Course Syllabus Introduction to Ethics Philosophy Summer I 2012 M-F 9:35-11:30

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1 Blinn College Instructor: Jacob Kidd Office: A 254 Phone: jacob.kidd@blinn.edu Office Hours: M-R 9-9:30 Course Syllabus Introduction to Ethics Philosophy Summer I 2012 M-F 9:35-11:30 Bryan Campus Course Description: This course surveys basic problems and perspectives in ethics and leads to a critical analysis of contemporary moral problems such as abortion, capital punishment, poverty, affirmative action, animal rights, and the environment. Three class hours per week. Credit: Three semester hours. Prerequisites: Must have passed the Reading portion of the THEA Test, or passed READ 0306 with a grade of C or better. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the completion of the course, the student will: Explain the purpose of Ethics as a philosophical discipline. Identify the central ideas of major ethicists: e.g. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Mill, Kant. Explicate the arguments of major ethicists: e.g. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Mill, Kant. Explicate meta-ethical issues: e.g. relativism, universalism, solipsism. Compare and contrast Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Virtue Ethics.. Required Textbook: Pojman, Louis P., How Should We Live?: An Introduction to Ethics. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thompson, Course Requirements, Policies, and Grading Criteria Grading Distribution Daily Grades 15% Participation 15% Exam1 15% Exam 2 15% Exam 3 15% Presentation 20% Final 5% Daily Grades: Being a part of the intellectual community of learners is a vital component to your education. As such, students have the opportunity and responsibility to attend class and take part in the discussion and activities. Daily quizzes and in-class work are all a part of the daily grade average. Skipping class or not participating can significantly lower the student s grade in the class.

2 Exams: The three exams over the course of the semester will measure a student s understanding of lecture material and readings. Presentations: Students will be required to join with two or three classmates and give a 15 minute oral presentation concerning the particular ethical topic the group has chosen. The Final Exam will be a short objective assessment (Course Inventory[post test]) of the skills gained in the course and will be administered during the final exam period. Out of class essays must be typed, double spaced, in manuscript format, with the Works Cited appearing as the last page of the essay. Computer problems, while common, will not excuse lateness. Daily work (quizzes, in-class writing, etc.) cannot be made up. Grading System A % Excellent B 80-89% Good C 70-79% Average D 60-69% Poor F Below 60% Failure I Incomplete Q Dropped QF Dropped Failing W Dropped Due to Good Cause or Withdrew from College Note to co-enrolled high school students: This class is a college course and students are expected to abide by all the rules and regulations of Blinn College as well as those policies set forth in this handout and during class. Remember that a grade of D (60-69) represents a passing grade for this class, but it might not be a passing grade for the high school. Students are responsible for keeping track of their grades and making sure that they pass this class and receive credit for high school graduation. Grading Criteria Grading Standards for Papers and In-Class Essays Note: To receive a grade of A-C, the paper must meet all requirements of the assignment. All research material of a paper must be correctly documented, and formatting must adhere to instructor requirements and current standards of the Modern Language Association. The A paper (90-100) represents original, outstanding work. It shows consistently careful thought, fresh insights, sophisticated analysis, and stylistic maturity. The reader moves through the A paper effortlessly because of its effective transitions, strong organization, and thorough, purposeful development.

3 The thesis of an A paper is a complete, well-formulated sentence appearing early in the paper. It clearly states the controlling idea of the paper and projects the organization of supporting ideas to follow. An A paper is not marred by distracting mechanical errors such as fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement problems, and incorrect or missing punctuation. It is meticulously proofread. Directly quoted passages are gracefully integrated into the text with appropriate attribution. Word choice is marked by precision and a varied, advanced vocabulary. It is free of jargon, clichés, and other empty language. The B paper (80-89) represents clearly good, above average college level work. It demonstrates insight, analysis, and a varied vocabulary. Its specific points are logically ordered, with appropriate transitions; ideas are well developed and supported with evidence. The thesis of a B paper is a complete sentence, appearing early in the paper, which states the essay s controlling idea. It is mostly free of distracting mechanical errors such as subject-verb agreement problems, inadequate proofreading, or incorrect or missing punctuation. Serious syntactical errors, such as fragments and run-ons, do not appear in the B paper. Directly quoted passages are smoothly integrated into the text with appropriate attribution. In summary, the language of the B paper is clear, correct, and often thoughtful, but it lacks the candor and precision of the most memorable writing. The C paper (70-79) represents average college-level work. It is a competent expression of ordinary thoughts in ordinary language and exhibits a writing style that is basically correct. A C paper has an organizational pattern, with body paragraphs containing information that is relevant to the assignment. However, it often lacks varied transitions, clear topic sentences, and other information needed to guide the reader. It has a thesis, but it usually lacks specificity in language and focus. It may be insubstantial, vague, or simply too broad or general. Analysis is superficial or inconsistently provided. A paper earning a C has relatively few syntactic, usage, and mechanical errors such as fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement problems, inadequate proofreading, or incorrect or missing punctuation. Directly quoted passages are integrated into the text with attribution. In summary, the language of the C paper is characterized by generalities rather than precise, illustrative details. The D paper (60-69) represents below average college work. It often demonstrates one or more of the following characteristics: it has only skeletal development and organization; the thesis is often unclear and/or non-existent; it has frequent mechanical errors which are distracting and interfere with the readability of the document, including fragments, run-on sentences, subject-

4 verb agreement problems, incorrect or missing punctuation, and a failure to proofread; sentence structure is awkward, non-standard, and ambiguous. Note: A paper exhibiting major weaknesses in any specific area content, development, organization, grammar and mechanics, documentation conventions, writing style or, indeed, a failure to address the assignment is usually considered, at best, a D paper. The F paper (59 and below) is characterized by writing that falls below minimal standards for college-level literacy. It often demonstrates one or more of the following characteristics: little or no organization; an unclear or missing thesis; lack of thought and purpose; numerous and pervasive mechanical errors which are distracting and interfere with the readability of the document, including fragments, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement, incorrect or missing punctuation, and a failure to proofread; a garbled or immature style. Note: Sometimes inadequacy in one area is enough to fail a paper the writer, for instance, may not have control of punctuation, producing fragments or comma splices in almost every paragraph. However, serious weaknesses usually occur in several areas of concern. The No-Credit Paper (0) demonstrates one or more of the following serious errors: plagiarized content in any form, including the failure to acknowledge the source of any borrowed material (summarized, paraphrased, and directly quoted) and unmarked exact wording (directly quoted from either a primary or a secondary source), whether a specific well-chosen word, a phrase (two or more words), a clause, or full sentence(s); failure to address the assigned topic; failure to meet the requirements of the assignment; failure to follow directions. Blinn College Policies Attendance Policy The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students place themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final course grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty member, in consultation with the division chair, to determine how participation is achieved in his or her class. Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student s name appears on the roster, through final examinations. If a student has one week s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an

5 (every student now has a Blinn College address to which these notices will be sent) by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. If the student accumulates a total of two weeks worth of unexcused absences, he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class. In summer classes, the student may be withdrawn after three unexcused absences. Blinn College policy excuses absences (with timely documentation) for two causes: official attendance at a Blinn College event and observance of a religious holy day. Disability accommodations: Students with documented disabilities may seek support from Blinn College s Office of Disability Services ( ). Accommodations are not retroactive. Students are encouraged to contact this office as early as possible to initiate services. The student must then discuss requested accommodations with the instructor, and agreement must be reached between student and instructor. Scholastic Integrity Policy Blinn instructors are responsible for maintaining scholastic integrity by refusing to tolerate any form of scholastic dishonesty. As academic honesty is stressed in all classes, there is no distinction between intentional and unintentional plagiarism. According to the Blinn College Student Handbook, violations of the Scholastic Integrity Policy shall include, but not be limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. This handbook defines plagiarism as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one s own written work. Blinn College stipulates that collusion is the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements. Violations of the Scholastic Integrity Policy may result in a penalty ranging from a grade of zero on the assignment/examination up to and including the imposition of an F for the entire course. Civility in the classroom: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff, and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others. If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor. It is the student s responsibility to arrange for this conference. Personal Electronic Devices: All the functions of all personal electronic devices designed for communication and/or entertainment (cell phones, pagers, beepers, ipods, and similar devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight in all Blinn College classrooms and associated laboratories. Any noncompliance with this policy will be addressed in accordance with the Blinn College civility policy (Administrative Policy). Additionally, any communication understood by the instructor to be in the nature of cheating will have consequences in accordance with the Blinn College policy section regarding academic dishonesty. Students exempted from this policy include active

6 members of firefighting organizations, emergency medical services organizations, commissioned police officers, on-call employees of any political subdivision of the state of Texas, or agencies of the federal government. Exempted students are expected to set the emergency-use devices on silent or vibrate mode only. Any student violating this policy shall be subject to discipline, including suspension, in accordance with Student Handbook. Adding / Dropping Courses Adding: No courses may be added later than the first two weeks of a regular semester. A student adding the course must make up the work missed within two weeks after a course is added. Dropping: Students may drop, or withdraw from, courses by notifying Admissions and Records in person or in writing. The official drop date for a regular semester is the Friday of the 12 th week of that semester. A student who drops on or before the official drop date may receive a grade of W or Q. A student who drops after the official drop date will receive a grade of QF. If the student s work was passing at the time of withdrawal, he or she may petition the instructor to file a grade change from QF to Q. Students may not drop or be dropped from classes once the final examination period begins. Incomplete policy: A grade of I may be given only in emergencies, such as the serious illness of the student or a close family member. This grade is not for students who fall behind in their work. To receive a grade of incomplete the student must have satisfactorily completed all but one or two of the final requirements of the course. The instructor and student must agree on this grade before it can be assigned, then at course completion contract must be signed by student, instructor, and division chair. All work must be made up within 90 days of signing the course completion contract, or zeroes will be assigned for the uncompleted work. No food or drink allowed in Blinn College classrooms Student accounts: Every Blinn College student is assigned an account to facilitate official College correspondence. Students must activate their accounts initially through the Student Accounts link at the Blinn home page. Students need to check their Blinn accounts regularly for important communications, including excessive absence reports and emergency announcements. Instructor/Division Policies Missing class means missing daily grades, which are not made up. Mid-term grades: Although not required by Blinn College, this Division requires that all instructors inform their students in writing of their standing at mid-term of each semester, including summer semesters. Accordingly, you will be notified at mid-term of your grades, and if appropriate, advised how to improve your performance. 20 % Rule: Students who miss over 20 percent of the coursework due to absences, excused or unexcused, will not be allowed to make up the

7 work. They miss out on too much of the material/skills taught to successfully make up missed work. Even though students may keep up on the assigned reading, there is no way to make up missed lectures, class discussions, group work, etc., all very important and necessary methods of learning the skills required for this course. At the instructor s discretion, makeup exams and other assignments, if allowed, may be different from the original assignments. Textbook: The assigned textbooks are essential for your learning, especially in classes focusing on the study of the written word. You must provide yourself with the books from the very beginning of the semester. You are required to bring the textbook with you every day unless otherwise notified. You may not share the textbook during class or use photocopied pages instead of the book Students who fail to bring the textbook to class will be penalized. The Writing Center in A-119 offers tutoring in writing for all students enrolled in Humanities Division classes. The mission of the Writing Center is to make better writers. This is accomplished in a comfortable environment through one-on-one consultations with experienced writing tutors. Tutors help students identify and address writing concerns. Student writers themselves direct each session as tutors guide them through any stage of the writing process, from understanding an assignment to documentation of sources. To set up an appointment, just call (979) or visit Walk-ins are also welcomed although they may have to wait for attention.

8 Tentative Calendar It may be necessary to alter this calendar. Any changes to this weekly schedule will be announced in class and those not attending on the day(s) of announcement will still be responsible for the changes. The student is responsible for bringing AccuScan forms and blue books to class for in-class essays and exams. Also, students should attend every class meeting with all assigned textbooks. Week 1 M Introduction, Pre-Test, How does one know at any given time that what he/she is doing is morally correct? T Universalism vs. Relativism, Pojman, chapter 3, pp and chapter 4, pp W Virtue Ethics: Pojman, chapter 4, pp and chapter 8 R Continue discussion, Religion: Pojman, chapter 5, F Euthyphro, Contrarians Week 2 M Exam 1 T Deontology: Pojman, chapter 7 W Continue discussion R Utilitarianism: chapter 6 F Continue discussion Week 3 M Exam 2 T Egoism: Pojman, chapter 2 W Existentialism, pg. 22 R Continue discussion F Feminism, pp Week 4 M Exam 3 T Sexuality W Environmental Ethics R Presentations F Presentations, Final Review Week 5 M Final Exam Final Exam Be aware that no early or make-up tests will be given in place of this final exam at this time. You must bring an AccuScan form.