Syllabus for Phil 250: Ethics Instructor: Michael Lockhart (Ph.D. Cand.) Lectures: MWF 11am-11:50am Location: DP 4114 E-mail: [email protected] (Please put Phil 250 in the subject line so I know it isn‘t junk mail) Office: Assiniboia Hall 2-51 Office Hours: MWF from 2-2:50pm or by appointment.

Required Textbook: None. We will be reading from a wide variety of sources. Articles will be put on reserve in the Rutherford library for you to read, and when appropriate photocopy.

Course Objectives I have a couple of objectives in teaching this course the way I do: First, this course is designed to help you reflect systematically about how people should treat each other, both one-on-one and at the level of whole societies. You already make judgments about ethical issues all the time, whether it‘s thinking about these things in the abstract (‗Is it ever OK to lie to a friend?‘ ‗Is abortion moral?‘) or simply navigating your day-to-day life (‗If Jean asks me, should I tell the truth and say that new shirt looks like crap?‘). OK, so none of us can avoid making ethical judgments. But a lot of these judgments are made off the cuff, and we might be hard-pressed to explain how we distinguish right from wrong, or why we believe in the values we hold. This course presents you with a range of conflicting ethical theories from the western tradition: as you sort through these, you‘ll have the chance to (i) see which theories are closer or farther from your own views; (ii) see the arguments offered for and against various theories and how these raise challenges for your own moral choices; and (iii) ultimately be able to see your values in relation to other moral possibilities. There are three major areas of ethics: meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. This course will explore all 3 of these areas; though will devote most of the time to normative ethics. Second, this course aims to cultivate a particular set of skills in the careful analysis and communication of ideas. Philosophy is a painstaking discipline: it prizes precision in reading, writing, listening, and talking (in sharp contrast to skills you may use in other areas of life—skimming, multi-tasking, half-listening, conveying the gist of an idea). Everything in the design of this course is meant to push you to be careful and clear and systematic as you absorb and communicate ideas. So when it comes to reading, you won‘t be able to get by with a quick perusal of the week‘s reading while you‘re on the bus, or watching American Idol; you‘ll need to read the material with all of your attention, sorting out the structure of the argument as you read, taking notes and looking up words, and probably going over the text two or three or even four times. When you‘re writing, you‘ll need to use the same degree of care: advancing a clear thesis, arguing step-wise for this thesis, cutting out all of the fluff so that every word advances your case, and taking the writing through several drafts so that it‘s razor-sharp by the time you‘re done. And when you‘re speaking and listening in the classroom, I want you to use the same care: giving all your attention to the person who‘s speaking, and communicating your own views with as much clarity and succinctness as you‘re able. Why push so hard at all of these skills? Because they‘re unbelievably valuable for getting things done in the world: with these skills you‘ll be better equipped to recognize sloppy thinking (and propaganda), communicate your ideas effectively and persuasively, gain a clear understanding of where others stand…. In other words, you‘ll be in much better shape to do well in university, impress potential employers, and be a good, critically-minded citizen.

Course requirements Papers — 30/40%* One goal of this course is to help you develop skills in presenting arguments succinctly and clearly. A key place to hone and demonstrate this skill is in these two papers, due on Oct. 8th (10%) and November 15th (30%). The first paper, which is optional*, is 2-3 pages; the second paper is a maximum of 5 pages. Papers must be submitted in person, in the first ten minutes of class, to be considered on time. Please note: There is a strictly enforced late penalty on papers of one portion of a letter grade for every full or part calendar day that the paper is late. The second paper, for example, is due in class within the first 10 minutes on Nov. 15th; if you hand it in later than that time, your grade will be lowered by one portion of a letter grade (so if the paper is worth a B, you‘ll get a B-). (I will make allowances for genuinely extenuating circumstances like family tragedies, houses burning down, major illnesses, and so on, though I reserve the right to require documentation of these. On the other hand, missing the bus, having lots of assignments due in other courses, computer/printer breakdowns, or holding down a job alongside studies do not count as extenuating circumstances for purposes of the late penalty.) Please note: Papers must be submitted as printed documents; they may not be submitted electronically. *Very important!! Paper 1 is optional. If you choose to write paper #1 it will be worth 10% of your grade and the mid-term will be worth 20%. If you choose not to write paper #1, then your mid-term will be worth 30% of your final grade. This is designed to give you flexibility as a student. Be aware that if you hand in paper #1, you are stuck with whatever grade you get. You cannot change your mind once the paper is submitted. Likewise, if you do not hand in paper #1, you cannot then decide later to hand it in to count as part of your final grade. So you have to choose whether you want to do the extra paper or make your mid-term worth 30%. To be clear, the mid-term is not optional. Only paper #1 is optional.

Mid-Term — 20/30%** This will be an in-class exam, Oct. 20th, on the all the material covered in the course at the time of the exam. It will require answering two questions. Answers are expected to be roughly 1-2 pages long each. More details to follow. **Very important!! Students who have done paper #1 will have their mid-terms count as 20% of their final grade. Those who chose not to do paper #1 will have their mid-terms count as 30% of their final grade.

Participation — 10% You can‘t learn philosophy by just soaking up other people‘s words and ideas—philosophy is about forming and expressing your own arguments, building on and engaging with those of others. So participation in classes is key to this course. Part of your participation grade includes performance during a debate held in class.

Please recognize that if you want a good participation grade, you need to prepare for classes, and being physically and mentally and verbally present. You will not get a 3.0 or even a 2.7 in participation just for showing up: you need to have done the reading carefully and thought it over; and to have listened carefully in lectures. You then have to take all of this thinking and reflection and share it, particularly, though not exclusively, on Fridays where I will encourage more class discussions rather than pure lecturing. It is not enough for you just to show up. You cannot develop your argument skills if you lurk at the back of the room avoiding eye-contact. You need to attend every class, be well-prepared, have the courage to participate actively, and the restraint not to dominate discussion. Evaluation of Participation. Evaluation of your participation will be based on your attendance, attention, and activity in lectures, debates, and group discussions. I will ask you to hand in a form on which you indicate what grade you think you deserve for your participation in the course, and why. I will consider your self-evaluation, as well as my own participation records, and give you your participation grade for the course. The self-evaluation is due December 3rd. The self-evaluation is optional, though I strongly encourage students to hand it in and ―make a case‖ for the grade they think they deserve.

To get a 2.7 (“Good”) or higher for participation you need to:  Show up, and stay, for all classes (hard to participate well if you‘re not here!)  Be prepared for lectures and discussion groups by carefully reading all assigned readings and having a good grasp of correct responses for reading questions and meanings of key terms; if you‘re not up to speed you‘ll have to stay silent in discussion groups, or worse yet to bluff your way through (which is very annoying for people who‘ve actually done the work).  Stay on task, and help to keep discussions on track.  Be willing to speak up, offer your opinion, ask questions, offer responses to the questions of other students, and allow other students a chance to do so as well. (That is, not dominating discussions but not just sitting on the sidelines),  Focus on discussion, rather than just waiting to speak. (That is, listen well to other students and attempt to build on their contributions as well as offering your own ideas).  We may have a debate in the middle of the course; it is wise to ―show your stuff‖ during these times. If you‘re hoping for a participation grade in the B+ or A range, you‘ll need to do all of the above really well, and also to offer really good points in discussion, help discussions run well by contributing proportionately and drawing others in, and generally be a noticeable force for good in discussion groups. If, on the other hand, you want to try to get a really low participation grade, here are some tips: Miss classes, especially Fridays. Be silent in discussion groups. Dominate discussion groups. Chat with your friends in class or section while someone else is holding the floor. Don‘t do the readings. Arrive late and pack up early. Be dismissive of other people‘s ideas. See how far off track you can take discussions. *Mp3 players, cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices that are not related to the course should be turned off at all times.

Final Exam—30% This will be a take home exam covering all of the material in this course. It will be given Dec. 6th after a review session and is due Dec. 8th at 11pm. Exams more than 10 minutes late will receive late penalties as described above, with the following difference: Exams submitted after Dec. 8th will not be accepted.

Calculation of final grade The final grade point mark will be converted to letter grades for reporting, using the university scheme (e.g. A = 4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, etc.), with cutoffs for rounding up or down (and for distinguishing between A and A+) to be decided on a class-wide basis at the end of term.

Plagiarism: From the Academic Calendar "The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/governance/studentappeals.com) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University." (GFC 29 Sep 2003)

From the Code of Student Behavior 30.3.2(1)

Plagiarism

No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study. 30.3.2(2)

Cheating

30.3.2(2) a No Student shall in the course of an examination or other similar activity, obtain or attempt to obtain information from another Student or other unauthorized source, give or attempt to give information to another Student, or use, attempt to use or possess for the purposes of use any unauthorized material. 30.3.2(2) b No Student shall represent or attempt to represent him or herself as another or have or attempt to have himself or herself represented by another in the taking of an examination, preparation of a paper or other similar activity. See also misrepresentation in 30.3.6 (4).

30.3.2(2) c No Student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the Student’s own work. 30.3.2(2) d No Student shall submit in any course or program of study, without the written approval of the course Instructor, all or a substantial portion of any academic writing, essay, thesis, research report, project, assignment, presentation or poster for which credit has previously been obtained by the Student or which has been or is being submitted by the Student in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere. 30.3.2(2) e No Student shall submit in any course or program of study any academic writing, essay, thesis, report, project, assignment, presentation or poster containing a statement of fact known by the Student to be false or a reference to a source the Student knows to contain fabricated claims (unless acknowledged by the Student), or a fabricated reference to a source. 30.3.2(3)

Misuse of Confidential Materials

No Student shall procure, distribute, or receive any confidential academic material such as pending examinations, laboratory results or the contents thereof from any source without prior and express consent of the Instructor. 30.3.6(4)

Misrepresentation of Facts

No Student shall misrepresent pertinent facts to any member of the University community for the purpose of obtaining academic or other advantage. See also 30.3.2(2) b, c, d and e.

Other Important Information   

Policy about course outlines can be found in Sec. 23.4(2) of the University Calendar. (GFC 29 Sep 2003) Further information on the Code of Student Behaviour is published in the Calendar (pages 777798) Recording of any kind is permitted only with prior written consent of the professor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan

Tips for doing well in the course Doing well in this course is only possible if you apply yourself in a consistent way. This course is not about memorization and regurgitation — you'll need to develop new skills and hone existing ones. You'll need to learn to read complex texts, take apart arguments, and construct arguments of your own, and do some of this in class during your discussion sections. To succeed, you may have to do 2-3+ hours of reading and writing for each and every class, as well as showing up for all classes.

Reading Identifying and understanding the arguments of (sometimes complex) texts is a key skill needed for success in university, and especially in philosophy.

Read carefully. In this class there is reading for every week, and you need to do the reading in time. Keep in mind that if you haven't done the reading you may have trouble following the lectures, participating well in discussions, and writing your papers.

Do the readings before class.

As you read, take notes.

Classes Come to class! If you miss these, you‘ll have trouble following the course content, and doing well on your papers.

Be a selective note-taker. How should you take notes in lectures? Don’t try to write down every word being said. Look up from your desk, listen carefully to what is being said, and figure out what the big ideas and important points are. Then write these down as you get them, along with questions you have, words you need to look up, and so on. This way you‘ll be processing and interpreting the material, which is what philosophy is all about. It's really disruptive of class if people wander in late, pack up their things before the class is over, or talk amongst themselves while the class is going on. So please observe the following rules:  Don't chat with friends during class;  Classes will start promptly. Do arrive on time.  Classes will end promptly. Don't start packing up before the class is over, or leave early. It's noisy and disrespectful and makes people grumpy.

Behave!

Assignments Remember, assignments are due in the first ten minutes of class and are subject to late penalties if they come in later than this, or elsewhere than the classroom.

Get them in on time.

I'll not only give you grades on your papers, but comments to show you how to improve. Unless you pay close attention to this advice, it'll be hard for you to progress. I can‘t stress this enough: there are few things more frustrating for us as instructors than taking time to give students personalized advice on writing strategy, sentence structure, grammar, and so on, only to have them write the next paper as if we‘d never bothered. If I write comments on your papers—whether about the nitty gritty of writing or about broader issues of structure and content—please reflect on these and think about how to use the advice in future assignments. And if you can‘t figure out how to improve your writing based on my advice, then ask!

Pay attention to feedback.

Use my office hours. I will be very glad to talk over readings and assignments with you during my office hours (or by appointment). Really. In fact, you‘re not taking full advantage of my offer to help if you don‘t come to see me at least once during the course.

Don't plagiarize. I take plagiarism very seriously; ignorance of the rules concerning plagiarism does not excuse it! So make sure that you understand what plagiarism is, and avoid it in all its forms! Note that if I discover plagiarism on an assignment, it's not up to me to decide on a penalty; I simply report the incident to the Dean‘s Office, and they deal with it. Very strictly. (A few of years ago, for example, three students failed and were suspended for a term because they copied a single, minor assignment.) [For more on plagiarism, refer to the University of Alberta‘s Code of Student Behavior]

Participation Self-Evaluation Fill in this form and submit it December 3rd; please take a look at the detailed criteria, and use these in deciding what grade you think you deserve. Name:________________________________________ Student id. number______________ 2.7-3.0: ―Good‖ participation means showing up for all lectures, being informed and active in group work, and summoning the courage to raise at least the odd question or point for the whole class. To get more than a 3.0, you‘d need to be ―Very Good‖ or ―Excellent‖: not only showing up and participating, but making really good points, helping your small groups to run well, making sure others get a chance to speak, and so on. You probably deserve 2.7 or less if you missed class or portions of class without making arrangements with me; dominated in small groups in ways that prevented others from having a say; repeatedly took things off topic in small groups or with disruptive interventions in class; and so on. Remember that 2.7 still means ―Good‖, 1.7-2.3 means ―Satisfactory‖, and 1.3 means ―Poor‖. I missed ____ classes and left early/arrived late ____ classes. I think that I deserve a

___/4.0 for participation in this half of the term, because:

Instructor’s assessment (your mark): ________/4.0

Course Schedule* Introduction to Ethics Sept 8th-Introduction to the course Sept 10th –Why Philosophical Ethics?

Meta-ethics Sept 13, 15, 17—Divine Command Theory: Plato‘s Euthyphro Sept 20, 22, 24—Moral Scepticism: J.L. Mackie‘s Inventing Right and Wrong Sept 27, 29, Oct. 1—Emotivism: A.J. Ayer‘s Language, Truth, Logic (Topic #1 given: Sept. 29th)

Normative Ethics Oct. 4, 6, 8—Cultural Relativism: Wong/Blackburn (Paper #1 Due Oct. 8th) Oct. 11th –No Class: Thanksgiving Oct. 13, 15, 18—Utilitarianism: Benthem/Mill/Hare/Williams, Selections Oct. 20—Midterm Oct. 22. 25. 27—Deontology: Kant/Rachels, Selections Oct. 29, Nov. 1—Intuitionism: Ross‘ The Right and the Good (selections) Nov. 3, 5, 8—Virtue Ethics: Aristotle‘s Nicomachean Ethics (selections) (Topic #2 given: Nov. 3) Nov. 10, 12—Class Debates: Topics TBA Applied Ethics Nov. 15, 17, 19—Abortion: J.J. Thomson‘s A Defense of Abortion, Marquis‘ An Argument that Abortion is Wrong (Paper #2 Due Nov. 15th) Nov. 22, 24, 26—Animal Rights: Regan/Cohen, Selections Nov 29, Dec. 1, 3- World Poverty: Singer‘s Famine, Affluence, and Morality Dec. 6, 8—Course Review, Final Exam given (Dec. 6th), Final Exam due Dec. 8th (*Readings and Course Schedule are subject to change)