outline

PHIL 337
PHILEthics:
337
Ethics:
Theory
Theory
and Practice
and Practice
Instructor:
E-mail:
Office:
Office Hours:
Spring 2016
Karen Brown
klbrown@uvic.ca
Clearihue B314
Wednesdays
2:20 - 3:00
and by appointment
Course Description
In this course we will work to understand four ethical traditions in Western philosophy:
utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, contractarianism and virtue ethics. We will begin with a classic
text in each tradition and move through contemporary attempts to critique, develop and
apply these four conceptions of ethics. We will consider the problems that motivate the
accounts and the reasoning that supports them. Just as importantly, we will put all of them to
the test of practical application. Among the applied topics we will grapple with are aiding
people in need, the treatment of non-human animals, sustainability, organ donation, abortion,
assisted suicide, hypocrisy and partiality to our friends. Throughout, we will be asking whether
any of these approaches to ethics helps us to understand what makes an action right or wrong
or helps us to answer the pressing questions of what kind of people we should be and how we
ought to live our lives together.
Texts
The four fundamental texts for the course are all classic works available in many different
editions. The Coursespaces page has links to online versions of all of them. All page references
made to these works in class will be to the editions listed here and available in the UVic
Bookstore.
Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Translated by Joe Sachs. Hackett Publishing. 2002.
Thomas Hobbes Leviathan Edited by Edwin Curley. Hackett Publishing. 1994.
Immanuel Kant Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals Edited by Lara Denis.
Broadview Press. 2005.
John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism Second Edition. Edited by George Sher. Hackett
Publishing. 2002.
Additional readings, course materials, detailed information about assignments along with a
copy of this course outline and updates to the schedule will be available on the Coursespaces
page.
To access Coursespaces, go to coursespaces.uvic.ca and log in with your regular
network ID.
PHIL 337: Ethics: Theory and Practice
Spring 2016
Ethics:
Theory and Practice
Course Work
Exam One
25%
4 Quote & Comments
10%
Exam Two Part A—in class
Part B—take home
15%
20%
Essay
30%
(approx. 2200 words)
For dates see the schedule below.
Exam One and Exam Two, Part A will be in-class exams covering material from the readings
and class discussion. Exam One will include both short answer questions and essay questions.
Exam Two, Part A will be only short answer questions. Exam Two, Part B will be a take-home
essay exam covering material from the entire course but focusing on material covered after
Exam One.
Information about the essay assignment and the quote and comment assignments, including
detailed instructions and late policies, can be found on the Coursespaces page.
Missed Exams
If you miss an exam due to a documented illness or accident, contact me immediately to
schedule a make-up. If you miss an exam without a documented illness or accident, you will
receive a score of 0.
Academic Integrity
The University Policy on Academic Integrity (covering plagiarism, multiple submission, falsifying
materials, cheating and aiding others to cheat) will be enforced in this course. You are
responsible for familiarizing yourself with the policy. You can find it online in the UVIC Calendar
at http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2015-05/FACS/UnIn/UARe/PoAcI.html.
Grading
Grades for the course will be assigned using the standard
university scheme:
For N and DEF status, please see Department of Philosophy
Policies posted in glass cabinets adjacent to CLE B315.
Information regarding accommodation of religious observance can
be located in the UVIC Calendar at
http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2015-09/GI/GUPo.html#pageTop
Percentage
90 - 100
85 - 89
80 - 84
77 - 79
73 - 76
70 - 72
65 - 69
60 - 64
50 - 59
Below 50
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
Missed Classes
If you miss class you should contact another student in the class to find out what you missed.
Student email addresses are available in the Participants section of the CourseSpaces page.
PHIL 337: Ethics: Theory and Practice
Spring 2016
Ethics:
Theory and Practice
Course Schedule
Any changes to the schedule will be announced in class and posted on the Coursespaces page.
All readings not in the four texts listed above can be found through the Coursespaces page.
Q/C indicates that a quote and comment assignment is due in class that day.
January 5
Introduction
January 6
Kant Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, First Section
January 8, 12
Kant Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Second Section
January 13 Q/C
O’Neill “Kant’s Formula of the End in Itself and World Hunger”
January 15
Skidmore “Duties to Animals: The Failure of Kant’s Moral Theory”
January 19
Gunderson “A Kantian View of Suicide and End of Life Treatment”
January 20
Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, Books I and II
January 22
Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, Book III
January 26
Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, Chapter 5— Book VII, Chapter 10
January 27, 29
Hursthouse “Virtue Theory and Abortion”
February 2 Q/C
Walker “The Good Life for Non-Human Animals: What Virtue Requires of
Humans”
February 3
Foot “Virtues and Vices”
February 5
EXAM ONE
Reading Break — February 8 through February 12
February 16
Slote “The Problem We All Have with Deontology”
February 17
Mill Utilitarianism, Chapters I and II
February 19
Mill Utilitarianism, Chapters III and IV
February 23
Mill Utilitarianism, Chapter V
February 24 Q/C
Griffin “Utilitarian accounts: state of mind or state of the world”
February 26
Kagan “Is Death Bad for You?”
March 1
Norcross “Comparing Harms: Headaches and Human Lives”
March 2
Szabados and Soifer “Consequentialism and Hypocrisy”
March 4, 8
Varner “A Harean Perspective on Humane Sustainability”
March 9 Q/C
Railton “Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality”
March 11
continued
PHIL 337: Ethics: Theory and Practice
Spring 2016
Ethics:
Theory and Practice
Course Schedule
continued
March 15
Hobbes Leviathan, Part I, Chapter XIII
March 16
Hobbes Leviathan, Part I, Chapters XIV and XV
March 18
Gannon “Free Riding and Organ Donation”
March 22
Dimock “Why All Feminists Should Be Contractarians”
March 23
E S S A Y D U E in class
Kavka “When Two 'wrongs' Make a Right: An Essay on Business Ethics”
Easter Break — March 25 through March 28
March 29
Rowlands “Contractarianism and Animal Rights”
March 30
Wrap-up and Student Experience Survey
April 1
E X A M
T W O
—
P A R T
A
i n
April 11 by 5 p.m.
E X A M
T W O
—
P A R T
B
t a k e
c l a s s
h o m e
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PHIL 337: Ethics: Theory and Practice
Spring 2016