PHI 112

PCC > Academics > Areas of Study > Arts & Sciences > Arts & Humanities > Philosophy > Syllabi > PHI 112

COURSE SYLLABUS

1.	TITLE OF COURSE:	ETHICS
	PREFIX/NUMBER:	PHI 112	CREDIT HOURS:	3
2.	PREREQUISITE:	REA 099 or equivalent.

3.	RESOURCES NEEDED:
	TEXT:	MORALITY IN PRACTICE; James P. Sterba; Wadsworth, Current ed
	SUPPLIES:	3-ring notebook
4.	COURSE DESCRIPTION:	Examines human life, experience, and thought in order to discover and develop the principles and values for pursuing a more fulfilled existence. Theories designed to justify ethical judgments are applied to a selection of contemporary personal and social issues.
5.	COURSE GOAL:

6.	COURSE OBJECTIVES:
	The Student Should Be Able To:
	(A)	Identify, describe, and analyze the sources of--and reasons for-- moral obligation (duty).
	(B)	Understand more fully the answers that have been given by classical and modern writers to the question, "What is the highest good in life?"
	(C)	Grow in practical moral (ethical) insight.
	(D)	Distinguish sharply between normative ethics and meta-ethics.

7.	EVALUATION PROCEDURES:
			2 take-home tests	100 POINTS EACH FOR A TOTAL OF 200.
			Essay on Ethical Problem	100 pts
			Final	100 pts
			Chapter / Reaction Papers/Quizzes/ and in-class lecture Notebook (Telecourse students will have a discussion requirement.)	100 points
			Grading Scale	Letter Grade
			500-450	A
			449-399	B
			398-348	C
			347-297	D
			0 to 296	F

Special Remarks:
1.	Attendance: College policy states that students may be dropped from enrollment when absent 20% of the scheduled class meetings. If enrolled from the beginning of the term, 15 hours will usually constitute 20% of a four-credit semester course which meets five hours per week. Reinstatement procedures are described in the PCC catalog.

8.	COURSE OUTLINE
	Module	1. Introduction: What is Ethics? Morality As Compared with Other Normative Subjects. Traits of Moral Principles. Domains of Ethical Assessment. Why Do We Need Morality? The Purposes of Morality.
		2. Ethical Relativism: Who's to Judge What's Right and Wrong? An Analysis of Relativism. Subjective Ethical Relativism (Subjectivism). Conventional Ethical Relativism (Conventionalism). A Critique of Ethical Relativism.
		3. The Case for Moral Objectivism. Natural Law. Moderate Objectivism. An Explanation of the Attraction of Ethical Relativism.
			4. Value: The Quest for Good. What Types of Value Are There? What Things Are Good? Are Values Objective or Subjective? What is the Good Life?
			5. Egoism, Self-Interest, and Altruism. An Overview of the Problem. Psychological Egoism. Ethical Egoism. A Critique of Ethical Egoism. Attempted Refutations of Egoism. Evolution and Altruism.
			6. Utilitarianism. What is Utilitarianism? Two Types of Utilitarianism. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism. External Criticisms of Utilitarianism. Utilitarian Responses to Standard Objections.
			7. Kantian and Deontological Systems. Two Types of Deontological Systems. Kant's Rule-Deontological System. The Categorical Imperative. Kant's Other Formulations of the Categorical Imperative. Kant's Ethics and Religion.
		8. Virtue-Based Ethical Systems. The Aretaic Critique of Action-Based (Deontic) Ethical Systems. The Nature of Virtue Ethics. Types of Relationships between Virtue Ethics and Action Ethics.
			9. Why Should I Be Moral? The Paradox of Morality and Self-Interest.
			10. Religion and Ethics. Does Morality Depend on Religion? Is Religious Ethics Essentially Different from Secular Ethics? Is Religion Irrelevant or Even Inimical to Morality? Does Religion Enhance the Moral Life? 11. The Fact-Value Problem: Metaethics in the 20th Century. Nonnaturalism. Emotivism. Prescriptivism. The Renaissance of Naturalism. ESSAY DUE
			12. Moral Realism and the Challenge of Skepticism. Mackie's Error Theory of Morality. Harman's Moral Nihilism.
			13. Essay Presentations - 14. Conclusion: What is Ethics? Student Response
			15. FINAL

9.	METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
	To be successful in this course, students are expected to participate in discussions, readings, in-class writing, and peer review activities. The instructor may assign point values to such activities.
10.	ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
	The very nature of higher education requires that students adhere to accepted standards of academic integrity. Therefore, Pueblo Community College has adopted a policy of academic conduct as described in the Student Handbook. Violation of academic integrity may be defined to include the following: cheating, plagiarism, falsification and fabrication, abuse of academic materials, complicity in academic dishonesty, and personal misrepresentation. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty. Sanctions for violating the standards of academic integrity may include warning, probation, suspension, and/or failure of the course or assignment at the discretion of the instructor.
11.	ADA NOTICE:
	Students who have a documented disability may be eligible to receive accommodations for this class. Please contact the Disability Resources Center at 549-3446 for further information.