ethics? What is his account of
happiness? What is the
essence of a human being? What does he mean by a moral “virtue”
(excellence)?
Does this have a connection to feelings?
What is the connection between reason
and the “mean”?
Does Aristotle believe in an objective morality? What is the role of
habit-formation in morality? What is practical
judgments?
What is the role of responsibility in ethics? What is his position on the
“highest good” for
a human? Why is it so difficult to
become
4) Barcalow,
“Moral Philosophy”,
pp.23- 4
What distinguishes a
universal moral judgment from an absolute one?
Why think
there can be no
absolute moral principles? Is there any
reason, then, to formulate
“unqualified”
principles?
5) Barcalow, “Moral Philosophy”, pp.28- 41
Why think there is some standard
against which we should judge the principles,
laws, and moral
judgments we accept? Why do some people
contend that religion
provides that
standard? Why locate the religious
standard in God’s command?
What is the Divine Command Theory of
morality? What are its two main
versions?
How do they help with the issue of wanting to
follow moral dictates? What are some
problems with the
theory? Can we know what God wants, and
know without error?
Has our understanding of God changed over
time? Can we take X to be a Divine
Command unless X agrees with what we take (or
will take) to be good?
6) Roger
Eddy, “ The Afternoon Tarzan Came to Tea”, and “The
Day I Threw the
Football Game” (in The
Worldly Adventures of a Teenage Tycoon)
What do these stories show about how to reach
good judgments, about character development, about virtues and vices, and
about testing one’s moral judgments?
7) Kevin Bales, “The New Slavery”
The title of Bales’ book is Disposable
People. What does he mean? What
distinguishes the
“old” slavery from the “new”? What does
slavery do to a person?
Is it morally wrong? If so, why?
8) John Benson, “Who is the Autonomous
Man?”
What is autonomy? Why does Benson
contend that a popular conception of it is
misguided?
What does autonomy amount to in the realm of thought? What is its
value?
What does autonomy amount to in the realm of moral judgments about what
to do?
What is the relation between this autonomy and authority? Does he hold
that morality is objective? In
what way? Does he connect morality and feelings?
What is required for autonomy?
9) M. Scott Peck, “The Case of the Spider
Phobia” (in People
of the Lie)
What is Billie’s life like? Why does she go into psychotherapy? What does she
discover about her
life? What does she discover about her
mother? What does she
discover about her
spider phobia? What is a phobia? What does her therapist help
her realize? What is the nature of the evil here?
10) Benn, “Wickedness”
What does Benn mean by
“wickedness”? Why does he center
wickedness not in
action but in
character? How does he go beyond
Aristotle’s account of wickedness?
How does he go beyond Socrates’ account of
the immoral person? What is a
“maxim of
action”? What is the difference between
a “first-order” maxim and a
“second-order” maxim? What forms of wickedness does Benn identify?
How does
he distinguish
between evil and wickedness? What are
the characteristics of the
different forms of
wickedness (and evil) that he identifies?
What do we learn are
marks of a morally good (and well-functioning)
person?
11) Kurt Vonnegut, “Harrison Bergeron”
What do we mean by the ideal of
equality? What sort of equality? What in the story
is equality supposed
to be protection against? What does it
produce?
12) Hallie, “From
Cruelty to Goodness”
What does cruelty
amount to? What does it affect in a
human being? In what way
does Hallie connect cruelty to power? Why isn’t kindness the opposite of
cruelty?
What does Hallie
believe constitutes a morally good person?
What does the case of
Le Chambon show
about cruelty and its opposite? What
does it show about the
people of Le Chambon? Why does Hallie reject the view expressed in the letter
from
13) Martin Luther King, "Letter from a
What ethical judgments and principles does
King defend? What does he think
justifies
them? How does he ethically justify
civil disobedience? Whom
does
he believe is
ethically at fault? How does he think
one must prepare oneself for it?
Why?
Does he contend that there is a necessary connection between morality
and
community?